Even with its 2025 release date still on the horizon, the highly anticipated action RPG Monster Hunter Wilds is already a hot topic among gamers worldwide. But the latest buzz isn't about a new monster or weapon type—it's about the ongoing culture war over DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in gaming.
The debate ignited when a self-proclaimed DEI supporter on X (formerly Twitter), Obi Kiwami 極み (@AvatarObi), attempted to call out what they perceived as hypocrisy among anti-DEI gamers and content creators. Pointing to the involvement of a non-binary voice actor in the game, they posted:
"It's great to see a bunch of right-wing grifters (like @Grummz) hyping up Monster Hunter Wilds, a game where one of the most important characters is voiced by a non-binary voice actor named Casey Mongillo
The post was a clear "gotcha" attempt, implying that right-leaning players who oppose DEI were unknowingly supporting a project involving a non-binary individual. However, the jab quickly sparked a wider discussion and drew a fiery response from the very person tagged in the post: Mark Kern, a former producer for World of Warcraft known online as Grummz.
Kern (@Grummz) fired back, arguing that the current DEI push is directly linked to a decline in game quality. He asserted that the narrative framing players as bigots for opposing DEI is a deliberate misrepresentation of their actual concerns:
"This is the problem. You've been sold the lie that 'gamers hate certain groups, and that's why they hate DEI in games.' This is a complete fabrication. And you've bought into this lie without seeing the bigger picture."
"That's not the point at all. But we're smeared with these lies because you want to cancel us, get us fired, and push us out of the community. The tactics you're using are malicious and vile."
"The truth is, gamers don't care who you are or where you come from, as long as you don't shove it in our faces and try to make everything about you. We can be inclusive. We were the outcast nerds; we totally get what that feels like. But you've exploited that, entered our spaces, and then demanded that everything cater to you, even pushing us out."
"So yes, we care when DEI is forced into games, damaging their quality and becoming a tool to belittle players. DEI often cloaks itself in virtue while actually using game narratives to demean or express hatred towards non-POC groups like white people, Asians, or heterosexual men. We are endlessly lectured, as if our very existence is toxic while others are 'superior.'"
"Games affected by this trend start to fall apart. Stories become filled with cringey dialogue, and characters randomly announce their sexuality just to represent a certain group. Worse, some characters' only trait is 'their physical characteristic,' and writers build entire nonsensical plots around it, then shout at us about how oppressed they are, how it's all our fault, and how we 'must do something for them.'"
"Game design, programming, and production are also impacted because DEI hiring practices based on skin color and gender are used to fill 'soft quotas.' This puts underqualified people in roles they aren't ready for, while meritocracy gets thrown out the window."
"The result is buggy games, mediocre or broken designs, and development teams that struggle with execution, blowing through time and budgets. Worse still, talented developers are denied promotions because they're 'white males' or are ostracized by colleagues for their conservative views, ultimately stalling their careers. They're forced to leave the industry, leaving behind those who got in without merit, trying to figure things out on their own, lacking the necessary skills, talent, and experience."
"So, there's a non-binary voice actor in Monster Hunter Wilds. So what? This isn't a 'gotcha.' Nobody cares, as long as DEI isn't making the game worse, isn't forcing an ideology, isn't making characters hollow, and isn't lecturing or demeaning players. We don't mind."
"Nobody cares. You've already lost, and these tactics don't work anymore. Have a nice day, sir."