Force your D&D players to immediately start thinking about your scenario and making meaningful choices! ENnie Award-winning RPG designer Justin Alexander reveals the secret technique of using dilemma hooks in your adventures.
ADDITIONAL VIEWING
Surprising Scenario Hooks
Better Scenario Hooks
The Lion, the Witch, and the Scenario Hook
I keep seeing the thumbnail for this video in my feed and thinking how it’s a little strange to use a stock image of a Black woman when she doesn’t feature in the video at all. My brain went to the very aggressive term “digital blackface” when I saw the thumbnail the first time on YouTube.
Did that concept factor into your thumbnail choice at all?
(Feel free to delete this comment if you’d prefer to avoid having the video’s discussion get derailed onto this topic; I mainly wanted to share the perspective to stop having it rattle around in my head)
I think you’ve started at a well-intentioned place and somehow ended up at, “A white GM should never have black players.”
I’m honestly not sure how you got that from my original message, but your response suggests to me that there’s something worth considering here. So maybe it’s ok that it’s rattling around in my head.
I’ll spend some time to learn more about the concept of “digital blackface” to help me understand better. This video seems like a good starting point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfcYnswbybM
…and that video links to this article that seems to dive into the concept well: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/digital-blackface-reaction-gifs
I guess there’s a discussion around appropriative use of stock imagery as well, and “digital blackface” is more about memes and reaction GIFs than YouTube thumbnails, so it’s quite possible that I’m misapplying the terms. Either way, an interesting intersection of ttrpgs, digital culture, and US theatrical history—exactly the sort of thought-provocation I expect from you. Thanks!
The thumbnail depicts a player being confronted with a dilemma by their GM.
Describing this as a “digital blackface” only makes sense if you think black people shouldn’t be depicted as playing RPGs or, at the very least, that they shouldn’t be depicted as playing in a game that I’m running.
If this is still confusing you, simply flip your argument around.
Instead of saying, “Justin should not depict black people playing roleplaying games.”
Say: “Justin should only depict white people playing roleplaying games.”
I’m being as charitable as possible in saying that you’re well-intentioned but have gotten lost somewhere along the way.
In any case, I have a literally negative interest in depicting roleplaying games as a white-only hobby.