The Trouble with Grognards
We owe a huge amount to the pioneers of our hobby. Unfortunately our heroes aren't perfect. Society has progressed overall, yet there are still many battles to be won, especially in arenas straight white men have historically held dominance.
Games Workshop has taken huge steps to increase representation in the last few years. This is somewhat unique in the industry as a whole but we are gaining ground in the fight for hobby equality. I still have trouble with some traders ignoring me entirely at conventions whilst happily engaging any nearby man. Suffice to say my money doesn't go to those companies.
A Legacy of Ignorance
Veterans of Games Workshop have gone on to accomplish some amazing things. Perry Miniatures produces excellent historical figures, Warlord has dominated 28mm Historical gaming and Mantic has an amazing catalogue for fantasy fans.
Being well known and successful veterans does not mean a diverse and representative team. Having good intentions doesn't mean a largely male, pale and stale design team will make the best decisions.
Warlord is pretty bad in this respect. The Black Powder rulebook is full of uncontested, jovial references to British Imperialism sometimes straying into overt racism. Bolt Action has the tendency to gloss over some aspects of WW2 when marketing their model range. The reported unwillingness of senior staff to acknowledge these issues is disappointing.
Perhaps the worst example was found in promotional material for the 'Shield Wall' expansion to 'Hail Ceaser'. Rulebooks and new releases are usually accompanied by a promotional miniature or diorama. In this case a Viking theme was chosen as shown below...
Yeah. The promotional model for 'Shield Wall' was a sexual assault joke. Attitudes towards non-male wargamers are already hostile or dismissive. Industry leaders depicting women as commodities is both irresponsible and breathtakingly ignorant.
Warlord did respond positively to complaints about this model. It was withdrawn and a new promotional model released. It seems the message sunk in and they have been improving their attitude since.
Fighting for our Fantasy
Ian Livingstone is a legend in the gaming industry. His influence on the games we enjoy today is undeniable. It is no surprise that he can be found at events, conventions and seminars sharing his wisdom and experience. Unfortunately this experience is of a limited perspective.
Attendees at a recent event reported the following observations from an Ian Livingstone lecture...
'Just seen Ian Livingstone stand in front of a room full of early-career gamedevs & deny that gaming has a reputation for toxicity, blame "the media" for that reputation and say in 40 years he's never heard of any sexual harassment cases.'
'He backtracked a minute later. Identifying it as a larger problem not specific to the games industry.'
'His slides included both lip service to "We should hire more women" and a photo of him leching at a model dressed as Lara Croft with the slogan "It's a Tough Job!"
'...and a photo of Miss Wisconsin 1980 for literally no reason'
This is someone respected in the industry. This is someone who has shaped the games we have today. This is someone serving as inspiration and guide to new talent. This is someone reinforcing the sexist and ignorant attitudes that plague the hobby without robust challenge.
We owe a great deal to the Old Guard but they need to open up to the experiences of a more diverse audience or fuck the fuck off.
