developers, which Role Inc will be capitalising on towards the autumn with the first release of a marketplace, where eventually content creators will be able to distribute their creative efforts. “Because we want to make sure we stress test
properly, it’s going to be on an invite-only basis to sell,” says Dwight. “But the goal is, in the not-too- distant future, to eventually have this be a completely open self service offering, where people can create and share content. They can share that content for free if they would like, but they could also price that content. We really want Role to grow into this intersectional place where people are playing, creating and distributing their creative works back and forth to one another.”
ON A MISSION While being intuitive and convenient is part of Role’s USP, something that has been a mission drive from the very beginning has been to provide a safe space for role players to enjoy their passion. This is especially important for a platform that differentiate itself by way of its connectivity and live video features. It has achieved success by incorporating a full range of safety features, from making sure that all game instances are private, to allowing players to flag inappropriate content and report conversations that might feel threatening or become unsafe. “What we’re finding is people who are much less
inclined to put themselves forward in other online gaming spaces feel much safer and more encouraged here,” says Dwight. “I’ve very rarely enjoyed playing competitive online video games with strangers, because there’s a lot of safety concerns, harassment concerns, that kind of stuff. But I’ve always enjoyed the multiplayer experience of role playing games because it’s with people I trust, it’s face to face, there’s something very intimate about it.” Also very personal to Dwight is her and
Role’s mission to not just promote diversity and inclusion, but to actively build working and business partnerships that directly benefit marginalised individuals and communities “Our team is majority POC and majority
LGBTQIA+ and our founders, myself and Ian, both fall into various marginalised identities. I’m transgender and Ian is Filipino and we have always been very public about our belief that role playing games are a really strong vertical for change in gaming and entertainment, in spaces where people of marginalised identities have not felt safe
August 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 45
playing, not felt represented and not felt like the content represents them per se. “One of the things we’ve always loved about role playing
games is that because it is such a creator-centric medium, people are always creating games, stories and content that represents them, that makes them feel seen. And also, because of the very fundamentally different format of play, you’re much more likely to play in environments where you feel safe. And so with Role it isn’t just about servicing people playing Dungeons & Dragons - which is great. It really is about servicing the next generation of gaming content creators from diverse audiences and giving them a platform for their play experiences to really, really shine. That’s a big thing for us.”
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