The tabletop game publisher Wizards of the Coast is making changes to their games, Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: the Gathering, to address systemic racism. This announcement from the gaming company comes after widespread protests across the United States in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The public outcry inspired many companies to make significant changes in their workspaces, and the entertainment industry is no exception. Wizards of the Coast is the latest entertainment brand to follow the trend of addressing racism within their products.
Wizards of the Coast, owned by the toy manufacturer Hasbro, is a board and card game company most well known for producing Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: the Gathering. Both games revolve around magical fantasy worlds, and new game cards and books are regularly released featuring beautiful, colorful art pieces set in fantasy lands. Both games have been very successful over the decades, and have even experienced a recent resurgence in popularity thanks to special online streaming events. But though the games are well-loved, some elements are problematic. Dungeons & Dragons has previously associated certain racial stereotypes with several fantasy races in the game, and the art of Magic the Gathering cards has several cards that take inspiration from racist stereotypes.
In re-examining their company’s relationship with race, Wizards decided that it needs to make some changes to its product designs to encourage a more inclusive environment. A report from LRM states that Wizards will be banning racially offensive Magic: the Gathering cards from tournaments, including cards titled “Invoke Prejudice,” “Jihad,” “Cleanse,” “Stone-Throwing Devils,” “Imprison,” “Crusade,” and “Pradesh Gypsies.” Though some Magic cards have been banned before, most of the previously banned cards were due to unfair game conditions being created, rather than in response to a cultural event. The company explained their reasoning behind the ban: “We have removed this card image from our database due to its racist depiction, text, or combination thereof. Racism in any form is unacceptable and has no place in our games, nor anywhere else.”
This new inclusive mentality will also reportedly effect changes in Dungeons & Dragons as well. Wizards of the Coast stated that they plan to make explicit design changes in future gamebooks to help promote diversity. These changes include removing offensive and stereotypical representations of Romani people in the popular “Curse of Strahd” book, allowing more customization options for character races, hiring more sensitivity readers, and pushing for more diversity when hiring staff and freelance writers. By promoting diversity in this way, Wizards is hoping to create a more welcoming environment for all players in their future games. Players will hopefully be able to see these positive changes in future campaign books, like the upcoming Icewind Dale campaign.
For long-time fans of Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: the Gathering, these changes represent a move in the right direction. Removing the offensive stereotypes of the past is the right call on Wizard’s part, but diversity and inclusion in tabletop games can't stop there. To truly be inclusive, Wizards will have to continue to promote a welcoming gaming environment in their tournaments and online communities. A good tabletop community doesn’t just need diversity among the fictional characters, but among the real-life players as well.
Source: LRM