I've received criticism about being vocally anti-racist and yet making games based on a terribly racist man's work. It's a fair point, and I'd like to give some insight into my headspace on this topic.

I also need to be clear that the following opinions are MINE and mine alone. I will not speak for any of my publishers past or present, although I suspect many of them agree.

Let's get this out of the way: Howard Phillips Lovecraft was a racist piece of shit. Fuck him. I'm not going to debate this.

The Cthulhu Mythos is inspiring, dreadful and incredible in my opinion. I've been influenced by the ideas (rather than the writing itself, which I don't consider good). It's also public domain, and frankly, I'm interested in it as a pastiche rather than a set of stories.

I worked on the Call of Cthulhu game for FFG (based on the Arkham Horror pulp universe) and Death May Die (of which I am incredibly proud). Both of these are original IPs (intellectual properties) inspired by Lovecraft's work.

In my opinion, we "reclaimed" the mythos to explore new stories, based on the same existential horror, but minus the most problematic elements. I'm particularly proud of the investigators for DMD. CMON even said "make sure they're as diverse and representative as possible" YUP!

I believe it's possible to update problematic content with modern context, and with DMD we just went for it. Now, some will critique my take on "psychoses as superpowers" as problematic, and that's fair game. I think I stand behind it, but I don't get to tell anyone how to feel.

"But you're supporting a racist." I hear you. I do. The mythos is public domain. HP doesn't see a dime from our work. But I accept that people have different tolerance thresholds, and any furtherance of the work is unacceptable to some. We disagree and I hope that's okay.

There's meaningful ongoing debate about the spectrum of separation between art and artist, and I still think I have a lot to learn here. So my opinion will continue to evolve with time.

At the end of the day, the Overton Window of problematic content keeps shifting as society endeavours to become more considerate of each other. It's entirely possible that I'll eventually be on the wrong side of history on this topic, and I both accept that and won't hide it.

As artists we create, we share, we learn from feedback and we move on. And my ears are always open.

@eric_lang The contemporary HPL fans soured his work for me. So many people unwilling to admit that a thing they liked could be by a racist because racist things were bad and nothing they liked could ever be bad. I watched major players try to silence creators who even hinted at racism.

@TimHutchingsFTW I'm sorry that happened, and can totally see that it does. I've been quite blessed in that publishers I worked with have enthusiastically promoted the idea of updating and reclaiming the mythos.

@eric_lang Legendary author who will be remembered for centuries gets flipped off by pube haired nobody who will be forgotten the moment he's put in the ground. Such a scenario plays out a lot these days.

@eric_lang Damn, you sure showed the guy.

@eric_lang I may be sustained by this mans corpse and wear his face to make money like a ghoul but man bad so really im the better person.

@eric_lang 83 years since his death, and still most can recognise Lovecraft's name, the subgenre of horror named after him, and his works (especially Cthulhu). His literary philosophy of cosmicism is also held in high regards. You, however, I recognise neither the face nor name.

@eric_lang He was a racist, like everyone else during the 1920s. Plus he helped women to get accepted by the writing community, some of his friends were gay and he became less racist later in life. Your lack of research skils and disrespect for the death disturbs me

@eric_lang Tldr

@eric_lang The beasts for lesser parts were next designed; Yet were they too remote from humankind. To fill the gap, and join the rest to Man, Th'Olympian host conceiv'd a clever plan. A beast they wrought, in semi-human figure, Filled it with vice, and called the thing a N------

@eric_lang Further proof that postmodernists are incapable of having a single creative bone in their bodies. So they're compelled to "reclaim" something that's been in the public domain for years and ride on coattails. If it's one thing postmodernists love, it's money.

@eric_lang as a woman of color, gotta say, go fuck yourself, dude. Ideally with a pneumatic hammer.

@eric_lang It’s like flipping off a headstone of some guy who was kinda mean that one time

@eric_lang people also forget that the mythos wasn't just lovecraft, that there were several authors borrowing and adding on and creating this larger thing that surpassed lovecraft himself. august derleth did as much to build it as lovecraft if not more (but i don't know anything about him)

@eric_lang In my view, much of our modern thinking, science, philosophy, culture, even art, has been touched, or created, at one time or another by someone with behaviors we would deem reprehensible. Ideas stand on their own merit, not on who created them.

@eric_lang Seperating art from artists is important. Burning and condemning the works of people from centuries ago because the artist's personal views dont jive with our modern-day politics is ridiculous. You lose so many masterpieces that way.

@eric_lang And i would like to talk about your beard and that thing on top of your head

@eric_lang A provocative question: If „Mein Kampf“ had been an inspiring book, would you go on, designing games based on A. H. creations? I think this can't be compared one to one, but, I think, it is kind of the same direction.

@eric_lang Local soy hates a dead man with different opinions but continues to profit off of his work, has no talent to even think of creating works like Lovecraft did. More at 9

@eric_lang Many terrible people wrote great stuff - Dostoyevsky, Mishima, Celine are the ones I’m thinking of now. I even think that, statistically, terrible people write better books. But I never saw the point in Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos.

@eric_lang Morally scrutinizing someone who died nearly 100 years ago is a real waste of energy, specially if it's because they held opinions common during their lifetime.

@eric_lang In the tabletop rpg space, people should check out 'Harlem Unbound' by @Darker_Hue. In its 2nd edition with @Chaosium_Inc. It's an amazing CoC sourcebook, and tackles Lovecraft's bullshit head on.

@eric_lang You know it's still possible to disagree with someone and still like their work