D&D 5E D&D Beyond Cancels Competition

D&D Beyond has been running an art contest which asked creators to enter D&D-themed portrait frame. DDB got to use any or all of the entries, while the winner and some runners up received some digital content as a prize.

There was a backlash -- and DDB has cancelled the contest.

Thank you to all of our community for sharing your comments and concerns regarding our anniversary Frame Design Contest.

While we wanted to celebrate fan art as a part of our upcoming anniversary, it's clear that our community disagrees with the way we approached it. We've heard your feedback, and will be pulling the contest.

We will also strive to do better as we continue to look for ways to showcase the passion and creativity of our fellow D&D players and fans in the future. Our team will be taking this as a learning moment, and as encouragement to further educate ourselves in this pursuit.

Your feedback is absolutely instrumental to us, and we are always happy to listen and grow in response to our community's needs and concerns. Thank you all again for giving us the opportunity to review this event, and take the appropriate action.

The company went on to say:

Members of our community raised concerns about the contest’s impact on artists and designers, and the implications of running a contest to create art where only some entrants would receive a prize, and that the prize was exclusively digital material on D&D Beyond. Issues were similarly raised with regards to the contest terms and conditions. Though the entrants would all retain ownership of their design to use in any way they saw fit, including selling, printing, or reproducing, it also granted D&D Beyond rights to use submitted designs in the future. We have listened to these concerns, and in response closed the competition. We’ll be looking at ways we can better uplift our community, while also doing fun community events, in the future.

Competitions where the company in question acquires rights to all entries are generally frowned upon (unless you're WotC).

 

[TheSword]

Every secondary student in the UK does unpaid work experience in their mid teens. It’s unpaid. They work. Is it exploitative? I sincerely hope not as it’s a pain in the arse to oversee and schedule.

We also take older work experience candidates who want experience for applications for medical school or further education courses. Even just because they want to work in the field. Again exploitative or not?

This is ubiquitous in the UK. I always got the impression internships in US were more elite, but maybe I’m just going by the TV.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Every secondary student in the UK does unpaid work experience in their mid teens. It’s unpaid. They work. Is it exploitative?

Yep. That's the point.

Here were do it with sports instead.

 

[GuyBoy]

Every secondary student in the UK does unpaid work experience in their mid teens. It’s unpaid. They work. Is it exploitative? I sincerely hope not as it’s a pain in the arse to oversee and schedule.

We also take older work experience candidates who want experience for applications for medical school or further education courses. Even just because they want to work in the field. Again exploitative or not?

This is ubiquitous in the UK. I always got the impression internships in US were more elite, but maybe I’m just going by the TV.

Having been a headteacher for many years, I can confirm that every 15 year old in UK does at least one week (often two) of work experience. It’s run by the schools and all insurance and other relevant checks are completed. It’s been going for at least thirty years.
It’s useful for so many reasons; confidence, workplace understanding, maturity, teamwork etc. It’s not uncommon for students to be offered full time roles after their education in their placement.
Absolutely not exploitation.

 

[Chaosmancer]

I don’t view pay day loans as inherently bad. However, they are a very bad option in most situations, just not all.


I don’t find either of those things to be inherently exploitative.



unless there’s coercion or mental illness or deception then having the option to play or not to play eliminates exploitation.

Deception is a funny term. Most people mean it in terms of "lying" telling you something that isn't true. But that isn't the only type of deception.

There is a "bar game" I saw once on TV. Take $100 set it on the table. Have the other person hover their hand about fist high or so above it. The game is that they can't move first, but if they grab the money before you, they get the money. Thing is, if you set it up right (I may have the distances a little off) then even a 6 year old child can win every single game, because the reaction time of the average person means they can never move fast enough. And they proved it, with a 6 year old child making a good $500 on the show.

You know all the rules, that doesn't mean that the rules aren't stacked to mean that you never come out ahead. And when it comes to the legal system and corporations and copyright law? Not even lawyers know all the rules without extensive research.

 

[TheSword]

Yep. That's the point.

Here were do it with sports instead.

@GuyBoy is absolutely correct. It does lead to jobs. We have an ex-work experience student starting a full time job with us next week. After he went away, finished college and got qualified as a fitness trainer.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Having been a headteacher for many years, I can confirm that every 15 year old in UK does at least one week (often two) of work experience. It’s run by the schools and all insurance and other relevant checks are completed. It’s been going for at least thirty years.
It’s useful for so many reasons; confidence, workplace understanding, maturity, teamwork etc. It’s not uncommon for students to be offered full time roles after their education in their placement.
Absolutely not exploitation.

So, do they get paid for the work they do?

Because while all those other elements are great, I'm kind of leery of a set-up where children who are (at least in terms of the US, UK law may be very different) legally not allowed to enter into a contract are working a job, with no compensation.

 

[TheSword]

So, do they get paid for the work they do?

Because while all those other elements are great, I'm kind of leery of a set-up where children who are (at least in terms of the US, UK law may be very different) legally not allowed to enter into a contract are working a job, with no compensation.

No they don’t get paid It’s a form of learning and kids don’t get paid for school. By the same token, businesses volunteer to offer the placements and don’t charge for them.

Though I find the comparison with internships interesting.

 

[Morrus]

Every secondary student in the UK does unpaid work experience in their mid teens. It’s unpaid. They work. Is it exploitative? I sincerely hope not as it’s a pain in the arse to oversee and schedule.

We also take older work experience candidates who want experience for applications for medical school or further education courses. Even just because they want to work in the field. Again exploitative or not?

This is ubiquitous in the UK. I always got the impression internships in US were more elite, but maybe I’m just going by the TV.

From my memory of work experience as a teen, and work as an adult, work experience was a long way from being work. For me it was mainly taking 2 weeks (one at British Telecom, one at Lloyds Bank) off school to watch grown-ups work and was quite fun. They certainly weren't letting a 15-year old do actual banking.

But yeah, it was education, not work. In the same way that double biology was education, not work. Though the latter certainly felt like work. There's no way that the companies in question profited from my shadowing their employees.

 

[TheSword]

From my memory of work experience as a teen, and work as an adult, work experience was a long way from being work.

Depends on the placement. We have the students welcoming customers, cleaning kit, filing, shadowing programs with members. I think that’s typical stuff across the companies I’ve seen.

Nothing excruciating, but the best experiences are when the students properly get stuck in. Training and safety allowing of course. I seem to recall @GuyBoy having students on some pretty amazing placements.

 

[FrogReaver]

Deception is a funny term. Most people mean it in terms of "lying" telling you something that isn't true. But that isn't the only type of deception.

I used deception because I intended it to cover more than just overt lying.

There is a "bar game" I saw once on TV. Take $100 set it on the table. Have the other person hover their hand about fist high or so above it. The game is that they can't move first, but if they grab the money before you, they get the money. Thing is, if you set it up right (I may have the distances a little off) then even a 6 year old child can win every single game, because the reaction time of the average person means they can never move fast enough. And they proved it, with a 6 year old child making a good $500 on the show.

Kids reflexes tend to be faster than adults, but that's more of an aside.

You know all the rules, that doesn't mean that the rules aren't stacked to mean that you never come out ahead. And when it comes to the legal system and corporations and copyright law? Not even lawyers know all the rules without extensive research.

IMO, the crux isn't whether rules are stacked against someone, it's how much say they have when it comes to deciding to engage with those unfair rules in the first place. Exploitation depends much more on the 'metagame' than the particular 'game' that's being examined.