First off, let me express that ensuring all voices are heard is super important, especially those who tend to be underrepresented.

Depending on the focus of a certain space, some topics can make more sense than others. For example, this might not be the best forum to discuss religion, but there are many dedicated to exactly that!

My thinking is that on Godot’s X account, the audience is made up of game developers here to create fun games. In this context, who anyone identifies as isn’t really the main focus. What matters more is the ideas we bring to the table, our talents in design/development/art/music, and our professionalism/teamwork/communication skills. Ultimately, what really counts is whether we’re pleasant, friendly people who help drive the team goals forward.

If someone’s identity brings an interesting perspective, that’s awesome! A game like Black Myth: Wukong could only come from Chinese developers passionate about sharing their culture with the world, and the gaming community is all the better for it. There are countless other examples that could fill a small novel. Games can help connect us and enhance our understanding of each other, and that’s amazing!

That said, I think a lot of people were concerned that the recent tweet, regardless of good intentions, was a bit of a divergence from the core focus on making great games. The tweet didn’t warrant hate or harassment, but people should be allowed to express their thoughts civilly.

To the community manager and Godot PR team: I understand discussions can get heated, and it might feel like “if you’re not 100% with me, you’re against me.” I totally empathize with folks who are passionate about their causes, especially those related to aspects of your (or your loved ones’) identity; any criticism can feel like a zero-sum game where disagreement feels like a personal attack. I’ve been on the receiving end of it myself, and it’s tough.

Having managed a community myself, I’ve made missteps that look a lot like what happened here. So, I’m going to share a bit that I wish my past self had known, hoping it resonates with the Godot team.

Blocking actual trolls is totally fine; that’s the point of the block feature. But when people suggest that Godot’s X account stick to its main focus (the engine and its development) and not engage with trolls, blocking them might not be the best path forward. I get that it’s hard not to take things personally in the heat of the moment, but as things cool down, it’s worth considering whether most people meant harm by their suggestions. I’m not speaking for all the replies, but I saw quite a few that were genuine advice to avoid stepping into a cultural minefield and to focus on Godot itself.

As a thought experiment, let’s say the tweet hadn’t been about promoting LGBTQ+ games but about a different aspect of identity, like religion. I’d expect a similar response, where many community members would ask the account to focus on Godot and not venture too far outside that area.

Constructive criticism is crucial for growth, and I really hope the community manager and Godot team see how valuable that feedback is and take it to heart. It could lead to solid improvements and strengthen our community.

Once things cool down, I hope we can reflect on this. With some maturity, responsibility, humility, and understanding, we could even turn this whole situation into a net positive and come out stronger than before. I really respect when people bury the hatchet, and I’d deeply respect Godot’s CM/PR folks (and the Godot community at large) if we could all extend olive branches here to work together on the best darn open-source game engine ever, for everyone, everywhere!

What do you say?

    jSyndeo As a thought experiment, let’s say the tweet hadn’t been about promoting LGBTQ+ games but about a different aspect of identity, like religion. I’d expect a similar response, where many community members would ask the account to focus on Godot and not venture too far outside that area.

    i'd imagine if Godot got up one day and told the masses to accept Jesus Christ as their lord or savior, we'd still be confused, and wondering where the proper bitmap font support is.

    jSyndeo What do you say?

    The inflammatory post, which has nothing to do with a game engine, is still present: https://forum.godotengine.org/t/happy-pride/65583

    The post didn't create itself. Someone with administrative privileges on godotengine.org created it for the sole purpose of gaining favor with a loud but degenerate minority.

    Bud Light's marketing department did something similar a year and a half ago, and that didn't turn out well.

    jSyndeo Blocking actual trolls is totally fine

    You need to be careful here, blocking peoples opinions is as bad as burning books. Just because "you" think its trollish, to the person posting "his" opinions might make total sense in the context.

    Sure, spam links and bot links etc, ads, you can block those, its just cancer. But not peoples opinions, no matter how nasty it is..

    jSyndeo Constructive criticism is crucial for growth

    people were silenced when they did just that... are they trolls? who is to blame? slap on the wrist and move on? how fair was that..?

    jSyndeo Having managed a community myself

    i think this is cancerous behaviour... the community management should be delegated to automated systems with no biases.

    Like the Mikey said, keep the politics out of the game devving and Bob's your uncle


    Hi there,

    I appreciate your good intentions, but I think it's best to keep politics out of our discussions here. I understand it's a sensitive topic that might deserve attention, but this isn't the right place for it.

    Our forum is about helping people, providing a great space to share passion projects, having good discussions on related topics, and fostering growth. Topics like this don't contribute to that mission and tend to escalate quickly, regardless of initial intentions.

    I've recently updated the rules to clarify that political topics are excluded from the forum. For these reasons, I'm locking this thread.

    Thanks for understanding! 🙏

    MikeCL locked the discussion .