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

 

[Zardnaar]

You're arguing that there's something wrong with someone who includes subject matter that might trigger someone's PTSD.


As LBJ once said, "Doing good is easy. It's knowing what's good that's hard." We disagree on what is the good here.

I think this is where things start breaking down. You have some people saying don't make it vs don't like it don't buy it.

Personally I lean towards something like movies. Stick a warning label on it.

 

[Dreamscape]

Ah Roger. Just wondering how you find things here relative to wherever you're from/been. Outsiders perspective etc. It can be a bit insular here at times.

Gotcha! Well, I'm only one outsider, but as a Welshman with a German accent an outsider's perspective is all I really have, so here goes:

To be honest everywhere I've lived (Germany, Éire, England, Hong Kong, Wales) or spent reasonable amounts of time (China, Japan, Singapore, Okinawa, Australia, New Zealand) feels insular to me. You might think NZ would be a particular case in point given its geographic situation, but outside specifically interested parties such as academics most people anywhere just don't seem to have the drive (need?) to really get under the skin of the world as a whole, or even that of near neighbours, and as a result are mostly informed by popular culture. Everywhere people make a myriad small everyday assumptions about "how things should be" that can be baffling or abhorrent to someone somewhere else.

That's why I find it sad but inevitable that the "gateway drugs" to other cultures like RPGs and other entertainment are becoming almost impossible to produce to modern standards, and those other cultures often lack the means or interest in marketing their product abroad. Japan, for instance, is largely concerned with Japanese consumers and it's often only a dedicated cohort of outsiders (with the language ability) who export their awesome stuff for the rest of the world.

 

[J.Quondam]

In this game, you're roleplaying covalent links and fighting the color blue using cosmic radiations.


Mmmm... not sure it will sell, tbh.

Sounds like twitter users trying to migrate to Mastodon:

Every Mastodon explanation is like "It's very simple, your account is part of a kerflunk, and each kerflunk can talk to each other as part of a bumblurt. At the moment everyone you flurgle can see your bloops but only people IN your kerflunk can quark your nerps. Kinda like email."​

Ciara | Ciaraíoch 🎨 (@Ciaraioch@mastodon.ie)

Every Mastodon explanation is like "It's very simple, your account is part of a kerflunk, and each kerflunk can talk to each other as part of a bumblurt. At the moment everyone you flurgle can see your bloops but only people IN your kerflunk can quark your nerps. Kinda like email."

mastodon.ie

 

[Umbran]

I don't just pointing out that a sanitized idealized Americanized products to a non American can still come off as complete rubbish.e

So? 90% of everything is rubbish. Not much new there.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Of course, if what you want to make is money you will be better off in just about any industry other than TTRPGs ...

point

 

[GMforPowergamers]

You're arguing that there's something wrong with someone who includes subject matter that might trigger someone's PTSD.

I am arguing that IF you include it you will annoy people, customers. If you get big enough that will turn into outrage and you will not be making money without apologies and retcons. again run what you want at your table, sell a $3pdf on your website maybe even get a short print run and sell them at a FLGS and Con, but the bigger you get the more eyeballs... and there is a tipping point where you will make LESS because of it.

As LBJ once said, "Doing good is easy. It's knowing what's good that's hard." We disagree on what is the good here.

that is strange, what isn't good?

 

[MGibster]

that is strange, what isn't good?

Putting stuff into your game that might trigger someone?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Putting stuff into your game that might trigger someone?

so you agree it's best to leave that stuff out?

 

[Zardnaar]

So? 90% of everything is rubbish. Not much new there.

More like in American movies you have goodies and baddies a lot of the time.

NZ stuff is more warts and all. The movie clip Iinked earlier has you have sympathy for a wife beater and actively cheer for him later in the movie. That movie was a very heavy movie and was a big hit here, rave reviews.

Played by Tem Morrison Mr Boba Fett. In 1993.

So a lot of Hollywood stuff coming out last 5 years to us can feel very forced and just badly done.

The author of the book based it off his life experiences from his youth.

 

[Vaalingrade]

As I've said to many a pizza cutter (all edge, no point) fellow author: Everything is a tool for storytelling. Some things however are like industrial machinery: you need to know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to apply it with are or someone is going to get hurt.

If you want to apply certain subjects, you damn well better do it with care instead of just doing it to be edgy, or you're going to get the obvious response, same as touching the stove you know is hot. Five year olds know not to touch the hot stove. Grown adults making content sometimes don't or do it anyway because they think they're being brave freedom fighters.