“Races” are now “species” in the beloved game Dungeons & Dragons, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, causing some dedicated fans to feel annoyed.
According to a report in The New York Times, “Some character traits have been divorced from biological identity; a mountain dwarf is no longer inherently brawny and durable, a high elf no longer intelligent and dexterous by definition.” Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons owned by Hasbro, has embraced a trend in role-playing games where players have the power to pause the game if they feel uncomfortable.
The company now recommends that extended Dungeons & Dragons campaigns start with sessions where players can discuss their expectations and topic preferences, such as avoiding themes like sexual assault or drug use, as mentioned in the Times article.
“What they’re trying to do here is put up a signal flare, to not only current players but potential future players, that this game is a safe, inclusive, thoughtful, and sensitive approach to fantasy storytelling,” stated Ryan Lessard, a writer and avid Dungeons & Dragons dungeon master, according to the report.
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Chris Pine, star of the “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” movie. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
However, some gamers are displeased.
“It’s an unnecessary thing,” said Robert J. Kuntz, an award-winning game designer who often worked with Gary Gygax, a Dungeons & Dragons co-creator. “It attempts to play into something that I’m not sure is even worthy of addressing, as if the word ‘race’ is bad.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Hasbro for comment.
Mark Kern, a former team lead of “World of Warcraft,” recently commented on how the video game industry and entertainment cater to progressive views in their content for financial gain. Kern expressed concerns about the impact of inserting diversity politics into games on game quality.
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Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
