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

 

[Umbran]

this is the issue. I have tried 'unwatch' before on threads more gaming related with arguments. I have even have gone so far as to say don't tag or quote me and I wont post again in the thread... and pages later still been dragged in with what I see as misrepresentations and attacks.

You cannot be "dragged in" against your will.
People mentioning you does not comprise a compulsion to respond.
You always have a choice to not engage.
We provide some tools to help you, but in the end, there is a point where each and every poster must make a choice. If you cannot make that choice in your own best interest, we can no longer help you.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

You cannot be "dragged in" against your will.
People mentioning you does not comprise a compulsion to respond.
You always have a choice to not engage.
We provide some tools to help you, but in the end, there is a point where each and every poster must make a choice. If you cannot make that choice in your own best interest, we can no longer help you.

I don't know if you saw the person i responded to said the benefit was you could come in if you are misrepresented. so I was showing that doesn't work. This is not an attack on you, or this site, it is a counter point to what I see as bad advice.

 

[Umbran]

I don't know if you saw the person i responded to said the benefit was you could come in if you are misrepresented. so I was showing that doesn't work. This is not an attack on you, or this site, it is a counter point to what I see as bad advice.

My point is that all approaches to the problem require self-control. If one cannot exert that, there is no "good advice" to give.

 

[grimslade]

I find it odd that we as gamers argue over rules semantics, RaW vs RaI, and ask for clarification all the time. We demand errata for unclear or bad rules, but somehow when people ask for social clarification of what is being presented, "Did you really mean to reference Minstrel Shows from Jim Crow era United States with this piece of art?" it is censorship? The response from WotC to this question was, "Oh God, no! Not at all." Using a Cultural Consultant may have saved them from this error. This isn't a value judgment on Chris Perkins or the Art Directors, Kate Irwin and Richard Witters. You don't know what you don't know. You could argue that they should know and this isn't a once-off occurrence, but this is why having an independent review for Cultural Editing is important. You don't ask someone colorblind to pick out complementary paint and fabrics for Interior Decorating. This change in policy is WotC admitting they are not infallible in preventing these mistakes and need help. It is a good thing.

 

[beancounter]

So, I find it interesting that the first article you link says that hate requires obliteration of context...

...but then give no context around why you feel these articles are meaningful.

Excellent distraction/diversion tactic on your part. Critiquing the poster of the article, but not the content of the article itself...

The articles provide their own context...

They are there for people to read without the bias of my input.

Take it or leave it. I assumed the vast majority will not take anything said into consideration...

 

[Umbran]

Excellent distraction/diversion tactic on your part. Critiquing the poster of the article, but not the content of the article itself...

The articles provide their own context...

They are there for people to read without the bias of my input.

Take it or leave it. I assumed the vast majority will not take anything said into consideration...

Mod Note:
Ah, yes, the trap. If asked for clarification, we are engaging in a diversionary tactic. If we don't, we'd be jumping to conclusions.

Given that you refuse to claim otherwise, those links will be removed, in accordance with our Inclusivity Policy which states that dismissing arguments as 'woke' is not acceptable. You will be no longer welcome in this discussion, for violating that policy.

 

[Mark Craddock]

What boggles me is that I'm fairly certain the M:tG team was already using sensitivity consultants and I'd have thought the DnD team would too.

 

[darjr]

What boggles me is that I'm fairly certain the M:tG team was already using sensitivity consultants and I'd have thought the DnD team would too.

Despite loud uninformed accusations of the contrary, the D&D team runs their own creative efforts.

 

[Vaalingrade]

What boggles me is that I'm fairly certain the M:tG team was already using sensitivity consultants and I'd have thought the DnD team would too.

Different teams with different policies. The 'leads can decide' thing was probably a backdoor cost-cutting measure that no longer seems worth it.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Yeah, it does seem like they keep dinging themselves with that. I think a huge part of it is that D&D has decades of history steeped in problematic tropes. Slavery has been used to depict evil cultures and races for a long time. Just look at the traditional depictions of the baddies of the Forgotten Realms - Zhentarim, Red Wizards, Drow. All have had enslaving cultures in the past.

It takes time to untangle all that. A lot of the people making D&D now grew up with the worldbuilding of the generations before, which in turn creates blindspots. Which in turn is why sensitivity readers are so important.

At this point though, it seems like they just can't stop hitting the 'slave' button without an adult in the room. No matter the risk, every book with a new race or monster HAS to have slaves. I feel that's the underlying issue we're up against here.