OGL-Gate & Mainstream Media: The Guardian Weighs In

With The Guardian picking up the story this morning, here's a list of media outlets covering the Open Gaming Licence controversy.

The initial story came from Gizmodo/iO9, which recieved a leaked copy of the OGL v1.1., and YouTube channel RollForCombat.

• The Guardian: ‘People are leaving the game’: Dungeons & Dragons fans revolt against new restrictions
• Vice: Dungeons and Dragons Is Jeopardizing Its Greatest Strength: Its Ubiquity
• Electronic Frontier Foundation: Beware the Gifts of Dragons: How D&D’s Open Gaming License May Have Become a Trap for Creators
• Comic Book Resources: How New Changes to D&D's Open Gaming License Will Impact Other TTRPGs
• Forbes: What’s Happening With The Dungeons & Dragons Open Gaming License?
• Ars Technica: RPG fans irate as D&D tries to shut its “open” game license
• NME: D&D content creators outraged over licensing changes, demand the game remain “open”
• Polygon: D&D’s stricter licensing rules might impact some beloved RPGs
• Law Insider: Wizards of the Coast Open Game License
• Financial Times (behind paywall): Dungeons & Dragons & fear & loathing: When Wizards go rogue

 

[SAVeira]

Anyways, I agree that is a strange approach to researching the article for it the Guardian chose. I have noticed, though, that the more mainstream publications are leaning nicer to Hasbro/WotC's position compared to industry-related publications.

Think that is approach most publications that are not industry-related going take. From what I have heard from non-gamers, most understand/back Hasbro "taking back their right" or "defencing their IP".

 

[Bolares]

Looks like Hasbro stock is not doing so well today....

(Ignore all the portuguese, I'm to lazy to open google in english)

 

[Morrus]

Well, at least D&D is making it into the mainstream media these days. Only took them 50 years...

D&D General - D&D In The Mainstream - Again!

With the latest mainstream article* (this time the New York Times for the third time!) from a major news outlet covering the resurgence of D&D, I thought I'd take a quick look at similar articles which have appeared on the radar of major newspapers and broadcasters recently, including The...

www.enworld.org

 

[MarkB]

That's a weird, badly-researched, and unhelpful article that addresses almost none of the genuine issues. And talking up defunct piracy sites as a demonstration of how innovative D&D fans are to pursue their hobby is ... certainly an interesting journalistic line to take.

Yeah, if you took the article at face value, you might have the impression that WotC are trying to suppress individual DMs' homebrew settings rather than third-party publishers.

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

Well, I think this is quickly reaching the point where someone on the executive level has to take the blame and step down to save the brand. If that happens, and then the create an OGL 1.0b quickly and turn it over to a foundation like Paizo is planning to do, and making sure WotC nor any other company can never again touch that OGL, things might turn around. But I fear that the main damage has happened: WotC lost one of its greater competitive advantages by appearing to revoke OGL 1.0a.

 

[ilgatto]

D&D General - D&D In The Mainstream - Again!

With the latest mainstream article* (this time the New York Times for the third time!) from a major news outlet covering the resurgence of D&D, I thought I'd take a quick look at similar articles which have appeared on the radar of major newspapers and broadcasters recently, including The...

www.enworld.org

Pretty close with my "50 years", though!

Liaisons Dangereuses

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Yeah, if you took the article at face value, you might have the impression that WotC are trying to suppress individual DMs' homebrew settings rather than third-party publishers.

They asked WotC to comment, WotC didn't comment, it's a terrible article but if you're a company and you're not commenting to the goddamn Guardian, pretty much the only UK newspaper with a real worldwide audience at this point (and one of the few newspapers in the world with one), you get what's coming to you lol.

Also speaks to the level of panic/confusion at WotC/Hasbro that they didn't comment.

 

[Nebulous]

They asked WotC to comment, WotC didn't comment, it's a terrible article but if you're a company and you're not commenting to the goddamn Guardian, pretty much the only UK newspaper with a real worldwide audience at this point (and one of the few newspapers in the world with one), you get what's coming to you lol.

Also speaks to the level of panic/confusion at WotC/Hasbro that they didn't comment.

I can't imagine what is going through the heads of Hasbro corporate right now. They want to save face AND save money and put this debacle behind them, but are probably second guessing every decision they make at this point because it seems to be the wrong ones.

 

[Morrus]

They asked WotC to comment, WotC didn't comment, it's a terrible article but if you're a company and you're not commenting to the goddamn Guardian, pretty much the only UK newspaper with a real worldwide audience at this point (and one of the few newspapers in the world with one), you get what's coming to you lol.

Also speaks to the level of panic/confusion at WotC/Hasbro that they didn't comment.

Unfortunately, you forget the Daily Mail, which is (sadly) much more popular both domestically and worldwide.

 

[Bolares]

Unfortunately, you forget the Daily Mail, which is (sadly) much more popular both domestically and worldwide.

Maybe it’s a perspective thing, but my impression was always that the guardian was a more “serious and respectable” news organization