The grim universe of Warhammer 40K unfortunately also attracts followers of right-wing ideologies with its lore and design aesthetics. After an unpleasant incident at a major tournament in Spain, the developers of the tabletop game have issued a clear statement. What exactly happened and how the world of Warhammer 40K is to be interpreted, you can learn here on MeinMMO.
What is Warhammer 40K? Warhammer 40,000 – or 40K – is originally a tabletop game in which players command an army of miniatures to defeat the troops of another player. The setting is located in the distant, extremely dark future of the 41st millennium.
In the world of Warhammer 40K, war is practically constant, and humanity is ruled by a totalitarian regime that is threatened on all sides by aliens and dark powers.
There are large tournaments for Warhammer 40K, where hundreds of players meet to showcase their often elaborately painted miniatures and engage in epic battles on the game tables.
Alleged right-wing radical causes trouble at tournament
What happened at the tournament? At a large tournament with 800 participants in Talavera, Spain, there was an unpleasant incident. A player, who was hiding behind the nickname “Austrian Painter”, showed up, according to a report from a Spanish Warhammer blog (via El Descanso del Escriba), wearing fascist and right-wing radical symbols on his clothing. Among other things, the following were observed:
- A red arrow bundle on a black background, the symbol of the “Falange”, a fascist movement in Spain in the 1930s.
- In front of the Falange symbol was a circle with a cross inside, the symbol of the 13th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht from World War II. The division was associated with war crimes during the invasion of Poland, including allegedly having used civilians as human shields and intentionally attacking a Red Cross aid convoy.
- The logo of the 13th Panzer Division was also said to have been visible on his miniatures.
- Additionally, the “Austrian Painter” was wearing a sweater with a pattern made up of various swastikas.
This display of clearly right-wing radical and fascist symbolism did not sit well with some players, and at least one player refused to play against the “Austrian Painter”.
The tournament administration awarded the victory to the “Painter” in this case and also refused to sanction this player in any way. His display of controversial symbolism was apparently accepted by the organizers without comment.
Developers say “The Imperium are not the good guys!”
Why does Warhammer have a problem with right-wing radicals? Indeed, the grim universe of Warhammer 40K employs various elements from fascist ideology and symbolism in its lore. Among other things, there are:
- A totalitarian empire that demands absolute obedience and extreme sacrifice from its citizens.
- An elite force of superior “supermen”
- An all-powerful secret police that can strike at any time
- Hatred of everything foreign as a guiding ideology
- Genocide and mass extermination as completely legitimate means of warfare
- At least one army in the game is heavily reminiscent of the stormtroopers of the Wehrmacht
The parallels to fascist governments in the history of our world have been exaggerated and ironically represented by the developers of the Warhammer universe, but various subgroups within the Warhammer community, according to an article on Vice, express their fascist and right-wing radical fantasies through the game, as occurred recently at the tournament in Spain.
“The Imperium is driven by hate – Warhammer is not”
What do the developers say about the issue? Developer Games Workshop apparently does not want its product associated with right-wing extremism and has therefore announced in an official statement (via officiallyed in blog) that it will no longer tolerate symbols of “hate groups” at official events.
If you come to a Games Workshop event or store and you behave inappropriately, including wearing symbols of real hate groups, you will be asked to leave. We will not allow you to participate. We do not want your money. We do not want you in the Warhammer community.
Regarding the setting and its meaning, they also stated:
The Imperium is driven by hate. Warhammer is not.
In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, there are no good guys.
None!
Especially not the Imperium of Man.
Its countless legions of soldiers and zealots carve their way through the galaxy, bringing death to anyone and anything that does not conform to their narrow-minded notions of purity. Almost every man and woman toils in misery, either on the battlefield – where survival is measured in hours – or in the countless factories and hive slums that power the imperial war machine. And all of this in slavish servitude to the living corpse of a God-Emperor, whose decrees can at best be half-remembered, twisted by time and the fallibility of humanity.
Warhammer 40,000 is not just dark. It is the darkest, most dismal.
The Imperium of Man serves as a cautionary example of what can happen when the worst of humanity’s greed for power and extreme, relentless xenophobia come into play. Like so many aspects of Warhammer 40,000, the Imperium of Man is satirical.
To clarify: Satire is the use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to ridicule human vices or the shortcomings of a system through mockery, derision, and absurdity. To be satire, something does not have to be merely crazy or laughable. The irony lies in how a tyrannical, genocidal regime is elevated through the setting that has been cranked up to 11. The Imperium is not a desirable state, except for those who profit from it in the game. It is a monstrous civilization, and its monstrosity is visible to all.
That said, certain hate groups in the real world – and followers of historical ideologies that should remain in the past – sometimes attempt to appropriate intellectual property for their own ends. We have said it before, but we want to remind you again what we believe:
“We believe in and support a community united by shared values, such as mutual kindness and respect. Our fantasy settings are dark and grim, but that does not reflect who we are or what the real world should be in our opinion. We will never accept or tolerate any form of prejudice, hatred or abuse in our company or in the Warhammer hobby.”
We can only hope that the developers remain true to their announcement and ensure that no one has to be ashamed of their hobby for being unfairly associated with extreme hate ideologies.
By the way, there are many adaptations of Warhammer 40K as computer games. A fun co-op shooter called Darktide is set to release on Steam in 2022.
