James Desborough, Gamers, and Rape
Warning: this post contains a lot of triggering concepts, such as rape.
RPG writer James Desborough has caused a controversy that brings up issues of sexism, gaming culture, and censorship. Desborough, author of works such as The Slayers Guide to Female Gamers (review here), Nymphology (review here), and The-Quintessential-Temptress, posted a blog entry titled "In Defense of Rape" (NSFW edited blog here) where he contended that rape was an excellent plot device. In response, Malyn Cooper first asked game companies such as Mongoose and Steve Jackson games to stop publishing Desborough's work, then started a petition drive on Change.com (altered petition here).
Mongose Games initial response to the petition was less than serious, though the damage control included an apology and policy change where they said they weren't going to publish any more of Desborough's work, the controversy was started. On one side, were people who contended that lobbying companies to not publish an author was simply an exercise of free speech and consumer power, and on the other, that trying to keep an author from being published was censorship.
Some links to the controversy include: the rpg.net threads on the controversy. The rpg.site. Threat or Menace. The rpg.site, Themightygodking
As the controversy intensified, counter-petitions were created and the author of the petition began receiving rape threats. Those threats showed up on the counterpetitions as well. For his part, James Desborough considered them to be harmless:
"For the desperately hard of understanding. I have not asked anyone to send her rape threats and I know trolling when I see it. People like this young lady don’t - apparently - know trolling when they see it and take it seriously, then use it to back up their claims of harassment, rape culture etc. I know that’s the emotional payoff for you trolls, but the don’t. Please don’t do it, it really doesn’t help. Not that you mean it to help, nor that you’ll listen to me, but some people think failing to condemn something means you support it."
Here's a sample of James Desborough's material:
From The Designer's Notes in Quintessential Temptress
"Writing this one has been a little bit on the tricky side. After all, what makes a Quintessential Temptress? Beautiful women have a certain special 'something' about them that makes men into fools, allows them to twist us around their little finger and do anything for them, but how do you define that something or even base a whole character class around it?
The answer is you do not. Instead the best approach was to treat the temptress as a sort of metaclass; as, on, reflection, the special 'something' is actually just a matter of having breasts and being passably attractive. Any female character can be a temptress then, all it is, is a matter of approach. What this book would do then would be to expand upon the options for this sort of play."
From Nymphology:
Summon Sex Partner
"This spell summons a creature and binds them into your presence or that of a client long enough for a sexual act to take place. The creature summoned may not be entirely willing (some are) but is bound by the magic of the spell to do what is required and cannot return to their home save by fulfilling the demands of the spell. Beware of meeting a previously summoned creature outside the context of the spell or you may well be in trouble.
The art of conjuration is dipped into by mages seeking to taste the fruits of other realms and worlds. Summonings stock the rooms of mystical bordellos and provide ‘easily’ available bed partners for lonely magicians with magical reagents to spare. Summoners can make a tremendous amount of money pimping their stable of supernatural lovelies to jaded merchants, rich nobles and adventurous bon vivants but the demands of these individuals can rapidly outstrip the mage’s ability to provide.
So it is that summoning and binding are the most visible uses of conjuration amongst blue magi and advanced (and horny) students of magic. Some enjoy the challenge of breaking an aasimar on the wheel of corruption, while others enjoy the lascivious nature and whole-heartedness of the tiefling. Djinn and their ilk give wish-fulfilment in more ways than one and nothing talks dirty like a mephit. Succubi and erinyes are obvious choices and known to even the simplest peasant thanks to the efforts of priests and clerics putting thoughts into their heads from every pulpit. The ‘bi-curious’ part of society finds the dual nature of the incubus/succubus a good way out of leaving closets. Marilith demons are a less obvious choice but the advanced blue mage considers it worth the risk for all those extra arms and the forked tongue. Kyton’s and their animated chains can have a certain appeal to those with elaborate and uninhabited dungeons and a penchant for black leather. Some attest that Lillend provide one of the best experiences, but also state that their capacity for revenge exceeds even that of a ‘woman scorned’ and caution the mage who seeks that particular delight to be ready for anything."
"Blue magi can be particularly vindictive when it comes to the use of the geas/quest spell, as the commands they lay down with these spells tend to be extremely demeaning. When all his conventional attempts to woo lady Velocipede, known for her meek chastity and refusal of advances, failed miserably, the master mage Bertram Rounde laid a geas on her to lay with every man in the town."
"Some of the more unpleasant or domineering blue magi like to make use of the hold person spell, as the subject remains aware of their surroundings but is unable to do anything about it."
"Sending can be used to transmit perverse and stalker type messages directly to the poor victim’s mind, leaving them no way to escape them."
That's the controversy in a nutshell. As to what I think?
James Desborough to me obviously covers a high degree of misogyny under a cover of satire, and he has an unhealthy fascination with rape. But is that a reason to censor him?
Well, no. And what's happening is not censorship. Even as writers like James Desborough have a right to write whatever they want, customers have a right to complain, and a right to pressure companies through words and collective purchasing power. Those who support Desborough on the basis of defending against censorship are misguided.
More importantly both Desborough's work and the ongoing rape threats against Malyn Cooper points out that the problem with sexism in rpgs is even worse than it commonly is thought to be. For a long time depictions of women in artwork has been problematic, and there['s been an attitude that rape and sexual assault in rpgs is either juvenile fun or a plot device. This attitude in my view is strongly inimical toward women being comfortable around gamers, not to mention the role playing hobby as a whole. Worse, it trivializes rape as a concept, making it easier for rapists and sexual harassers to operate.
If anything good can come out of this, at least this dialogue is being held, and there are people willing at least to take a stand. It's discouraging to see how many people are supporting Desborough, especially those who minimize the misogynistic elements of his work. But the fact that people are at least willing to complain is a sign of miniscule progress. Changing the culture is an excruciatingly slow task, one where there will be a lot of resistance. But if we really want to get to the point where gaming culture and the culture at large find rape and sexual harassment unacceptable, then things such as the Desborough controversy are necessary.
RPG writer James Desborough has caused a controversy that brings up issues of sexism, gaming culture, and censorship. Desborough, author of works such as The Slayers Guide to Female Gamers (review here), Nymphology (review here), and The-Quintessential-Temptress, posted a blog entry titled "In Defense of Rape" (NSFW edited blog here) where he contended that rape was an excellent plot device. In response, Malyn Cooper first asked game companies such as Mongoose and Steve Jackson games to stop publishing Desborough's work, then started a petition drive on Change.com (altered petition here).
Mongose Games initial response to the petition was less than serious, though the damage control included an apology and policy change where they said they weren't going to publish any more of Desborough's work, the controversy was started. On one side, were people who contended that lobbying companies to not publish an author was simply an exercise of free speech and consumer power, and on the other, that trying to keep an author from being published was censorship.
Some links to the controversy include: the rpg.net threads on the controversy. The rpg.site. Threat or Menace. The rpg.site, Themightygodking
As the controversy intensified, counter-petitions were created and the author of the petition began receiving rape threats. Those threats showed up on the counterpetitions as well. For his part, James Desborough considered them to be harmless:
"For the desperately hard of understanding. I have not asked anyone to send her rape threats and I know trolling when I see it. People like this young lady don’t - apparently - know trolling when they see it and take it seriously, then use it to back up their claims of harassment, rape culture etc. I know that’s the emotional payoff for you trolls, but the don’t. Please don’t do it, it really doesn’t help. Not that you mean it to help, nor that you’ll listen to me, but some people think failing to condemn something means you support it."
Here's a sample of James Desborough's material:
From The Designer's Notes in Quintessential Temptress
"Writing this one has been a little bit on the tricky side. After all, what makes a Quintessential Temptress? Beautiful women have a certain special 'something' about them that makes men into fools, allows them to twist us around their little finger and do anything for them, but how do you define that something or even base a whole character class around it?
The answer is you do not. Instead the best approach was to treat the temptress as a sort of metaclass; as, on, reflection, the special 'something' is actually just a matter of having breasts and being passably attractive. Any female character can be a temptress then, all it is, is a matter of approach. What this book would do then would be to expand upon the options for this sort of play."
From Nymphology:
Summon Sex Partner
"This spell summons a creature and binds them into your presence or that of a client long enough for a sexual act to take place. The creature summoned may not be entirely willing (some are) but is bound by the magic of the spell to do what is required and cannot return to their home save by fulfilling the demands of the spell. Beware of meeting a previously summoned creature outside the context of the spell or you may well be in trouble.
The art of conjuration is dipped into by mages seeking to taste the fruits of other realms and worlds. Summonings stock the rooms of mystical bordellos and provide ‘easily’ available bed partners for lonely magicians with magical reagents to spare. Summoners can make a tremendous amount of money pimping their stable of supernatural lovelies to jaded merchants, rich nobles and adventurous bon vivants but the demands of these individuals can rapidly outstrip the mage’s ability to provide.
So it is that summoning and binding are the most visible uses of conjuration amongst blue magi and advanced (and horny) students of magic. Some enjoy the challenge of breaking an aasimar on the wheel of corruption, while others enjoy the lascivious nature and whole-heartedness of the tiefling. Djinn and their ilk give wish-fulfilment in more ways than one and nothing talks dirty like a mephit. Succubi and erinyes are obvious choices and known to even the simplest peasant thanks to the efforts of priests and clerics putting thoughts into their heads from every pulpit. The ‘bi-curious’ part of society finds the dual nature of the incubus/succubus a good way out of leaving closets. Marilith demons are a less obvious choice but the advanced blue mage considers it worth the risk for all those extra arms and the forked tongue. Kyton’s and their animated chains can have a certain appeal to those with elaborate and uninhabited dungeons and a penchant for black leather. Some attest that Lillend provide one of the best experiences, but also state that their capacity for revenge exceeds even that of a ‘woman scorned’ and caution the mage who seeks that particular delight to be ready for anything."
"Blue magi can be particularly vindictive when it comes to the use of the geas/quest spell, as the commands they lay down with these spells tend to be extremely demeaning. When all his conventional attempts to woo lady Velocipede, known for her meek chastity and refusal of advances, failed miserably, the master mage Bertram Rounde laid a geas on her to lay with every man in the town."
"Some of the more unpleasant or domineering blue magi like to make use of the hold person spell, as the subject remains aware of their surroundings but is unable to do anything about it."
"Sending can be used to transmit perverse and stalker type messages directly to the poor victim’s mind, leaving them no way to escape them."
That's the controversy in a nutshell. As to what I think?
James Desborough to me obviously covers a high degree of misogyny under a cover of satire, and he has an unhealthy fascination with rape. But is that a reason to censor him?
Well, no. And what's happening is not censorship. Even as writers like James Desborough have a right to write whatever they want, customers have a right to complain, and a right to pressure companies through words and collective purchasing power. Those who support Desborough on the basis of defending against censorship are misguided.
More importantly both Desborough's work and the ongoing rape threats against Malyn Cooper points out that the problem with sexism in rpgs is even worse than it commonly is thought to be. For a long time depictions of women in artwork has been problematic, and there['s been an attitude that rape and sexual assault in rpgs is either juvenile fun or a plot device. This attitude in my view is strongly inimical toward women being comfortable around gamers, not to mention the role playing hobby as a whole. Worse, it trivializes rape as a concept, making it easier for rapists and sexual harassers to operate.
If anything good can come out of this, at least this dialogue is being held, and there are people willing at least to take a stand. It's discouraging to see how many people are supporting Desborough, especially those who minimize the misogynistic elements of his work. But the fact that people are at least willing to complain is a sign of miniscule progress. Changing the culture is an excruciatingly slow task, one where there will be a lot of resistance. But if we really want to get to the point where gaming culture and the culture at large find rape and sexual harassment unacceptable, then things such as the Desborough controversy are necessary.