Hexennacht RPG Wank

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Hexennacht RPG Wank is the controversy surrounding the Harry Potter role-playing game, Hexennacht RPG.

Many, many fans objected to the name of the game, to the ignorant premise, to the appropriation of pain, and to willful inability to modify this game.

From the Game's FAQ

Is this really the best choice of names for your game?

We realize some people might look at the name and think, "Do they realize they just named their game after a horrific event in World War II?" And yes, we do, and were well aware of it when we named the game. We were drawing parallels between Grindelwald's actions and those in World War II. As you may notice, a few of the important events in our history even occur on the same dates as the historical events, and this was not by accident. Don't worry, we did our research, and we didn't just think, "Man, that sounds like a cool name, and I do like broken glass!" If you find it offensive at all, then we're really sorry. Like, really really. That wasn't our intent and we're really actually good people, I swear.

Fan Comments

[hexennacht, game mod]: We're very sorry for any offense, we really, really are. We discussed the name for a while before deciding on it, and whether or not it would be offensive was one of the things we worried about, so we asked anyone we could think of if they thought it was a problem. The general consensus among those people was that, because there's a parallel with the plot, it would be okay, but I can see that it's not the case with everyone. We really are sorry, we don't mean to offend anyone, we swear. [1]

[kdorian]:

I can see from what you've posted that there are parallels, and sort of understand your reasoning; but given the fantasy nature of what you're RPing, and the very real nature of what happened to a specific group of people - I really don't think there are enough parallels to avoid offense, at least to my mind.

Also, the day after Holocaust Memorial Day may not have been the best time to post this promo.

[hexennacht, game mod]: Oh wow, my co-mod didn't even notice the proximity to Holocaust Memorial Day when she posted this. That was a very poor move on our part.
We did notice there were many parallels JKR drew between World War II and Grindelwald, but I definitely see what you are saying. It's a hard and very real subject, which is why we spent so long working on the name, and asked so many people. Thank you for being kind and reasonable about it, though.[2]

[marieantoinette]: ...I'm sorry, we really have no interest in changing the name of our game because it coincides so well with our plot and the canon story. JK Rowling has related the Death Eaters to the Nazis and in the last book, the way things were handled by the ministry and the way that the muggleborns were treated were parrell to the way the jews were treated. Also, for a long time, people were wondering if maybe Hitler was the same as Grindelwald, while she has stated that he isn't the same person, he had the same mindset. The canon in the Harry Potter world that we are based on is heavily influenced by factual events. We meant no harm, and we mean no offense, but real life influences art. By the same token, the Death Eaters and Voldemort are highly offensive fictional creations. The Christians churches have fought against the point of Harry Potter and it's connection to magic. It's all a matter of opinion and we're sorry that it offends you.
[lavendertook]: Complaints about making fun of Jewish experience has no parallels to Christian fundamentalist attempts to sensor HP due to its celebration of and play with witchcraft--drop this comparison now.

I've been seeing ads for this community come up on my flist every few days and every time I'd cringe, but didn't think to speak out until I saw other people speaking out this morning. It's time for you to stop making me cringe and others despair if you're serious about not wanting to offend and hurt people. You are offending and hurting people. JK Rowling knew how to handle the parallel's she was drawing with the Holocaust without drawing offense--part of how she did that is by not appropriating the very terms of that experience.

If you wish to correct your mistake, take the token you are being offered and change this community's name-because that name has serious meaning for many of us. Then work how you are referencing real events that hurt real people who are still living today into the thinking behind your role play writing, Good role play is interactive storytelling--don't take this subject lightly if you're going to write about it.

And for those of us who aren't writing in your game but see this game's title come up in our rpg promo communities, please respect our feelings, and change the name to something less painful for us.

[tzikeh]: ...And you shouldn't be sorry that it offends people; that's bullshit. Doing something awful and saying "I'm sorry *you're unhappy*" is not an apology; it's blaming the other person for taking offense rather than apologizing for YOUR ACTIONS, which are the problem.
Trust me, if you think you're not changing the name of this community, you need to take a look at what's churning around you. You are *beyond* vile.[3]

[thorbuurne]: And in my opinion, that is fine for everyone to have their own opinion, but the harassment is ridiculous, and yes, it is very much harassment. We aren't harassing the jews. We're offensive maybe, and it was unintentional when we made the comm. Yes, we didn't understand the backlash and we do now, and we are considering the name change. We never said that we didn't understand, but the harassment pushes us towards NOT wanting to do something.[4]

[thebratqueen]:

...you might notice that JKR still called them "Death Eaters" and not "Nazis." Because JKR might not know how to stop abusing the capslock key but she does know better than to co-opt the frakking Holocaust.

Name it something else. If your RPG premise is so tied up in the use of a single word, regardless of what that word is, then the problem here isn't your audience but in your writing skills.[5]

[klia]: The difference is, JKR writes fiction. She didn't trivialize heinous historical events by putting her fictional characters in the midst of them. There's a reason for that: she's intelligent enough to know better. You, apparently, aren't. I can't understand how anyone can be so willfully obtuse, to not understand how doing this would upset a LOT of people. And your lame apologies aren't apologies at all, just more of your arrogance. Grow up, figure it out, and change the name.[6]

[marieantoinette]: Yeah, been enlightened thanks. I've always had a deep interest in WW2. I've been scarred from videos on the holocaust when I was only 10 and forced to watch them. I understand the severity of what happened. I have jewish friends who have moved on and do not dwell, and jewish friends who know that we mean no harm by the game and don't take offense.

I'm not a mod, but I support the mods and their decision for the name fully, because unlike so many others I am not going to dwell on the past and harbor ill feelings towards what happened. It's been nearly 70 years. It isn't a matter of not respecting the dead. We didn't name the game "Auschwitz", we named it after a night in history when something very horrible "began", but the holocaust does not singularly come down to that one night.

But I'm also rather open minded and understand the difference between plays on words and fiction. It wasn't trivialized. It all comes down to the main character, with the connections that it has to that war. Enough people around us have said that it doesn't bother them. They're able to look past it and see it for what it is. It is your decision to take it so seriously.

If the mods change the name, it is entirely up to them, but being harassed to do so, is no better than what you're claiming we're doing.

[txvoodoo]: Scarred at 10 by videos? Oh, please. And I mean PUH-LEEZE.

How about scarred because your friends' parents have concentration camp numbers tattooed on their arms? Because they once had brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, but don't anymore?

Don't DWELL? Just dismissing it like that is INSULTING and, yes, once again, IGNORANT. And it speaks to your lack of experience in this world. Really, I would advise you to step back about 10 paces, and realize that the deep feelings that have been stirred up by this RPG are not just hurt feelings, but deep wounds. This isn't just a STORY to people. This is LIFE. And death. They're not just upset because they've seen Schindler's List and feel bad, they're upset because anti-Semitism like yours still EXISTS. (And if you say you're not anti-semitic, you REALLY need some sensitivity training to understand that your and your friends with this game are demonstrating it)

You are not open-minded. You are narrow-minded, and determined to not understand the viewpoints of anyone who legitimately is damaged by your actions. It doesn't come down to the "characters", it comes down to the hurtful nature of your co-opting a MAJOR event in Jewish history and using it as a frakking PLOT DEVICE to further your game.

We are not harrassing you. We are attempting to educate you as to why what you are doing is so incredibly wrong.[7]

Meta and Further Reading

References

  1. ^ Asylum Promotion (May 2, 2008)
  2. ^ Asylum Promotion (May 2, 2008)
  3. ^ Asylum Promotion (May 2, 2008)
  4. ^ Asylum Promotion (May 2, 2008)
  5. ^ Asylum Promotion (May 2, 2008)
  6. ^ Asylum Promotion (May 2, 2008)
  7. ^ Asylum Promotion (May 2, 2008)
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