Everything you think about Game Mastering is probably wrong: Part XX - Why Gatekeeping is a Good Thing
I have been avoiding writing this one for awhile because I know it has the potential to trigger more wailing and gnashing of teeth than I feel like interacting with. I still think it needs to be said that gatekeeping is a good thing and people need to get more comfortable with it in the TTRPG space.
But wait you, a rhetorical strawman I conjured specifically to look a fool in this example, might ask "Isn't that discrimination?". Of course it is, and discrimination is also good. The problem is unnecessary and/or unfair discrimination (and gatekeeping). Discriminating against a restaurant (by refusing to eat there) because the owner is French is terrible.
Discriminating against that same restaurant in the same way because it keeps failing health inspections and has twice been caught trying to see how much sawdust they can mix into the pizza dough before customers notice is sensible. This is such an obvious statement it shouldn't need to be said. Valid gatekeeping isn't what anyone meant when they said gatekeeping is bad... or rather it isn't what anyone meant when they started saying it about a decade ago (looking at Google trends).
But, loathe as I am to admit I am becoming an old man, ten years is a long time and there has been a fairly obvious trend in society to see the mere act of gatekeeping for any reason as bad. The thing is, it is incredibly hostile to outsiders to be totally welcoming. This applies even to being welcoming to nice people, I am not simply rehashing the "paradox of tolerance" that gets spread around.
As an example, suppose there is a singles bar that is also a gay bar. At some point, without gatekeeping, a straight woman will host a bachelorette party at the bar because she doesn't want to get hit on but wants a fun atmosphere. She is an ally, so are her bridesmaids, and their money goes just as far towards paying the bar's rent as anyone else's. Then another one will be there as it becomes trendy. Then single ladies show up after work to drink without being hit on. Then they bring their boyfriends (who are still allies) and even just male friends. At this point, a gay man going to the gay singles bar who approaches another man (at the gay singles bar) is statistically likely to find out that that man (and most other men there) are straight and , while flattered, have no interest in a homosexual relationship of any sort. By being welcoming to good people, the singles bar has just become another overpriced gentrified gastropub with a pride flag on the wall (of which there are a dozen within walking distance). There is now (functionally) no local gay bar.
That is a pretty inflammatory example that I probably shouldn't be the one to make, but its effective (and I blame my long time editor for telling me not to be a chickenshit who would water down the metaphor).
How does this phenomenon manifest in TTRPGs? How often have you seen advocating changes to either game mechanics or content to appeal to a broader audience? About complex mechanics or massive amounts of setting "lore" being a barrier to new players? From a business perspective this may make sense, but I am talking about running a game. How many times have you seen people decide to use a system they aren't thrilled with because they want it to be easier for players who are still theoretical future players?
Know what you want to be doing in the first place. If you want to play an RPG with a specific existing friend group then it makes sense to think about their preferences in system and content because those are just secondary concerns to the primary goal of playing with a specific group of people. If you are building a new group from scratch though.. Why compromise?
If you want to run Rolemaster with a million tables, don't decide to run 5e because it's got a larger player base. If you are willing to change what your goal is to be more accommodating to strangers I would point out that you could dump the RPG aspect and play poker as it has an EVEN larger player base. You could probably even dump tabletop games all together and play soccer if you want the largest possible player base.
Are math heavy mechanics full of complexity with dozens of rulebooks alienating to many players? Yes. Are settings that require you to read dozens of mostly out of print books to truly understand even more alienating to new players? Also yes. But if you want to play an Alternity powered game set in E.C Tubb's "Dumarest Saga" that uses hex-and-chit wargame rules for domain play then do that. You don't need to be accommodating to strangers and help them to have an easier time playing this. Roleplaying itself is already something very difficult for a lot of people to get into. If someone doesn't want to read a bunch of dogshit background novels it isn't your job to put together a primer to make it easier for them nor do you have to have a cheat sheet to help them learn the rules. They can spend the time to learn on their own or go do something else.