I don't consider myself a conservative gamer but I do consider myself a grognard of sorts with a D&D history going back 40 years. I consider myself inclusive and cosmopolitan in real life and in my gaming. However, I do find that in D&D (and role-playing in general) as well as modern society that doesn't sit well with me on some level.
The experience and advice of long time role-players is often ignored by the newer generation. Here on these very forums twenty years ago I tried to offer advice to new players who came here asking for it, and I was repeatedly told that (and I quote) "Your experience is not relevant". At the time 3rd edition had brought in a lot of new blood to the hobby which was great but my intuition was that it brought in people from the growing MMO community where optimisation and being the best of the best was how you played. They weren't interested in how the game was played or advice from that those who played before. They played the way they wanted and D&D has changed because of it. How people play now has changed and it does feel like us older player have been somewhat left behind and forgotten. I'm pleased that the hobby continues to draw in more and more new players paving the way to the future but it's obvious why us older role-players can get grumpy over what can be perceived as unnecessary changes in direction.
As shown in a recent thread on here, art is subjective too. Like all of us, I know what I like and what I don't. I used to like the old B&W artwork because it felt like it captured the essence of D&D perfectly. Aesthetics have changed now and D&D doesn't resemble a faux medieval world any more. It's more like World of Warcraft or League of Legends. I know players who really don't like the art direction now and how it doesn't fit their view of D&D (I hated the Dungeonpunk of 3rd edition for example). For myself, I'll take the artwork as a guideline and my setting will look like how I want it to - which for reference has changed, and in recent years has been influenced by Arcane and the LoL art style. Even I've changed.
Then you get the (and I hate this term) the "Woke" factor. Species instead of race. Male mariliths, hag's, dryads, banshees...etc. Vistani are apparently racist despite being an archetype within a game setting (I never saw the old WoD Gypsies book as racist either for the same reason). Concepts that don't always sit right with those of us from an older generation. Society is changing for the better but does it need to impact D&D? In some places yes, and in others no. Despite what is in the Monster Manual, my games will continue to showcase things as we always have done but then my games are not public so it has no effect on others. But again, I can see where the more conservative players might feel these changes being forced unnecessarily out there.
I see both sides and rather than heated discussions where neither side seems willing to understand the other's view point, I think that we need to understand that the blessing and curse of role-playing games is that we all play them different and we desire different things from it.
Hopefully this came across in a positive way.
