I tend not to think of this site as public since its primary purpose is for us to track the games we play and provide a reminder of the stories we create together. I realized this weekend, though, that others do read it, including potential new players pointed here by our game listings on Meetup, so as a public site, we should speak up on the public protests and events happening in the U.S.
We at Story Games Westchester support the protests against police brutality because black lives matter. We support any and all efforts to reform and reimagine the U.S. criminal justice system, from policing through prosecution to prisons. These systems are racist and perpetrate violence against black, indigenous, and other people of color every day. The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others are only the ones we hear about. The daily toll aggressive policing takes on black and brown people remains largely hidden.
Gaming has its own prejudices that manifest in exclusion and harassment of BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ gamers. We oppose these acts and actively work to include and make welcome anyone who wants to play in our games. But we promise to do more to reach out to marginalized people in our efforts to introduce people to and promote playing improvised story games.
One of the reasons we play games is because they develop empathy and attune us to the feelings of others. We look out for one another at the table, and story games require everyone to have a voice and use it. We add our voice now to those calling for racial justice in America, in our lives, and at our game tables.
Story Games Club 