I watch a lot of YouTube, I basically keep it running in the background throughout the day. Topics range widely. Right now, I’m watching a video on how effective Dachsbun is in the Great League of Pokemon Go. Yesterday, I listened to a video about what unexplained paranormal things people experienced while climbing the ladder on Hearthstone (still a few ranks away from legend this season). Obviously, if you know me, there is a Taylor Swift playlist always ready to queue up based on my mood. All this to say, I consume a lot of YouTube – either passively or actively – and see a lot of different types of content.

However, one recent trend I’ve noticed that troubles me is the rise of anti-DEI sentiment from some segments of YouTube. When I was first starting to get into Warcraft, I really wanted to get caught up on the lore of the game. I watched a streamer called Accolonn, who did great videos on Warcraft lore and speculation. I subscribed, and his videos would occasionally come across my feed. I still think he has good takes on Warcraft history and lore, but he has taken a troubling hard turn onto the topic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) or “wokeness.” DEI refers to initiatives or policies that are put in place to have a more diverse and inclusive environment. And when I say he took a hard turn, I mean almost to the realm of obsession. Looking at his latest videos on his channel, 8 of his last 10 videos are about “wokeness,” specifically about how it is ruining video games. 9 of those videos have been published in the last 7 days. So, it is a near-daily obsession to talking about this issue.

But, it isn’t just Accolonn that is highlighting this – there is a concerted effort by a group of people to remove DEI from video games. There are now websites that you can look up games and it will tell you how much DEI influenced them – with the focus being on that it is ruining the games. Two examples are DEI WatchDog and DEI Detected. The thing that finally hit home how big of an issue this was is when Asmongold did a video on Costco’s fight to retain their DEI initiatives. Accolonn has a decent sized following at roughly 20k followers, but it no where near the reach that Asmongold has at 3.25M followers.

What exactly does DEI look like in video games or media? Well, it can really range. In Video Games, it can be something as simple as selecting your pronouns at the start of a character creation screen. A lot of times, having They/Them listed as an option is triggering to this particular group of anti-DEI advocates. Aside from pronouns, having non-traditional body styles can set them off. A more femme male character of masculine female body is not to their liking, even though it reflects the reality of our world. Another example is having diverse characters represented in the game – a storyline with an LGBTQ character, for example. Sometimes, it can be having a female main character. Other times it isn’t what is directly on the screen, but what goes on behind it. Anti-DEI advocates will complain about a company having employee resource groups or commitments to diversity listed on their website. Examples like these, they claim, influence the culture of the company, which then influence the story and game, and therefore make them worse. DEI initiatives in games aim to reflect the diverse world we live in. For example, providing pronoun options in character creation allows players to represent their identities more accurately, while including diverse body types and LGBTQ+ characters broadens the scope of representation, helping more players – aka Customers – feel seen and valued.

Looking at it though, it is not so much their anti-DEI stance that troubles me. I like having diverse characters in games or a good political story line. But, there is an argument to be made that people go to video games to escape from the political dealings of the world. I don’t subscribe to it, but I can at least understand it. The problem when you scratch a level below the main surface of their arguments. For example, in a video called “The Woke Reckoning Has Begun,” Accolonn talks about how putting a female character in Starwars is done because the writers “hate men” and that the writers are “fat blue-haired checks that will never get a man.” He claims that the corporations building these games want to destroy “traditional masculinity and values.” These objections are rooted in disparaging terms against groups of people that he does not like. It has nothing to do with the value of the game – the story, the graphics, the user enjoyment.

And let’s be clear, not everything DEI-related is good. The number of bad gay-focused movies I’ve watched is astounding. There was a whole series of “Not Another Gay Movie” that was a parody of the teenage coming-of-age stories that were just awful. Even some of the better LGBTQ movies, like “They/Them” or “Make the Yuletide Gay,” are not going to win any Oscars for their groundbreaking cinematography. But, they exist to give voice to the people in those communities. And their existence isn’t harming anyone (except for “Not Another Gay Movie,” I feel dumber for having watched that one). DEI initiatives can also be well meaning, but poorly thought out. DEI initiatives can be well written and thought out, but implemented poorly. It is important to look at these context of these policies, but simply lumping them all together and seeking their destruction harmful.

Part of me wanted to simply ignore this issue and these videos – but there have been increasing attacks on DEI initiatives both in and out of the video game world. And while some of us who are older may be aware of the context around these debates, there are also younger people who are socialized, in part, in the video game and online world. It is important to have a voice there to contest these ill-formed arguments. It’s important to not just be passive consumers of content but active participants in shaping the media and games we enjoy. Engaging with these debates, offering thoughtful perspectives, and standing up for inclusivity will ensure the gaming world remains diverse and welcoming to all. And, that is part of what I like to do when I am AFK.