Diversity and Inclusion in Modern Board Gaming: A Report Back

My story of exclusion at the hands of “cis het white males.”

Many of you are salivating to read this, eager for blood, and many others are cringing, fearing what I am about to say. I am presenting an unusual perspective, with some twists you may not see coming.

In the name of inclusion I have been shunned, ostracized, silenced, warned, marginalized, fired as a volunteer. The end result is the loss of almost all of my gaming relationships.

Part I: An orientation to me as a human and as a gamer

I am a 58 year old disabled with chronic pain neuroatypical gender nonconforming LGB woman. I am extremely low income, surviving on around 15K a year with steely fiscal discipline. Bear with me, my identity cred is all relevant to the story.

I scored 96% male on the gender test, the highest I saw of any person on social media. In females, this correlates with being on the Aspberger’s spectrum. I relate to, think like, and am comfortable around men. I love male energy and male friendship, especially male gamers, we tend to instantly get along.

Now let’s move on to my gaming credentials. I play the heaviest of cardboard. I have playtested four projects for a major game publisher, my name is on the boxes. I teach and have done…