Philosophy and Dungeons & Dragons
Four philosophers and a philosophy student composed a panel discussing “Philosophy and Dungeons & Dragons” at Loch Cafe & Games on Nov. 13.
The juiciest talk was about the attempts to grapple with “race” in fantasy gaming. In the 1980s, in the Basic Edition of D&D, races and classes were conflated into a single descriptor. One could be an elf or a wizard or a dwarf or a fighter. “Professions” were sorted out from “races,” allowing an elf wizard to exist, but also leading to conversations about racial essentialism.
Recent editions have moved away from “race” as a meaningful game category, thereby avoiding criticisms of racial essentialism in the game (and, if allowed in the game, potentially extended into real life).
But, one of the panelists said, what if the safe space of a game is a place for someone, for people, to work through the complexities of race? What if the designers of D&D have just removed one of the places where people can talk about what race means within the safety of a game world?
Fascinating talk, well worth everyone’s time.
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