Performing inclusivity in Dungeons and Dragons actual plays

This research examines the way in which players in Dungeons and Dragons actual plays perform inclusivity for their audience. Throughout its history, D&D has been shaped and dominated by white heterosexual male perspectives, as has the entire fantasy genre. Recently, more and more critics have been calling for changes in the game’s design, claiming that the game is ingrained with social injustices against people of color, queer people and people with disabilities. The current rise in popularity of D&D was accompanied by the rise of actual plays, in which D&D game sessions are streamed online. Some actual plays actively use their platform to advocate for a more inclusive community. This research focuses specifically on actual play groups that are diverse in terms of race, gender identity, sexual identity and disabilities. Through the use of a digital ethnography, this research combines observations of six different actual plays to form an understanding of how inclusivity is performed through the players’ behavior, decisions and actions. The analysis shows a top-level differentiation between performance in the primary world (real world) and the secondary world (imaginary world). Performance of inclusivity in the primary world involves explicit statements that explain individual stances towards contemporary topics of inclusivity, as well as explicit explanations for changing parts of the game. Performance of inclusivity in the secondary world involves the behavior of roleplayed characters, as well as the worldbuilding, which is regularly shifted to highlight marginalized identities in its stories. Additionally, the actual plays and, in specific, the Dungeons Master play an educational role towards their audience in communicating ways to make any game of D&D more inclusive to marginalized identities.