"EVERYONE IS INVITED" suggests @convergencecon as this year's theme. and yet! the picture on the inside of the souvenir program booklet—which that people use to navigate the con all weekend—is this:
i was sent this because i am a fan of the series (and specifically wyll/astarion) by a black fan who hasn't played the series. immediately, i understood the wtf-ness of this. they and all con goers have to encounter throughout the entire weekend the image of a black man in a cage, being laughed at by a white man (who should be able to get him out). i get the ciritcal fail joke of it, but (1) there's never a moment in game when someone is caged and (2) it still leaves people (esp those out of the loop) looking at a black man in a damn cage.
a distasteful image already, and then you add in the layer of bringing in popularity and the VAs. wyll is the least popular origins. the creators think he's boring and don't like him, and they push out official animated shorts that frustrate many wyll fans for their takes on the character. in fan content he is constantly pushed aside for white characters who aren't even playable in group shots. his VA also gets overlooked on panels, in content about bg3, and in terms of viewership post-game release.
and then while he's down you had to make the other dialogue also dunking on him. why kick a man when he's down (and in a cage)?
CVG usually puts a lot of effort into accessibility, and there are clear, printed guidelines about what counts as harassment and how to report it. the first core value is "we believe in treating ourselves, each other, and our diverse community with respect." but this is an instance where you failed to build an inclusive community.
