Funeral crashing in WoW

by Vladimir Cole { Apr 17th 2006 at 9:03AM }

This seven-minute video by WoW alliance guild "Serenity Now" documents an act of extreme griefing. In the video, members of the guild crash a solemn funeral event in which members of a rival guild were paying respects to the avatar of a guild member that had recently died of a stroke.

Result: many hurt feelings, best summarized in the quote that leads this article.

World of Warcraft, Shadowbane, Everquest, The Sims Online, Ultima Online, Anarchy Online, you name it, there's one word that unites all players of massively multiplayer games: drama.

No matter what the game, players will find a way to create conflicts that transcend the usual (and trite) Orc vs. Human or Mage vs. Warrior conflict that's been baked into the games by designers.

[Via awesomely cool blog Videogamey]

Tags: griefing, world of warcraft, WorldOfWarcraft, wow

Related From Joystiq

Rebellion won't release 'sanitized' AvP in Australia
4 days ago
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is becoming its own worst enemy
24 days ago
MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review
24 days ago

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

FOX @ Apr 17th 2006 9:16AM

Awesome...that was the best WOW movie ever.

XGM @ Apr 17th 2006 9:22AM

Thats just stupid, in both ways. Making a funeral in a MMO is pretty sad, like get out of that basement and go to the real one. And crashing in like that is pretty sad being as low life as that. Thats why FPS is soo much better.

djork @ Apr 17th 2006 9:47AM

Go to the real funeral. It's a fricking video game, people.

Wreckless @ Apr 17th 2006 9:53AM

I laughed hard...my sides hurt.

Its a PvP server, they held the funeral in a contested zone and they announced the time/location publicly b/c all the "griefers" knew where to be. If they wanted to be serious about a video game funeral (lol) they could have kept it to themselves and done it in a zone where they couldn't be attacked.

Ahms @ Apr 17th 2006 9:53AM

Since their common method of knowing each other was through the MMORPG, it would make sense to pay their respects in that medium. I doubt they could all fly to the actual funeral

Sorry to hear it went it like that, and hope all the family and friends are doing alright. Anonimity seems to be a fertile breeding ground for hate

WizarDru @ Apr 17th 2006 9:55AM

If that's the best WOW movie ever, then WOW movies must be, in general, pretty boring.

It also reinforces my decision to play CoH/CoV instead of WoW.

HotShotX @ Apr 17th 2006 9:56AM

Yeah, I had a good laugh watching that video. Don't get me wrong, I sympathize with the guild of the one who passed away, but XGM's right: If you're too lazy to go to the REAL funeral, don't cry when your in-game one is crashed, it is a GAME after all.

A bigger statement would have been made if the entire guild showed up to the REAL funeral, dressed in black and all. I think I would shed a tear at the sheer awesomeness of that scene.

Anywho, enough rambling from me. Blizzard went and banned the CD-Keys of the guild who attacked them: Not for doing the act (which is perfectly fine), but for posting info of the deceased on public forums in an attempt to prove that he didn't really die (which I don't know or care either way) :)

Overall, the video is a good laugh.

~HotShotX

Havok @ Apr 17th 2006 9:57AM

They are holding a good buy for a friend that loved WoW. It's the thought that counts, and calling it stupid is extremly childish.

And that video just goes to show that people on the internet are retarded little kids who don't have anything better to do then fuck up for everyone else. It was a nice thing to do for a person who was their friend, and these guys go in and fuck it up, real mature.

And telling them to go to the funeral is a bit silly imo, most likely they are peopel from all over the country (maybe even world).

Shad Genki @ Apr 17th 2006 10:01AM

A funeral is an act of coping with the loss of a loved one and honoring their memory. The fact that people would prefer to do this in an MMO with their online avatar instead of actually paying respect to the deceased seems rather self-centered to me.

fawazr @ Apr 17th 2006 10:09AM

This only proves that human beings, even in virtual fantasy worlds, will still behave like human beings. I don't go many days without hearing about bombings or other appalling acts taking place during funerals or other holy gatherings.

Although I have my reservations about MMOs and the amount of time players devote to these games, the in-game funeral was a touching sentiment. I'd imagine that many guild members probably wouldn't have been able to attend her actual funeral and this was their only outlet for paying their respects.

And I agrree with Shad Genki that this sort of gleeful exploitation of a solemn moment is self-centered and childish, but not surprising.

Ahms @ Apr 17th 2006 10:09AM

5- They are paying respect. You're making the assumption that they do absolutley nothing else in real life or in their thoughts. In this case, they are doing it where they all knew the person, as much as you might do the same at your common work place, or school. Who knows, most of them might have some how been able to goto the real funeral as well

And if not, they tried in their own very unique way. Hardly "self-centered"

gino @ Apr 17th 2006 10:12AM

you guys gotta think about this in the role player's world... this was effing genius, because in fantasy worlds, funeral crashing would definitely be on the menu of a group of trolls... so this was perfect in the role player's sense...

DG @ Apr 17th 2006 10:14AM

Wow...Never having played a game like that, I can't speak to the real emotions involved, but that seems like a pretty crappy thing to do.

However, that video was terrific. I hadn't heard the Misfits in a while, and that was a welcome surprise.

GlitchCog @ Apr 17th 2006 10:16AM

Shouldn't in-game funerals be for in-game deaths? Leave the real world at the doorstep when you play MMO games, people.

It's a brave new internet, and with anonymity comes assholery. If you treat anything on the web as sacred you're either an idiot or you're asking for trouble.

rolladil @ Apr 17th 2006 10:18AM

Wow,
Some people just need to get a life. I see allot of people who are butt hurt over a game. Get over it! I do believe the guild acted in a manor that showed true role playing. if this was reality and this was 800 AD and you had a chance to do that to an Enemy. You better bet your ass you would have done it. I am sure if you look at history in the �real world� you will see this has happened many times. Now I did not take part in the events but from what I have heard they should be looked as True Role players and played their toons to the level of realism that exceeded yours. You must remember you opened the door to this kind of attack. BTW did you leave your weapons at home for the funeral or did you have them on you? My guess is you had them on you. This shows you were someone prepared for an attack and this should not have been a surprise.

No war was ever put on hold for a funeral; many were started because of a funeral

Ian Gibson @ Apr 17th 2006 10:20AM

Fucking hilarious - really helps to remind people that it is just a game. I can understand ppl being pissed, but calm down - it was all in the name of fun.

Miharu @ Apr 17th 2006 10:20AM

Now, I know it's just a game but if I was in the guild with the funeral, I'd be very pissed off and hurt at this. Some might take it the same way as if it happened in a real funeral...

Pancakeshouse @ Apr 17th 2006 10:21AM

Number 9) Could point about it actually making the game world even more perfect. I don't play WoW or any other MMO, but I can see that something like this should make this game even more fun. Where would the conflict beif you didn't have the group of Assholes that you need to fight.

Also, if everyone would have gone to the guys real funeral, it would be kinda strange seeing somebody for the first time laying in a coffin, dead.

Neko Ewen @ Apr 17th 2006 10:24AM

As if I didn't have enough reasons to not play MMOs already. It's like they want to kill off the hobby.

FooAtari @ Apr 17th 2006 10:24AM

the circumstances around this are obviously tragic, but...

I personally think that the people who held this "virtual ceremony" need a bit of a reality check. First of all, it's only a game and I would suggest that the players of the rival guild would never carry out anything like this in real life. Secondly are some people so unable to function in the real world that they feel need to act out such unhappy and if you look at the queue of mourners such tedious tasks in a game? Doesn't really help the stereotypical view of the basement game players who never see the light of day does it. I just find this slightly dysfunctional, but who am I to judge. If you bare in mind that there was no real harm done here the video itself is pretty damn funny. I just wish I could see the in game chat on the bottom left.

If I was a big MMORPG fan, and given the choice to be remembered by an online ceromony or a massive fight (slaughter?) I know I'd rather have the fight! But seriosuly I would have neither, both are seperate and when the boundries start to blur it all gets a bit dodgy.

And I think it's all to do with self righteousness rahter than anything else of those attending the "funeral".

Can you really feel a real sense of loss to someone who was nothing more than a charchater in a game to some people, and can you really pay your respects in that way, I don't think thats very respectful towards someones life.

Although it is a little savage to do what the rival guild did I think it all needs a little perspective.

Jonn @ Apr 17th 2006 10:32AM

Wow. I saw this on Google video two days ago. Strictly speaking, what they did was take advantage of an in-game funeral for their own gain. If WoW was real, they'd probably be hunted down and killed. As it stands, you have dozens of people going "It's only the Internet!" That's right. People were dicks on the Internet. They're still dicks.

>12. Shouldn't in-game funerals be for in-game deaths? Leave the real world at the doorstep when you play MMO games, people.<
Funny that. There's a statue at one point in the game, and if you visit that same point during a corpse run, you'll find a memorial to a Blizzard employee who died during production.

You were saying?

The ZeroCorpse @ Apr 17th 2006 10:33AM

It's not about what the people in the guild holding the funeral do or don't do with their personal lives. This is about GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP. Remember that? This is about not knocking over the RISK board when you start losing, or stealing money from the bank in Monopoly when you're running low. This is about being a little bit decent and respecting other players.

This, and several other problems like this, are why I no longer play WoW. I'll stick with City of Heroes/City of Villains for now.

carlos @ Apr 17th 2006 10:46AM

wow go outside and get some fresh airin your lungs!!!!!

Deuce @ Apr 17th 2006 10:48AM

Wow, this is definitely worth a banning of everyone in the guild, imo. If sexual-harrassment/anti-religions/racism/gay-bashing/etc can get you banned, and they can (and should), then making light of a real player's death in another guild definitely should too.

Havok @ Apr 17th 2006 10:49AM

So basically you are all saying that the "internet" is no place for mourning a persons death? So if a guy on an internet forum, or an IRC channel dies, one should not pay respect for that person?

17. Let me guess, you are one of those people who seperate the internet from real life? One can have friends on the internet, many friends are even more important here then IRL. And what the hell is RL anyway? The internet is just an extension of this. The person in question most likely spent lots of time with these people, even if it was only in a game, they where still friends of this person. They knew him for who he portrayed, that dosn't make his passing any less important then if they knew him in person.

Zsavior @ Apr 17th 2006 10:50AM

First off, you people cursing the MMO world are pathetic, don't try to add your fake "sentiments". What you are really doing is crapping on a genre of gaming you don't like, and using the post as a cover. The post is about a guild in WOW trashing a funeral speak of how the event was sad show of gaming, or how the guild was in their right to attack. Don't come on here and spew your own agenda of how MMOs suck and Counter strike is better, are you insane? Did you not notice that you started commenting on genre rather than the actions of people inside a game?

Second of which to the people going leave he real world outside. So we don't have to honor people we don't meet in real life, but touched us through media and entertainment? No tributes, during television shows, or at the end of news broadcast, or movies? Because that is bringing real life to a world that isn't real. Paying respect isn't limited to the medium you are in. Maybe if people would realize that the internet wouldn't be such a haven for idiots and jerks who just spout insults and ignorance.

Shad Genki @ Apr 17th 2006 11:05AM

Look, I spend as much time in CoH and talking to people on forums and web sites as much as any of you, I'm sure. But if you are going to hold some public memorial in an online game, you really should expect this sort of behavior. MMOs are NOT the real world. I can appreciate the sentiment of trying to pay respect to someone you may never have met. It's touching, really. But you can't really blame other people for playing the game and having a bit fun. Sure, they may have acted immaturely, but it's just as much their right as it is yours to gather together online. It's the equivalent of someone posting their picture on a forum, and then whining when people call them ugly.

Sorry, but if you've removed yourself from the real world so much that you don't realize that people WILL try to cause drama if you are trying to take something seriously on the internet, then it's your own damn fault. You've caused the drama for yourself by taking the internet too seriously in the first place.

heretrix @ Apr 17th 2006 11:09AM

Virtual world or no, it was a shitty thing to do.
And what's wrong with a tribute to a friend? That should be respected no matter where it's held. People that play online come from all over the world. Maybe it was the best and most convienient way to honor their friend in an enviroment they knew him best in.....

Pancakeshouse @ Apr 17th 2006 11:09AM

Didn't George Washington do something similar to this on Christmas Eve, 1775? Him and his troops attacked the Redcoats on Christmas Eve when they were all drunk and having a party. Obviously, the Redcoats were extremly vulernable while in a drunk state. It's not the same as this, but it would be a good tactic if this was infact a rival guild and not some random group.

Also, forgive me if my history is off, just going off what I remember from several years ago.

Wes @ Apr 17th 2006 11:15AM

I think we are all missing the point here...

WOW is for losers.

geves @ Apr 17th 2006 11:18AM

joystiq your losing your touch, i saw this movie about a week ago :D

still funny though. i bet they NEVER saw it coming.

Derbeste @ Apr 17th 2006 11:31AM

I don't understand....since when are games designed for MATURE people?

Since when are games designed to have funerals?

Since when are games designed to help people grieve?

Since when were contested areas designed for peaceful encounters?

Since when is this game designed for reality at all?

It's NOT. It's a FANTASY game meant to DISTRACT from reality.

Furthermore, it is a CONFRONTATION based game designed for FUN! Nothing more.

Many of you are touting how "inappropriate" it was for the guild to crash this funeral. But the crashers were doing what the game was designed for. It was the funeral HOLDERS that were not.

In this light, I think it was "inappropriate" to hold a funeral in game at all! If you can't go to a real funeral, send a card...or a letter to his family...or something to respect the REAL person that died....not some lifeless avatar whos only existance was meant to waist time.

But don't log into a game, expect everyone on the server to play by YOUR rules, and think you accomplished anything truly noble.

Zorak @ Apr 17th 2006 11:38AM

#26 is correct.
#29 is hilariously correct.

FooAtari @ Apr 17th 2006 11:56AM

Havok - "Let me guess, you are one of those people who seperate the internet from real life? One can have friends on the internet, many friends are even more important here then IRL."

That is a valid point. But I have always thought that having friends over the internet you have never met always missed that personal connection. I have made good friends over the internet, but the ones I know in person face to face are always better friends for that reason. I feel that I know them better

"And what the hell is RL anyway? The internet is just an extension of this. The person in question most likely spent lots of time with these people, even if it was only in a game, they where still friends of this person. They knew him for who he portrayed, that dosn't make his passing any less important then if they knew him in person."

Exactly they new him/her for who they portrayed, not for who they really were, so whos loss are they mourning for?

And again, its a GAME not real life. People play games to escape real life and play by different rules, as has been said before.

MosquitoControl @ Apr 17th 2006 11:58AM

"Let me guess, you are one of those people who seperate the internet from real life?"

Well, it is a ROLE PLAYING game.
Don't some WOW servers force role playing?
So it should be different on and offline, because online you're playing a role?

Which, as horrible as it is, I imagine trashing a rival guild's funeral would be what a character in WOW would do.

Not that I've played WOW, but it seems to fit into role playing.

AnimalTaglits @ Apr 17th 2006 11:59AM

Personally, I thought this whole funeral was a mockery anyways. All the avatars stand in a line just to go look at another avatar? What the hell is that gonna do? Your just paying respect to a digital person in a digital world. And guess what can happen in a digital world, you can get owned but other digital characters.

You can't compare this to real life.

Duniyadnd @ Apr 17th 2006 12:00PM

What I'm confused about is all the comments where people say "go to the real funeral" which automatically leads to the forgetfulness of the commentators that this is an MMO game where they people don't tend to live in the same city.

If people want to show their respect to another gamer's death through that, so be it, though I generally shy away from MMO's for reasons just like this, distinction between the game and real life become blurred as ever.

Twiz @ Apr 17th 2006 12:01PM

I think the video is good. Personally I find nothing wrong with paying a bit of gratitude to someone just because you can't spend time with them outside of a game or IRL doesn't mean they can't be your friend. No matter what people could be fake IRL or online so it makes no difference. But I find it kind of creative that a group of people went out of their way for this, then another opposing party counter-reacted to it. Just shows that people still use a bit of creativity.

RocketSeason @ Apr 17th 2006 12:05PM

HAHAHAHA!

Well, thats what you get for trying to bring a moment of breavity to the world of videogames.

Moogle @ Apr 17th 2006 12:06PM

Wreckless, my GF would definitely agree with you. When I told her about this, she was pissed off that they were holding the funeral in such a poorly planned place. She says there are much nicer, not-contested places to hold it where this wouldn't have happened.

Personally, my only feeling on the whole situations is that I really liked the music in the video.

Art Guy @ Apr 17th 2006 12:07PM

As ZeroCorpse said so well, the crash was completely childish and lacked sportsmanship. There are times to taunt and ridicule the opposition, this was not one of those times.

I would be embarrassed to belong to a guild that tolerated this kind of behavior. This is exactly why I don't play many multiplayer games online unless I actually know the people. I have no desire to play with people who behave like spoilt children and activity try to ruin other players experience.

Teddy N @ Apr 17th 2006 12:12PM

Interesting video, it raises lots of questions about what's appropriate in virtual worlds, and judging by the number of posts these are fairly controversial questions.

Let me first say that I don't think there is anything sad about having a video game funeral. First of all, it's perfectly possible that the people he knew on WoW were friends from other parts of the world who he had not met in real life. Funerals are about a symbolic reunion of the people the deceased knew. This can happen in any way. The guild felt strongly about this person so held a funeral.

But... I'll concede that at least some of them had to have been aware of the risks of their location. It is true, however, that the griefers were pretty insensitive to some of the emotions probably felt. The people that knew the person who died would have probably seen the very best side of that person, and felt very chagrined at his death.

Another consideration, however, is how would the deceased have felt about this? He was into WoW, he played it for fun, he liked the PvP (he was on a PvP server...) so why does it matter that much if a massive horde-alliance battle broke out? It's actually pretty well integrated into the principle of the game: brave hero dies (for real, unfortunately, no rez) and a giant funeral happens. The enemy, or a radical, dishonourable element of the enemy, shows up and attempts to deal a crippling blow to the weakened faction.

I know it's very bizarre integrating a real death into a virtual story, but you can't deny that it doesn't work... And it's equally hard to argue (if you didn't know the person) that the person who died would have hated the fact that this happened.

PiratePete @ Apr 17th 2006 12:14PM

First of all, there is nothing wrong with them as a group in game paying a bit of respect for someone that I'm sure they all would consider a friend. So what, they may have never meet him face to face. They knew him non the less and he was a member of their circle of friends. Those having a problem with that let me know of a more practical and convent way where they all could meet up to pay their respects.
Also, explain to me how paying their respects in this way is some how disrespectful to the person that passed? All that would matter would be how that person would of viewed remembering him in this way. If he was in to WoW so much as to join a guild then it would be safe to say that he would of appreciated the act at the least.
Second, to the guild that got attacked, it was a very stupid move to post where the funeral was being held in the first place and on a PvP server at that. DUMB. Who are they to think that other rival groups would respect what they were doing. They were just asking to get attacked when they leased expected. Sure it was low but look at in the context of the game.
You and you mates are there, hanging out, reminiscing about the good ol?imes and all of a sudden a troll (Or what ever doesn't like you) comes by and sees your camp. Whats it gonna do? Stop and say, "Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were having a funeral service here. I'll come back later to attack you when your better prepared." No, it's gonna attack. If they want to do things like have funeral services in a game then they have to expect things like this can happen.
They should of been smarter about how they went about it.
To the attacking guild, It was a sneaky and low but a CLASSIC strat! Reminds me of the Godfather movies. Attacking your enemies at a funeral when they least expect it. Ha! They get "props" from me for that.
Again, remember it is a game. I'm sure they wouldn't do that in RL. At least I hope they wouldn't.
Yeah it was wrong that they posted the person's personal info publicly but I'm I the only one that thinks that maybe, just maybe after some period of time or some penalty they should get their CD-Keys unbanned? I don't know how effective just banning their CD-keys would be when they can just repurchase the game and recreate their accounts.
Hmm, maybe that's was BLIZZARD wants after all.

By the way, I DON'T play WoW.

GlitchCog @ Apr 17th 2006 12:15PM

Havok,
That's deep. So you mean to say, if you die in the Matrix...

This guy wasn't in an online community for dealing with the real world. It wasn't an IRC channel where you got to know someone as they exist in the real world. He was a part of a game that people use to escape the real world and act out a fantasy world, so his death wasn't applicable to the fantasy world anymore than if someone decided never to log on again.

Nimlier @ Apr 17th 2006 12:34PM

I've got a Level 49 Human Mage (Nimlier) on Illidan and I'm a member of the guild Praetorians. To be honest, I only wish I had been there for this. Added to that, I think this is absolutely hilarious.

Illidan is largely a Horde dominated server, and I've spend hours upon hours being camped and ganked or running away from Horde that are ganking me. It's pretty disgusting how often they do it and how long they'll sit around doing it for on Illidan. If you ask anyone on the server that plays for alliance they'll tell you the same thing about the horde. To see something like this happen is like one of my pipe dreams come true after the hours of frustration I've suffered at the hands of the horde. And to be honest, had the situation been reversed, the horde would have done the exact same thing. It's been said before, but if they really wanted to avoid this sort of thing they shouldn't have held the funeral in a contested zone, and by doing so they left themselves wide open for attack.

And to that extent, the people that are calling for a ban are fools. This is what a PVP server is about. Suppose Serenity Now had just been walking about, stumbled into a large group of horde and reacted by slaughtering them? That's perfectly fine to do. Does it make a difference that the group they slaughtered was holding what they considered to be a solemn event? That certainly hasn't stopped any horde from slaughtering the raids I've gotten together after hours of effort right before we enter an instance. So their funeral was a bust, they can go somewhere else or wait until later to finish it or start over. That's how the game works, and this was completely legal in the rules of the game, and it should stay that way.

Kudos Serenity Now.

Insomnia Bob @ Apr 17th 2006 12:40PM

Quite the heated topic...

Okay, look. I've been in a few Guilds in my time, and I've even made some pretty good "online friends". Our friendship didn't extend outside the game, but I still had some really good times with some really awesome people. That said, if one of them died, I would have been genuinely sad. The end of any human's life is sad, more so when you have a personal connection with that person, even if it is through an electronic medium.

I could understand crashing this funeral if it was for a guy who was switching to Auto Assualt. I'd have been first in line, in fact. That's just silly. But, it seems that a real person died. And, again, if this person wasn't exactly a very active member of the guild, this in game funeral might not have been appropriate. But, supposing that he was a 'regular' member of the guild, everybody knew him, etc, then this ceremony would have been a nice gesture for the members of the guild who likely couldn't have attended his funeral 'dirtside'. Some are kids, some have work, some can't afford a couple hundred dollars for a plane ticket or gas money.

So, they hold this ceremony for their dead friend, and what do we get? A bunch of retards mess the whole thing up. Just to be dicks. And on top of that, they made a movie of it. Like defiling the memory of a real human being wasn't enough, they wanted to share with the world what a bunch of dumbshits some gamers can be.

THIS, people, is why people like Jack Thompson get taken seriously. Because of the actions of a bunch of teenage rednecks, we're going to be branded as sociopaths and introverts, AGAIN.

Note to the Intarwebs: Relative annonimity is not an excuse to be an asshole.

thies @ Apr 17th 2006 12:42PM

I still wonder how sick and twisted (and dumb?) you are to walk the avatar of a dead guy around and into a contested zone in a game called world of *warcraft*. Keep funerals where they belong, reality. And don't create drama by pulling that crap of in a game.

/golfclap.

robotplague @ Apr 17th 2006 12:59PM

This is absolutely incredible. I saw this a few days ago and was absolutely amazed by it. No one would have ever predicted such a thing, an in game funeral being raided? It's brilliant and from a philosophical standpoint it's beyond fascinating. When stuff like this happens it makes me want to pick up a copy WoW. Allowing such events like this to occur is only the future of MMO's and brings another level of immersion you absolutely cannot get anywhere else. This is awesome.