In 2006, Vivendi (the parent company of Blizzard) initiated a lawsuit against Michael Donnelly, the creator of the then popular gaming software WoW Glider. The software allowed players of World of Warcraft to automate their gameplay using a series of either custom or pre-defined profiles. The software was adopted by many WoW gamers but largely demonized by both Blizzard and the World of Warcraft populous for tainting the spirit of the game and lending itself to Gold Farmers. There was certainly some substance behind these concerns; Glider was utilized for Gold farming by everyone from the individual gamer looking to gain more Gold for him/herself to the large scale company making big money from virtual currency. The software was also useful for leveling characters and aiding other characters in the leveling process, the purpose it was arguably use for by most.

On July 26th 2008, an Arizona district court ruled in favour of Vivendi on the basis of copyright infringement, but not to the extent hoped for by Blizzard. The case will continue and a ruling will follow later in the year. The case has been widely reported in the USA and overseas, capturing the attention of news organizations as large as the BBC. However, this is not our focus.

An issue that has been seldom addressed in the press, on the gaming forums or by Blizzard is the impact of MMO Glider (as it is now known) on World of Warcraft gamers with disabilities. One of the earliest uses for Glider was to aid gamers with diminished motor skills and those who did not have full functioning limbs (such as amputees and those with prosthetic limbs). This allowed, and still allows, disabled gamers of these types to compete within Azeroth on a more even basis with their able-bodied counterparts. By automating certain processes, for examples combining several keystrokes into just one, Glider is aiding disabled gamers without giving them a competitive advantage over other gamers.

This simply grants the ability to play the game, after all hitting keys quickly is not part of the intended “skill” in MMORPGs, rather than automating time-consuming or tedious sections of the game (which is what seems to be frowned upon). Blizzard has been criticized in some circles for not considering their disabled populous in the Glider lawsuit.

It can be argued, however, that whilst Glider does provide this functionality, it provides many more things that do not help gamers overcome disabilities and only serve to automate parts of the game that are either boring or profitable. With a little knowledge, which is easily accessible via Google, gamers can setup macros within the game to assist them. Hardware such as Logitech’s G15 keyboard (which allows the integration of macros and functions specifically for World of Warcraft) provides similar assistance. Even though this latter option requires purchase, so does the full version of Glider.

Blizzard has also done its part to assist disabled gamers through the design of World of Warcraft’s interface. Allowing full control of the game’s functions through the mouse, making windowed mode available and providing a clickable, on-screen keyboard make the game playable for a wider audience of gamers. Implementing these aspects of accessibility, whilst not negatively affecting playability for other gamers, is an admirable move from Blizzard, not to mention making good business sense.

Has Blizzard charged into what they see as part of their war on Botters and Gold Farmers without considering “legitimate” Glider users, or is the debate on disability assistance simply a means to justify unsavoury practice?

What do you think?