Opinion by Editorial
D&D is a great builder of solidarities, but many of its ‘traditional’ features, such as the fetishisation of female characters, can be alienating. So, what’s the harm in making it more inclusive?
The episode has brought on other flashbacks too, specifically about the 2014 “Gamergate” harassment campaign where women gamers and developers were bullied, abused and doxxed by those in the community who felt that feminist values were ruining games.
Jan 3, 2025 07:25 IST First published on: Jan 3, 2025 at 07:25 IST
How much is Hasbro?” went the X post by Elon Musk on December 28, inducing flashbacks in those who remember the 2017 tweet — “how much is it?”. The 2017 tweet had led to his purchase, in 2022, of the microblogging website formerly known as Twitter. The X post was a response to outrage among fans of the table-top role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), that its publisher, Wizards of the Coast (owned by Hasbro), has made too many “woke” updates. These include replacing the term “race” with “species” to describe the beings in the D&D world, and a new rule that lets players stop a game if it’s going in an uncomfortable direction.
The episode has brought on other flashbacks too, specifically about the 2014 “Gamergate” harassment campaign where women gamers and developers were bullied, abused and doxxed by those in the community who felt that feminist values were ruining games. It was one of the worst chapters in gaming history, but a decade on, things have changed for the better — not only are there more women, non-binary and transgender gamers now, who were among the worst attacked, games themselves have become more diverse, going beyond the traditional shooter and war games. Several, including bestselling ones like The Last of Us: Part II, which sold 10 million copies, have embedded values like empathy and friendship without, as Gamergate doomsayers had prophesied, cutting out the fun.
The lesson, then, is this — not only for those foretelling the ruin of D&D, but all who rail against “wokeism” wrecking favourite film franchises, books and toys: Change is not always bad. D&D, with its vast cast of characters and thrilling adventures, is a great builder of solidarities, but many of its “traditional” features, such as the fetishisation of female characters, can be alienating. And if community is one of the main attractions of the game, what’s the harm in making it more inclusive and widening its embrace?
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