DEI Purple

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Updated Sep 30, 2026 at 03:11PM EDT by Zach.

Added Sep 30, 2026 at 02:05PM EDT by Phillip Hamilton.

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About

DEI Purple, sometimes called DEI Violet, is a slang term referring to the theory that video games that prominently feature the color purple, especially a specific violet-purple or magenta hue, are woke and designed with DEI incentives in mind, with the negative implication being that the game will suffer because of this.

The idea of DEI Purple first began spreading online as early as August 2024, surrounding the release of the game Dragon Age: The Veilguard. It continued to spread over the following years, largely among anti-woke gamers, including supporters of GamerGate.

The theory was further popularized by streamer Asmongold in 2026 after he noted the use of the color purple in the trailer for God of War: Laufey, the first game in the God of War series to feature a female protagonist.

Origin

On August 15th, 2024, Steam^[1] user Gloaf made a post on the Dragon Age: The Veilguard Steam forum titled, "Overuse of Purple Indicates DEI garbage." The post reads, "Forespoken, Saints Row, Flintlock, Tales of Kenzera, Gotham Knights, Shadow Gambit, Neo Cab, I could go on and on its a hallmark of these DEI projects and anything SBI works on. This is not an RPG this is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ attempt to again remake a classic to support the Message, Remember we have the power do not buy."

This is the earliest known post to suggest that purple is a sign of a game being a "DEI project," with the concept spreading in the following months and the term itself being coined later.

Dragon Age™: The Veilguard All Discussions Screenshots Artwork Broadcasts Videos News Guides Reviews Dragon Age™: The Veilguard > General Discussions > Topic Details Gloaf 3 15 Aug, 2024 @ 5:27pm Overuse of Purple Indicates DEI garbage Forespoken, Saints Row, Flintlock, Tales of Kenzera, Gotham Knights, Shadow Gambit, Neo Cab, I could go on and on its a hallmark of these DEI projects and anything SBI works on. This is not an RPG this is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ attempt to again remake a calssic to support the Message, Remember we have the power do not buy. Showing 1-14 of 14 comments Clown Reemus 16 Aug, 2024 @ 3:58am Honestly, it's a striking pattern - if you use too much purple in your game, it means it's creatively impotent. This might warrant a serious research into this correlation. #1

Spread

The DEI Purple theory in gaming culture spread over the following years as it grew online, especially among anti-woke users on social media, with the term itself being coined later on.

On September 30th, 2024, YouTuber^[2] Let's Gundam It posted a video about the DEI Purple theory.

On January 2nd, 2025, X^[3] user @Mangalawyer posted images of several games with purple color schemes, writing, "The color palette that instantly transformed you into a non-buynary gamer," garnering over 3,700 likes in a year.

On January 4th, a screenshot of the tweet was posted to the /r/Gamingcirclejerk^[4] subreddit, titled "Apparently Games with Purple are considered flops," gaining over 1,700 upvotes in a year.

Q LearningTheLaw T @Mangalawyer The color palette that instantly transformed you into a non-buynary gamer. DRAGON AGE THE VEILGUARD DYING LIGHT 2 STAY HUMA GOTHAM KNIGHTS REDFALL C XDEFIANT SEASON OP ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN SHATTERED SPACE Rate proposed Community Notes 3:17 PM • Jan 2, 2025 195.8K Views HIGHWAYMEN OFFICIAL TRAILER ASSASSINS CREED CODENAME HEXE ->

On June 3rd, 2026, TikToker^[5] @asmongood posted a clip of Asmongold talking about the DEI Purple theory in relation to God of War: Laufey, garnering over 140 likes in three months.

@asmongood Asmon Says This Purple Is A Warning Sign In Games Asmongold focuses on the purple/magenta look in the footage and turns it into a warning sign. He calls it the same kind of purple he associates with Dragon Age: The Veilguard and says games using that color now make him suspicious. Asmon reacts in real time while the gameplay footage plays, joking that the color itself tells him what kind of game it is. When the scene keeps showing the same magenta tone, he calls it DEI purple and sarcastically says to take his money. The moment is built around a very specific visual pattern, which makes the reaction easy to understand even without knowing the full stream. It is part joke, part culture-war read on modern game art direction. #GameTrailers #GodOfWar #DragonAgeVeilguard #DEIInGaming #AsmonReaction ♬ original sound – asmongood

On September 29th, the Asmongold Shorts YouTube^[6] channel posted another clip of Asmongold criticizing God of War: Laufey and pointing out the DEI Purple in a recent post from the game's company, garnering over 635,000 views in a day.