LGBTQIA+ representation in video games, particularly mainstream games, remains an endeavor. Even if a developer may intend to feature an LGBT character, red tape can lead to the character's gender/orientation/identity being obfuscated or treated like a fun teaser. One good example is World of Warcraft bronze dragon Chromie, who for years has had fans confused and frustrated with Blizzard. Now Blizzard is stepping forward and stating clearly: Chromie is trans.
The recently released World of Warcraft: Folk & Fairy Tales of Azeroth restarted the conversation regarding Chromie's past. During a short story starring Chromie titled "The Visage," a blue dragon asks Chromie why she chose "to become female" in reference to her choosing a female human form as part of her coming-of-age ceremony. Chromie responds, "It suits me." Earlier in the story, Chromie in her Chronormu dragon form was referred to with male pronouns.
While The Visage seems surprisingly direct, fans still decided to follow up on the revelation. It's not uncommon for LGBT characters to be hinted at or revealed in spin-off properties only to never have it acknowledged in the main product, leaving it outside of canon. The story's author, World of Warcraft narrative lead Steve Danuser, repeats what the story says. "Prior to the Visage Day ceremony, Chronormu is he/him. Afterward, she/her in both mortal and dragon forms." Danuser states clearly that this was deliberate.
Chromie's history in World of Warcraft is complicated, befitting a time-traveling dragon. Her history goes back more than a decade, with her origin written when trans representation in video games was practically nonexistent. As noted, Chromie's name in dragon form is Chronormu, which is a masculine name. The topic went entirely unaddressed until Blizzard made a joke in Heroes of the Storm in which Chromie says, "my real name is Chronormu. Huh...? No, it is not a male name. You clearly don't understand the intricacies of dragon culture."
Suffice to say, Danuser's new Chromie story and Twitter comment make it implicit that the bronze dragon is trans. It ends a frustrating lack of clarity regarding Chromie's character that Blizzard has left knowingly confusing for a very long time.
While Chromie being out is a welcome revelation to fans of the bronze dragon, there are still some negative emotions associated with the entire situation. It's not just that it took over a decade to acknowledge Chromie being trans, but also the fact that Blizzard isn't fully capturing the trans experience in its representation.
Chromie's trans experience is handwaved as magic and dragon culture, captured in a book outside of World of Warcraft itself. There's truth in the fact that Blizzard skipped the reality of being trans, but that doesn't mean Chromie being trans isn't without value. Hopefully, like the past 10 years, efforts toward proper LGBT representation continue to improve in the future.
World of Warcraft is available now on PC.