Developer of a black MMORPG from Germany is attacked because she is white
The MMORPG “The Wagadu Chronicles” deals with African mythology and culture. The project’s founder says his studio is founded and funded by black people. But there was now severe hostility on Twitter against a non-black artist who works on the project as art director. She was accused of exploiting Africans. The boss of the MMORPG steps in.
Who are the allegations against?
- The artist Iga “Igson” Oliwiak was attacked on Twitter.
- She works as an art director for the MMORPG The Wagadu Chronicles. The indie MMORPG is being developed by the studio “Twin Drums”, which is based in Berlin. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport with over €500,000 (via bmvi.de). The studio’s staff are scattered around the world, from Japan to Canada.
- Oliwiak is one of the non-black members of the team. And apparently that was the main reason why she was so violently attacked.
Artist is called a “bitch with dreads” who lives out her dirty fantasies
What are the allegations against the artist? As the artist shared on Twitter, she received some ugly allegations over the past weekend.
In essence, she is accused of “exploiting and profiting from African culture” by, as white, turning Africans into a fetish. She is accused of having worked as a missionary in Africa – it is a continuation of colonialism.
She says in some repeated messages she was called a “white bitch with dreads,” a white bitch with dreadlocks.
The hatred for her stems from a 17-year-old post on Twitter on August 6, who accused her of using “proprietary hairstyles” and fulfilling herself “gross tribal fantasies” by immersing herself in her art paints in as a “very Caucasian person”.
She urged the artist, “Stay away from my people, you stink.”
The tweet with these allegations received almost 5,000 likes, so that certainly drew wide circles for an indie MMORPG.
Studio founder criticizes “Twitter outrage mechanics”, stands behind every team member
This is how the MMORPG reacts: The founder of the studio behind the MMORPG, Allan Cudicio, fully sided with the artist in a tweet on Aug. 8. He said (via twitter):
- He had lost his business partner at the time when he found out that Allan Cudicio was a queer man himself. He lost a year of work as a result
- Iga would have jumped in and supported the project wholeheartedly
“Unfortunately, a lot of hate and venom came out against Iga, one of our closest non-Black staff members, over the weekend. It breaks my heart to see what a passionate, sensitive and respectful ally she was.”
According to the founder, the accusation that someone wants to profit from the “black people” is completely wrong – exactly the opposite is the case.
Twin Drums’ mission is to help Black/POC developers rise to the top in the gaming industry. You only have to look at the team of the MMORPG.
The founder says: “While he believes that some of the allegations come with good intentions, those who want to support black developers should make double efforts to verify their allegations.
Allan Cudicio called the statement that Iga worked as a “missionary in Africa” a complete lie. If the 17-year-old Twitter user had actually grappled with the issue, she would have seen the effort and respect that the team put into their work.
If you really want to help the team, you should contact the developers. You are open to feedback. But anyone who only wants to use the “Twitter outrage mechanism” without giving a damn about the topic can only say: He stands behind every single member of his team.
You can read more about Wagadu Chronicles here. The game is even endorsed by Riot Games:
Wagadu Chronicles, the new German Afro MMORPG, is so well received
Reference-mein-mmo.de