{"id":802,"date":"2017-08-30T09:09:31","date_gmt":"2017-08-30T09:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/?p=802"},"modified":"2017-08-30T14:17:17","modified_gmt":"2017-08-30T14:17:17","slug":"diversity-and-inclusion-in-mtg-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.magicjudges.org\/playerexperience\/2017\/08\/30\/diversity-and-inclusion-in-mtg-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity and inclusion in MTG communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Written<\/a>

Written by Monica Gonzalez
\nLevel 2, Spain<\/p><\/div><\/b><\/span>Is Magic for everyone?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This question has a very simple answer: <\/span>Yes<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, unfortunately, many players hear sexist, homophobic and racist slurs in places where Magic is played: for many of them this is a reason to never play again. This is why it\u2019s time to talk about diversity, prejudices and what they mean for the game itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the dictionary defines it as variety and difference, these days we understand <\/span>diversity<\/b> as the mixture of cultures, lifestyles, and affective relationships that make up our society. What does all this mean? It means that on any given day, at every tournament, or wherever you might play Magic, we can find people from different races, sexual orientations, ages, and genders. Not to mention different religions, physical capabilities, and many other differences.<\/span><\/p>\n

This diversity enriches our community, teaches us about different lifestyles and opinions, or even other ways to play. Diversity builds bridges among us and provides multiple benefits for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

But all these differences are not without prejudices. Negative prejudices that often are spoken aloud or expressed with a very explicit body language. Prejudices that are not easily dismissed and have a negative impact on the play experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, what behaviors or comments we can observe at any given point at any store?<\/span><\/p>\n

We can hear a group of boys saying to their friends \u201cyou are such a tool, a girl could win you\u201d. I myself have been said that we girls don\u2019t know how to play or that we go to tournaments to look at boys. Homophobic jokes are a recurring event, too. It\u2019s pretty usual to hear things like \u201che f****d you\u201d or \u201ccareful with him, he\u2019s going to f***k you\u201d. Being recurrent jokes do not make them any less problematic.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are more examples. Kids that attend a prerelease, excited to play with the grown-ups, who open a rare card and then someone comes saying \u201clook, this is a 7\/7 dragon with flying, you\u2019ll be unstoppable with this, let me trade it for that ugly golden card you just opened\u201d. Or those players who are wary of people from other races because they think they\u2019re going to steal their deck, or that because they\u2019re from another country they don\u2019t have the right to play in their store.<\/span><\/p>\n

But this is not only about things we say or things we do, there are other things that can be problematic, like playing with tokens that depict semi-nude women, or playmats with sexually explicit images. Even playing with dice with a swastika. <\/span><\/p>\n

These kinds of behaviors create an unwelcoming and toxic atmosphere that\u2019s exactly the inverse of what MTG should be and definitely things that players should avoid bringing into the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, we must be aware that each community and environment has their own habits, and things that are fine in one place may not be in another, so aside from these general aspects we should observe and analyze the community where we are at any given time.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that all we want is to have fun and that, sometimes, it\u2019s a burden to control what we say and how we say it, but if we let everyone act without considering how their actions affect everyone else the chance of ruining the game experience for someone rises exponentially.<\/span>
\nIt\u2019s everyone\u2019s responsibility to ensure that the places where MTG is played are welcoming and comfortable spaces for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines <\/span>inclusion <\/span><\/i>as<\/span> the act of including<\/span><\/i>, which in turn means <\/span>to take in or comprise as a part of a whole or group<\/span><\/i>. Inclusion is not just feeling comfortable in your environment; it’s feeling respected and valued for who you are, being supported by your community, and receiving everyone else\u2019s feedback to improve yourself and become the best version of you. We should all feel motivated by our communities to improve ourselves; and in doing so, improve the community itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important also to realize that not only we must follow these guidelines, we also need to stay vigilant about all these behaviors and not let them happen by dismissing them. If offenders see their behaviors called out by their equals it\u2019s more probable they realize that these conducts are not acceptable.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

What do the Magic rules say?<\/b><\/p>\n

There always will be people who don\u2019t agree with diversity, or who don\u2019t want to control their words, or who think that bullying others is fun. That it\u2019s not their problem if others get offended. We all know people who are like this, who create an unwelcoming environment and make everyone\u2019s else game experience way worse than it should be.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, to help combat this behavior we have rules at our disposal. It\u2019s literally in the rules that govern all sanctioned Magic tournaments: the environment must be welcoming and inclusive for all genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, races, or religions, whether it\u2019s in-game or outside one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at how the rules define these behaviors and the penalties that players can get for not respecting others.<\/span><\/p>\n

For non-competitive tournaments we have these rules:<\/span><\/p>\n

A player whose behavior may be upsetting others or making them uncomfortable should be educated and asked <\/span><\/i>to stop immediately<\/i><\/b>. If they make no attempt to correct their behavior, applying a <\/span><\/i>Game Loss<\/i><\/b> may reinforce the seriousness of the issue. If this does not stop the behavior, or if a player is being threatening, aggressive or harassing other players, these situations are <\/span><\/i>Serious Problems\u00a0<\/i><\/b>(Source: Judging at Regular Rules Enforcement Level<\/a>).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

This means that a player that engages in these behaviors can receive a game loss for that, but if he does not depose them or the situation escalates from that point they may be asked to leave the tournament and the store.<\/span><\/p>\n

In competitive tournaments, however, the rules include these actions in the <\/span>Unsporting Conduct<\/b> section.<\/span><\/p>\n

A disruptive behavior is defined as something that can affect the safety, competitiveness, fun, or tournament\u2019s integrity in a significant way and can be categorized (from lowest to highest intensity) as minor, major, or aggressive behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unsporting Conduct is considered <\/span>minor <\/b>if, for example, a player uses strong language. The penalty for that would be a warning (<\/span>Source: <\/span><\/i>Infraction Procedure Guide – Unsporting Conduct – Minor<\/a>).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Unsporting Conduct <\/span>major<\/b> is penalized with a Match Loss and is defined as this: <\/span>A player takes action towards one or more individuals that could <\/span><\/i>reasonably <\/span><\/i>be expected to create a feeling of being harassed, threatened, bullied, or stalked. This may include insults based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

For example:<\/span><\/p>\n