WotC WotC's Chris Perkins On D&D's Inclusivity Processes Going Forward

Over on D&D Beyond, WotC's Chris Perkins has written a blog entry about how the company's processes have been changed to improve the way the D&D studio deals with harmful content and inclusivity. This follows recent issues with racist content in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, and involves working with external cultural consultants.

The studio’s new process mandates that every word, illustration, and map must be reviewed by multiple outside cultural consultants prior to publication.

Leveling Up Our Creative Process: Learnings From Spelljammer

In this blog post, I'll talk about how we in the D&D Studio are changing our review process following the problematic content that appeared in Spell...

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[Faolyn]

It's worth noting that DC Comics did the same thing, with underage Green Lantern Arisia getting a crush on Hal Jordan, using her ring to age herself up (long after he'd met her, so he knows how developed she really is), and then he dates her for a prolonged period. DC handwaved it away with "oh, uh, she's an alien, they mature at different rates." Which is 1) gross and 2) a racist trope that's been used to excuse the sexual abuse of minority girls in the real world.

Even the relatively recent past is full of a lot of gross stuff that we haven't come fully to grips with.

Ugh, I haven't read that story (I tend to read more complete storylines instead of ongoing series). I know that Hal has made some stupid decisions in the past, but geez. That's as bad as "Nightwing wasn't raped, he just had non-consensual sex with my author insertion character" in terms of writer idiocy.

I could see it being done if the aliens were kind of like cicadas or other animals that have very long "childhoods" and then mature, mate, and die in a very rapid span of time. Then I could accept a "prepubescent-adult" character. But strangely, writers rarely really think like that.

 

[Vaalingrade]

What, including the pivotal moment in one of the most iconic story lines in DC Comics -- not just New Teen Titans -- where it's revealed that a 50-something Deathstroke is having sex with a 13 year old Titan who's infiltrated and plans to betray the team?

New Teen Titans was a transformative series for DC and superhero comics in general, second only to the Claremont X-Men for that era, but boy, it had a lot of problematic stuff mixed in with the great stuff.

And, to bring this back on topic, this is why more eyes need to be on creative content. I find it unlikely that the Judas Contract storyline could have passed muster as-is if there had been women in the editorial process empowered to pull the emergency brake as needed.

You know you're profoundly messed up with the 'cleaned up' version they use for the adaptation is 'just' physical and mental abuse of a child who ends their own life as a result.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I could see it being done if the aliens were kind of like cicadas or other animals that have very long "childhoods" and then mature, mate, and die in a very rapid span of time. Then I could accept a "prepubescent-adult" character. But strangely, writers rarely really think like that.

If Arisia had looked like a cicada instead of a golden anime girl, I suspect things would have turned out very differently.

 

[Faolyn]

What, including the pivotal moment in one of the most iconic story lines in DC Comics -- not just New Teen Titans -- where it's revealed that a 50-something Deathstroke is having sex with a 13 year old Titan who's infiltrated and plans to betray the team?

I'm going to blame Perez a little bit there, though. He was a great artist, but his teenagers didn't look like teenagers, even if he tried to make Tara look young. I think more people might have been upset by the rape than by the betrayal if she'd actually looked like a kid.

(Not that it matters much, but she was supposed to be 16, not 13. Which just means that Deathstroke can be one of those pedophiles who tries to defend himself by saying he's a ephebophile instead.)

 

[Faolyn]

If Arisia had looked like a cicada instead of a golden anime girl, I suspect things would have turned out very differently.

Hah! True that.

Clearly, comics need more insect babes in them.

 

[Umbran]

Mod Note:
Folks, if you want to discuss comics with problematic content, that's fine, but please take it out to the Geek Talk forum, not in a thread about WotC's policies concerning D&D content. Thanks much.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Hmm, I remember her as being younger, but that was a long time ago.

And yeah, Perez certainly didn't help things drawing her like this:

 

[MGibster]

I think it is something in America's historical make-up, absolutely. The tropes of D&D, even if it's only about 50 years old, can still have generations of history and literature informing them.

Another problem is that we don't always recognize the origins of ideas and images. Take Aunt Jemima as an example. As a child, Aunt Jemima was just a nice lady who wanted to serve me delicious buttery pancakes and maple syrup. It wasn't until I was an adult became aware of the use of African American imagery as domestic servants for white families in advertising.

 

[Azzy]

Another problem is that we don't always recognize the origins of ideas and images. Take Aunt Jemima as an example. As a child, Aunt Jemima was just a nice lady who wanted to serve me delicious buttery pancakes and maple syrup. It wasn't until I was an adult became aware of the use of African American imagery as domestic servants for white families in advertising.

Right. And it wasn't that long ago that Aunt Jemima was depicted as a stereotypical "mammy".

 

[Morrus]

Threads like these are irresistible magnets for racists. They can’t help themselves. And then we ban them.