I apologize that this message is overdue. We have been discussing this internally, but we realized that we can’t wait to speak on this until all of our plans have been finalized.
Elanthia is supposed to be a fantasy-filled, fun world where adventurers of all stripes bravely venture forth, slaying monsters, overcoming obstacles, forming communities, and having measurable impact on the ever-changing landscape around them. It is a rich and complex world, in which contrast and conflict have always existed, including racial tension and oppression among the various playable races.
Yet as much as GemStone IV is a fantasy game, it is impossible to divorce it fully from the real-life culture in which it was created and of which it is a product. We recognize that over the years, many developments and in-game systems have become a mirror and reflection of various shades of racism. These reflections have included personal racism, systemic racism, and implicit bias present in the real world, particularly against people of color, and even toward those of mixed racial and ethnic backgrounds. For many, these systems have come to interfere with the purpose of our game and the recognition of the personhood of all of our players. It is our responsibility to examine our culpability in normalizing racism as a "fun" or "harmless" diversion and how that perpetuates systemic racism in the real world. The idea that "it’s just a game" is no longer—and actually, was never—enough.
Voices have been raised among both our player base and staff members, bringing to focus these challenging issues that have been present in our beloved game for far too long. To rectify this, we plan to review and re-write documents, update mechanics, messaging, and storylines to make this a better experience for everyone. Changes will be made and are being made now. Some will happen more quickly than others. Like the challenges facing the real world, some issues we’ve identified are embedded deep within systems that have existed for decades and will take significant work to change. Some issues are so complicated that we need time to make sure we handle them competently and with the care they deserve. But the staff is wholeheartedly throwing themselves into this work. We assume we will make mistakes, but we also vow to continue working through the mistakes and to continue to embrace and learn from them as a community. We hope you can help us along in this journey through your valued feedback and passionate voices, which we hope to encourage and support as we move forward into a more collaborate and united future, both within and outside of Elanthia.
GMs are going to literally rewrite game lore and mechanics to remove racism
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Originally Posted by Neveragain
