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Black people in Azeroth
#1
Some human NPCs happen to be "black", and your character may be one as well. That's a well-known fact.

But what makes the difference between the skin pigmentation of a "black" human to a "white" human's in WoW? It seems that black people aren't restricted to an area - there simply is a minority of black-skinned NPCs in most human-controlled zones. The only exceptions are the Wastewander bandits, humans from Tanaris that are ALL black. And the arathorian NPCs seem to be more tanned than the ones from other regions.

I can only ask myself if all black humans come from a specific region in Azeroth, or if Blizzard simply /roll'd to decide if an NPC was going to be either black or white. Can you give me any light in this, fellow CotHians?
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#2
Delineation of race by skin color has always been something Blizzard has (Rightfully) kept themselves out of. It is something sticky and unpleasant that shouldn't be included in a game intended for children and young adults.

That being said, there really isn't one place where darker skinned people can be found. Skin color in WoW is homogenous, with lighter skinned people mixing evenly with darker skinned people. There is no lore nods to any race of dark skinned humans.

The only faction of all dark-skinned humans that I know of are the nomads of Tanaris and the pirates of Stranglethorn, and that is mostly because they are both factions of men and women who spend a lot of time in the sun.

I hope that helps.
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#3
WoW humans are not earth humans; its just a variance they may have, just as some Tauren have vastly different fur colors or dwarves may vary anywhere from peachy to pale to slate.

There is no lore supporting human racism based on skin tone, but plenty to support that WoW races tend to have variances between individuals far greater than what one would expect on Earth. I wouldn't at all be suprised if people were randomly born with a complexion vastly different from their human parents at time. If WoW humans worked like earth humans, than the races would be more homogenized.

What does surprise me, though, is that there isn't much variety in gnome skin tones. I'd expect them to be pinkie or something. :P
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#4
Skin color in WC seems superficial, if dependent on anything, its sun exposure (see the aforementioned pirates and bandits).

Gnomes all have pasty skin because they live indoors all the time, Dae :|
Your stories will always remain...
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... as will your valiant hearts.
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#5
(05-22-2013, 06:15 PM)Rosencrat Wrote: Delineation of race by skin color has always been something Blizzard has (Rightfully) kept themselves out of. It is something sticky and unpleasant that shouldn't be included in a game intended for children and young adults.

That being said, there really isn't one place where darker skinned people can be found. Skin color in WoW is homogenous, with lighter skinned people mixing evenly with darker skinned people. There is no lore nods to any race of dark skinned humans.

I think that Blizzard did this for both the sake of its diverse playerbase, and thus had a reason not to incorporate it into human lore. Race is an iffy issue when it comes to a business as big as Blizzard's. They left this open ended, so I see no reason why we shouldn't treat it the same way.
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#6
I would agree that skin tone in WoW doesn't seem to affect region or culture. Unless we're talking about orcs. :))
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#7
(05-23-2013, 01:42 PM)Nightharrow Wrote: I would agree that skin tone in WoW doesn't seem to affect region or culture. Unless we're talking about orcs. :))

And Tauren! Don't forget mancowpig!
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#8
I've often asked this question myself and have on two occasions avoided profiling favored characters due to an inability to determine their regional origins. A very few might remember Kasiem, my main from around 2009-2010. He was a native of Stranglethorn Vale and a the leader of the Stranglethorn Mining Co, a front for unscrupulous business ranging from the slave trade to dog fights at the local arena. Despite his being my main for some time, and to this date one of my most memorable characters, I was never able to profile him due to the lack of information provided on both human ethnicity and the timeline in which humans began to colonize the Vale. Though I have long since retired Kasiem, with very little chance of a reappearance, his legacy continues through his less than savory yet undeniably effective son Kash (Yes Royal I have every intention of carrying him over to Cata.). Still to this day I have been unable to puzzle out whether either would have a legitimate claim as a Stranglethorn native.
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#9
I've heard something about Kul Tirans being dark skinned, but I think that was just unverified personal gnosis (not in the spiritual sense, though.)
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