Disclaimer: This post has been misinterpreted as an attack on DarkGod, which was never my intention. DarkGod is no racist; indeed the narrative of his game already shows a level of social awareness that elevates it above all other roguelikes in terms of depth and realism. I love this game and have enormous respect for its creator; I signed up to be a Silver Donator a couple of weeks ago and am providing ongoing financial support for its development. My concern isn't that anyone involved with the game is a racist, but that certain of the game's mechanics seem to accidentally sponsor racist thought. My suggestion is that the narrative and character descriptions be updated to accommodate these concerns (i.e., "Highers aren't actually a superior race, they just think they are."), thus removing any potential misperceptions.

It strikes me that there's a bit of racism built into this game, though it doesn't appear intentional. It's all fun and games when there are differing races of nonhumans with differing traits, even if some seem superior to others. I think D&D used to divide the elf race into "wood elves" and "high elves," for example. That's fine, because elves and dwarves are not human beings and different rules may apply.

In Tolkien the Men of Middle Earth are not to be confused with the human beings of the real world, and Tolkien himself unequivocally denounced racism in all its forms. The Dunedain, controversial though they may be, are therefore little different from high elves. Tolkien intended them as an allegory of Atlanteans rather than Aryans, though given the supposed roots of the latter the distinction may be somewhat fine.

Cornacians and Highers are explicitly defined as different types of human beings, however. Not metahuman, or demihuman, or psuedohuman. Not "Men." Human. They're people, like ourselves. So we run straight into a problem that the fantasy genre has so often flirted with, which is that we're saying that certain people are inherently better than others from birth. This is the very definition of racism.

Highers are described as refusing to breed with other kinds of humans in order to keep their race "pure," and they possess racial traits such as "Gift of the Highborn ('Pureborn' in their intro)," and "Overseer of Nations." Note the plurality. They are naturally stronger and more agile than other humans, and have greater willpower, stronger senses, and a closer connection to the magical forces of the world.

Highers are so superior to other human beings that to play them necessitates an experience penalty. Cornacians, by contrast, are supposed to be more "adaptable," and can learn different skills more readily, making them the perfect servant race to the longer-lived and more powerful Highers. That the Shockbolt interface literally turns Higher characters' hair blond really drives home the point: Highers might as well be called "Übermenschen," and Cornacians "Untermenschen."

I'm not saying that the Highers should be removed from the game, or that their presence will encourage racist beliefs in the real world. But I know I can't be the only one to have had the thought that they are an inherently racist concept, and that it's probably best to not make it seem as though racist ideas are actually valid. Perhaps a good solution would be to make the racism a part of the narrative, a social problem in the context of the game itself rather than a biological superiority ordained by the laws of the universe.

Highers already refuse to breed with other humans, let's hear what they think about them! Let's hear about what the Cornacians think about the Highers! Let's hear about the history of interaction between the two, and how it has shaped their societies. And instead of simply calling them “Highers,” as if their only distinction is their superiority, let’s call them something else. In this manner, not only would any concerns about racism be removed, but the story of Mag'Eyal would be enriched, and feel all the more realistic.