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Dragon Age: The Veilguard | Dragon Age & Its Toxic Fandom


First, I’m going to preface this by saying that I am very excited about the next game. I have been a Dragon Age fan since Origins and while each game has changed and evolved, I’m not one of those Dragon Age: Origins purists who think they have a right to gatekeep how the games get made and how everyone else isn’t a “true fan”


And that’s where this blog post I am writing is going to go


But first, I want to share some positive stuff because this post is mostly just a rant from me and I want my readers to not walk away with negativity today.


A lot of new information has been coming out about Dragon Age: The Veilguard that has me more excited - and somewhat concerned (but not the reasons everyone else is concerned) for the game.


I may go into more detail about this either in a later post or in a YouTube video but the Character Creator, the companions, and more details about the gameplay are showing some positive potential. 


I’m only really concerned about the PC specs being higher than what I have for my PC and I don’t have a new Xbox so yeah, I’m a bit worried I won’t even get to play it - but we don’t have a release date yet so maybe there is some hope that I’ll be able to play it on PC.


Now for the rant:


I am so sick and tired of all the damn toxicity and entitlement of these so-called “true fans” who think they have a right to tell everyone else how they should feel - or when other OG fans don’t think or feel the same way as they aren’t “true fans”.


It’s not just the Dragon Age fandom that is like this. Every single game, movie franchise, book club, etc has way too much toxicity in them these days. I have also seen this recently with Star Wars and Star Trek. There is way too much gatekeeping going on that it's just plain sickening.


However, I do have to step away from the socials of it all.  With the recent release of the Dragon Age: The Veilguard Official trailer and the gameplay trailer - two of which I made videos on for YouTube - I have unfortunately seen too many TROLLS  come out to play. Also, Bioware has shared a bit too much in the way of story spoilers that I don’t wish to see.


My motto: DON’T FEED THE TROLLS!!!


That includes removing their toxic comments from my videos. Don’t give them ANY exposure. Especially the anti-woke crowd (they clearly don't understand the definition of woke and if they do and they still speak out against it - well, that says more about them then it does about anyone else).


Because just like with Star Trek and Star Wars, Dragon Age has always been woke.


And don't get me started on the dudes that seem to be really pissed that the female characters aren't "hot enough". What the actual F**k?


I can't tell if they just want anime girls or it if they genuinely just don't see it because I have seen comparisons to Leliana and Morrigan from DAO, but beauty does lie in the eyes of the beholder, as they say, so I just don't even know anymore.


But this leads to more questions and more reflection on my part.  It has been a couple of weeks now and while many more people are starting to look forward to this game, the trolls have come out in droves to pick apart, bully, and trash a game simply because they can. 


That, and they want to see Bioware burn to the ground. 


The problem with that is if Bioware ever does “burn to the ground” as they want for Ubisoft, Bethesda, and others, they will get mad that the companies are no more.


That’s what makes them trolls. They love to cause chaos. That’s what this comes down to.


It’s about hurting others, causing chaos, then bitching about the thing they destroyed is no longer there for them to destroy.


This goes beyond gaming of course.  Trolls are everywhere, in every facet of life.


As for Dragon Age though, too many people are still butt-hurt about the game not being an exact replica of Dragon Age: Origins. It eats them up that the games have changed and evolved.


The other thing I am seeing - and I have seen this for a long time in many other fandoms - is that they think they are giving constructive criticism. 


When did the human race forget to think critically to give constructive criticism? 



They can’t be happy no matter what though. Even if Bioware did turn back the clock and make the new game exactly like the old one, they would complain that Bioware couldn’t come up with something new and that creativity is dead.


These people are never happy no matter what. 


So why am I writing about them?


Because the really sad part about this is, they are the louder voices.  I have seen this happen with other games, movies, and especially in politics how the minority is so damn loud that they end up having a major role in destroying a game, movie, etc.


I saw it happen with Mass Effect: Andromeda


Listen, that game isn’t my favorite and I do have my issues with it but holy hell did it get royally destroyed by so-called “fans” (mostly trolls) with not just all the hate for the game that drowned the legitimate criticisms but death threats to the developers.


And they called themselves fans. HA!!!


That’s just a sign of a really bad person and/or an extremely emotionally immature person. To go that low as to actually threaten the lives of the devs and their families is…


There is a special place in hell for people like that.


Now some OG Dragon Age lovers don’t do these things. They state that they just feel left out. That is a legitimate criticism and a valid emotion.  I wish I had something to say to them that could ease their fear of being left out but I just don’t know what to say to that.


However, there are also some people trashing the game before it even comes out solely because of the gameplay.


DUDE! GAMEPLAY EVOLVES!!!  They are also comparing it to Balder’s Gate 3


I saw that coming. That will be in another post/video too because it’s too much to write about here.



Two things in life are inevitable: Death, and Change.


We humans are terrified of both.


Lately, it feels though, that change is the bigger threat to so many people and I am struggling to understand why.


It’s one thing to fear something. It’s another to project that fear onto others, especially through bullying and cruelty.


That is what I see happening with Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Hell, I’m seeing it on the freaking news. I have to limit my news intake so I don’t get depressed over the doomsday mentality that is constantly being shoved in my face.


It looks like I am going to have to do the same with gaming


On a positive note though, I looked at my like-to-dislike ratio on my Dragon Age YouTube videos, and far more people are liking them more than not so maybe there is hope after all?


We shall see.


Anyway, thanks for reading


P.S. My next post about this game will be a lot more positive, I promise.













2 Comments


Jeremy Barnes
Jeremy Barnes
Jul 01

I've been so sick of it in the Marvel and Star Wars lanes. people just like to complain and the internet gives them a place to be douschbags. Its so dumb

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Michelle Kellogg
Michelle Kellogg
Jul 01
Replying to

I agree Jeremy. It's disgusting that so many people who claim to be fans of these franchises complain about things - most of the things that these franchises have always been or the slightest little change sends them into a frenzy. It's crazy.

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Hi, I'm Michelle, aka, Lady Rav3n

I'm a twitch streamer, YouTuber, and writer. I write both fiction and non-fiction with a focus on mental health in some form or another. I'm also a mom and a cat parent.

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