All the World is Play: Race in Dungeons and Dragons Games, Essay Example

Introduction

Race is never an easy topic to tackle and is often frustrated by tension which demands that every word is conscientiously and artfully chosen. If we are to believe Kwame Appiah, the struggle indicates that the progress is worthy, that a significant happening is always waiting around the corner. However, a slip of the tongue in today’s world can hang about a person’s neck as their own personal albatross. Racial relations often provoke this very uncertainty and discomfort, and it makes for a difficult face-to-face discussion. A person’s individual definition of race is influenced mainly by their upbringing and personal experiences, so, as an adult, continuing to grow and experience is an essential element of psychosocial development at any age. Appiah’s concept of cosmopolitanism predicts that even an intriguing exchange across cultural lines will end in a stalemate of different fundamental values. We shall demonstrate that he is right.

Race Characteristics in Role Play

DODONA’s Human Biodiversity Discussion Forum (1995) placed the complexities of race into a vacuum of morality through the use of the Dungeons and Dragons (D & D) alternate reality. As a role-playing game, it gives the average person the ability to create a reality much as a fiction writer would. In this context, how would a designation of race affect the qualities assigned to each character? Specifically, strength, dexterity, wisdom, charisma, and intelligence are the qualities which are ranked from one to ten for each character of D & D. In addition, a short character summary is provided. Our analysis will examine the feedback according to this proposal.

The author initially analyzed only the African, European, and Asian groups. The African D & D character is strong and charismatic, the European character is “cosmopolitan” and intelligent, and the Asian character is wise and dexterous.  Each description also included smaller details regarding the overall racial concept of the group as a single, embodied character. For example, Kane writes that “in a unified social setting, [Asian D & D characters] will carry out orders without question and will gladly sacrifice themselves for the good of the whole”. Analyzing the perceptions regarding people of diverse backgrounds, the topic itself is one of a cosmopolitan nature. According to Appiah, Wieland wrote that “all the peoples of the earth as so many branches of a single family, and the universe as a state” (14). Appiah also explored “Ethics in a World of Strangers”. In Dungeons and Dragons, “all peoples on earth” are members of one small, anonymous fantasy role-playing community which serves as an imaginative social experiment and point of convergence.

There were a variety of responses to the initial post. The first, by BioMan, argues that the Olympics serve as the best world stage to test the physical attributes. In the context of the debate, it is an appropriate suggestion which values both difference and human livelihood in a spirit of competition. Finally, BioMan argues that because the division of power should not favor one racial set or another, because each category offsets their own average strengths and weaknesses, and each attribute carries a different significance according to the context. At this phase of the debate, rules and guidelines are already being established. Establishing an environment of openness and a working system of etiquette, the debate continues and expands to include examples of different real-life cases. This etiquette and order echoes the Appian assertion that there is a limited consensus in which the objectivity of certain values can be found, i.e. forum respondents agree that cheating biases the discussion.

Given the context, it is befitting that the first definition of charisma (one of the attributes listed for discussion), is a “divinely conferred gift or power” (dictionary.com). Most of the remaining definitions explore themes of high social standing and prestige. Although it seems likely that Bioman was not aware of the many meanings of the word “charisma”, it is difficult to guess whether this would give him pause about his scientific, simple approaches to conceptualizing complicated social issues or whether he would change his description of charisma as a European feature. Faelcind rebuts with other points of possible analysis: anaerobic muscle tissue, fat levels, and a high center of gravity. Faelcind also calls attention to the national regulations of the Olympics and the ethically-questionable training practices of the Chinese government.

After this challenge, Bioman responds with even more possible variables: hand speed, leg length, hip width and rotation, and, of course, penis size. The debate is tonally very open and focused on the details of writing a D & D character who represents the better qualities of his ancestors. With the input of a new guest, most of the respondents have come to the conclusion that the African character would be given the highest marks and be followed by the European and Asian characters, respectively. It is noteworthy to mention that the initial responses very much favored the European and Asian characters. Race is often a deep-rooted portion of human allocation of identity, so what happened? The elements of financial sponsorship/ resources available and ethical considerations of preparation for competition altered the course of judgment- not the root judgments themselves.

If the Olympics cannot be used to gauge physical attainments, then there is no reliable resource. The reason that individual teams have “break out” years is because of individual participants- not some temporary flux in grade A babies. In the end, specific examples can be provided for the arguments of each category. The respondents often debated the exception rather than the rule, but they would not be defeated. As Appiah wrote, “I don’t say that we can’t change minds, but the reasons we exchange in our conversations will seldom do much to persuade others who do not share our fundamental evaluative judgments already” (20-21).

Conclusion

If there is any doubt as to the fantasy nature of this forum’s racial discourse, then it is easily remembered when it is realized that the respondents debate the issue on the grounds of fairness. At the end, when two of the biggest fans of the argument come to a stand-still, they agree that there is no single way to determine which character would have which attributes- just as Appiah predicted. Between genetics, steroids, and national resources, there is a wide territory opening itself to the potential to be fair or unfair. In any competition, the drive to win often overtakes the duty to truthfulness. It is conceivable that these definitions are nothing more than a highly personal way to explore their own existence as a clean-cut, boring person. That is the purpose of role-playing- to achieve reward without risk.

References

Kame. (2005, February 11). Human Races: D & D Style. Message posted to DODONA: Human Biodiversity Discussion Forum:             http://dodona.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=racesoc&action=display&thread=10368

“Charisma” definition. (2010) http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/charisma