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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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|name = James Desborough
|image = James Desborough.jpeg
|image = James Desborough.
|caption = James Desborough
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|other_names = Grim
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|occupation = [[Game designer]], author, [[blogger (person)|blogger]]
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Revision as of 22:03, 17 February 2023

James Desborough
File:James Grim Desborough Portrait.jpg
James Desborough
Born (1975-12-05) December 5, 1975 (age 48)
Winchester, United Kingdom.
NationalityBritish
Other namesGrim
Occupation(s)Game designer, author, blogger
Known forGame design, writing, videography.
WebsitePost-Mort.com

James "Grim" Desborough is a British game designer, author and blogger who has worked primarily on role-playing games, as well as card games, board games and social computer games.

Career

James Desborough wrote The Munchkin's Guide to Powergaming in 2000/2001,[1] winning an Origins Award for that work along with his co-author Steve Mortimer.[2] Desborough was a co-author of CS1: Cannibal Sector One he also briefly worked as the line editor for SLA Industries.[3] Desborough is also the owner of Postmortem Studios.[3] Postmortem Studios was one of Cubicle 7's first company partnerships thanks to Desborough's connections with Angus Abranson.[3] He later became creative director at Chronicle City, Abranson's new venture[4] but this partnership ended in July 2021.[5]

In 2017 he released a licensed role-playing game based on John Norman's fantasy series Gor, which also included art by Michael Manning.[6]

Desborough's work was included in Red Phone Box,[7] and in The Mammoth Book of Erotic Romance and Domination.[8] He also self-publishes.

His D&D design work includes Monster Manual V (2007) and City of Stormreach (2008).

Desborough is the author of a self-published August 2017 book which claimed that Gamergate was "a genuinely important battle in the ongoing culture war"[9]: ¶79.3  and portrayed it as a necessary "social revolt" rather than as a harassment campaign, which it is often considered to have been.[10][11] In the book's introduction, Desborough writes that his distress regarding opposition to Gamergate led him to attempt suicide in October 2014.[9]: ¶3.9  The book was written after an Indiegogo campaign by Desborough which he launched on 3 June, urging people to help him "correct the record" about Gamergate[12]: @2:00  — it raised US$1,650, exceeding its goal of US$1,150.[13]

Reception

Desborough has been quoted or used as a pundit on men's issues in various places, including The Stream on Al Jazeera.[14] Some of Desborough's work has been criticized for allegedly being "hateful, violent and misogynistic", leading critics to petition game companies to drop his work.[15][16] Desborough describes himself as having been "inside" Gamergate.[13]

References

  1. ^ The Munchkin's Guide to Powergaming: ISBN 1-55634-347-7
  2. ^ "Origins Awards 2000". Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. p. 430. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.
  4. ^ "Chronicle City appoints "Grim" James Desborough". 13 February 2013.
  5. ^ ""Grim" James Desborough ends partnership with Chronicle city". 1 July 2021.
  6. ^ grimachu (23 April 2017). "#RPG – The Gor RPG is RELEASED!". Postmortem Studios. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Ghostwoods Books". Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  8. ^ Jakubowski, Maxim (8 July 2014). The Mammoth Book of Erotic Romance and Domination. ISBN 978-0762452255.
  9. ^ a b Desborough, James (2017). Inside Gamergate: a social history of the gamer revolt (ePub). Postmortem Studios. ISBN 978-0-244-62772-0. OCLC 1011256859.
  10. ^ Rosenberg, Alyssa (29 October 2014). "Gamergate reopens the debate over video games as art". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  11. ^ For more information about Gamergate's history and interpretation, see Gamergate (harassment campaign) § References.
  12. ^ Desborough, James (3 May 2017). #Gamergate – Inside Gamergate Crowdfunder (YouTube video). Postmortem Studios. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL97Ftxr6SU. Retrieved 13 April 2022. "With Brianna Wu running for office, now seems like the time to try and correct the record." 
  13. ^ a b Desborough, James (3 June 2017). "Inside Gamergate—A 'gonzo' social history of Gamergate from inside the movement". Indiegogo. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help) Indiegogo Project ID #2109206. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  14. ^ raisa (2 June 2014). "Through men's eyes".
  15. ^ Gridwood, Andrew (13 February 2013). "Chronicle City appoints "Grim" James Desborough". Edinburgh, Scotland: Geek Native. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  16. ^ Gridwood, Andrew (24 June 2012). "Interview with RPG designer James Desborough". Edinburgh, Scotland: Geek Native. Retrieved 13 April 2022.