Representation in gaming is evolving and designers at Wizards of the Coast are working to include various cultures and people in their products.
Wizards of the Coast is an American game publisher that produces games in the fantasy and science-fiction genre. According to the company’s website, Wizards of the Coast “is a family of studios; we specialize in building roleplaying games, trading card games, and digital games for all types of players.”
Some of their most popular games, such as Magic: The Gathering, a trading card game, and Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), a popular tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), feature various fantasy settings filled with a diverse cast of characters. This form of entertainment immerses its users in various fictional settings, allowing them to create an experience rarely witnessed in other forms of media.
“My own personal art style is all about Black characters in fantasy, holding control over her own domain and you know, fashion and nature and all that stuff just putting us in roles that I never got to see us in when I was growing up,” said Lauren Brown, marketing art director of Wizards of the Coast games.
Brown also attends conventions such as Gen Con where she sells her art depicting Black characters in fantasy settings.
Magic: The Gathering features characters adept in wielding magic and other various arcane skills. The characters that inhabit this world range from scholarly wizards to magic-wielding spirits that inhabit the game’s setting of the Multiverse.
Dungeons & Dragons also features settings for players to create their own adventures in a magical world. Accompanied by a variety of game rules, players are directed by the Dungeon Master (DM) who create the setting, atmosphere and characters for the players.
“I’ve always been the person(where)every single one of my characters is Black, no matter what you say even if we don’t have art to represent them,” said LaTia Jacquise, community manager for Dungeons & Dragons. “Every single one of my characters is Black because that’s who I am.”
Jacquise does not separate herself from the characters she creates, she said.
“One of the things that I love doing, as far as being a person who works in TTRPGs and representing TTRPGs, is to make sure that I’m always visible.,” Jacquise said. “I want people to know that a Black person can work in these places. A Black person can do these things that you love.”
Game creators must represent characters in ways that fit their settings while also reflecting the cultures that inspire them, Jacquise said.
“When it comes to characters that are Black or are minorities or are from a different group, we are very thoughtful and very conscious of making sure that they are represented thoughtfully and accurately,” Brown said. “And you don’t know how many times I’ve made sure that we are rendering Black hair correctly and that the skin is reflecting light properly and making sure that there’s no stereotyping here,” Jacquise said.
By incorporating diverse representation in its cast of characters and settings, games can provide players with a chance to feel represented.
“I get extra joy from that when I can put a piece of myself, you know, and in those original characters, not all of them are gonna be Black and queer, but at least they’ll be relatable,” said DK Billins, Worldbuilding Game Designer for Magic: The Gathering.
Wizards of the Coast recently released Black Is Magic for Black History Month, which highlights different Black characters from Magic: The Gathering illustrated by Black artists. Black characters such as Kaya and Teferi are featured in signature styles highlighting their impact on not only the game itself but the diverse community that supports it.
“We’re committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture that values, respects and empowers employees to be their authentic selves and bring their best ideas forward,” Wizards of the Coast’s website states. “We celebrate diversity because we believe that rich, varied perspectives generate the best ideas, experiences and games.”
For more information visit company.wizards.com/en .
Contact Staff Writer Malik Simon at 317-762-7847.
Malik Simon is a Staff Writer for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Memphis, TN, he graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies concentrating on journalism. Before joining the Recorder, he wrote for the Devil’s Gazette newspaper at MVSU and served as a freelance content and video editor. He seeks to use media to help communities flourish through literacy and factual reporting.
