D&D (2024) Comeliness and Representation in Recent DnD Art
ezo
I cast invisibility
Yep. FWIW, I love her as an actress. But I see a lot of shows/ movie with people I would not consider "beautiful". However, most of them are so charismatic it's crazy! Michelle has tons of charisma, IMO. Danny DeVito is one of my favorite actors, but as he is fairly short and somewhat overweight, most people wouldn't consider him "beautiful".
And those letters aren't that far apart, either.
ezo
I cast invisibility
It is very much opposites most of the time:
1. Having art that is representative of the people who play.
2. Having art that is representative of what people want their PCs to look like.
Unless you want your PC to look like you, not simply represent you, the two don't really meet well IME.
Of course, both types can be present in the game.
I certainly have nothing against someone wanting art to reflect their fantasy ideals.
It seemed odd that some things aren't present in it at all.
Scribe
Legend
Right? We demand more Sword and Sorcery and Chainmail Bikinis!
MGibster
Legend
I don't think many people would disagree, but what they're asking for is for a wider variety of body types rather than asking to have ideals removed. In 2016, Blizzard introduced Zarya (pictured below). Zarya is a beefy gal with the physique of a weight lifter which is in contrast to the typical body type for female characters. A lot of people belive Zarya was introduced because Blizzard was taking some criticism for the way women characters in Overwatch looked.
Here's a classic work of art that appeared in AD&D in the past. I'm not sure any of them look like the ideal version of a fantasy adventurer. Maybe the elf woman?
Scribe
Legend
No problem with this except the last bit.
People have absolutely pushed for removal of my preferences.
ezo
I cast invisibility
Actually, I think they pretty much all do.
Female elf with bow (could be a thief or ranger?)
Male human cleric (haughty) with warhammer
Big burly male human fighter in mail
Older male human wizard in red robe with staff
Female fighter (maybe paladin?) in combat-damaged clothing and armor
Definitely the more "gritty" art style more prominent in the 80s and early 90s.
Professor Murder
Hero
It's hard not to by cynical. However, facts on the ground are that all art in games are part of how they are sold. Attractive images are just that: They attract us. Should images be more diverse? Yes. But I won't hold my breath because publishers want to sell their products. It's akin to advertising. Part of how diversity has increased in common images in advertising is that the standards of beauty have generally expanded from frankly racist/ageist/ableist ect/all standards in even the last generation or two.
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