Gaming Isn’t Just For White Boys: How This Woman Of Color Is Literally Changing The Game
Video games have the reputation of being exclusive to white males, but one look around this small convention in Harlem shows otherwise.
On the development side, a survey done in 2015 by the International Game Developers Association shows that 75% of all game developers are white men.
There are just too few people who are creating games, professionally, who are people of color or from anywhere else on the spectrum of gender.
In addition mentorship is often unavailable to people who cannot access industry connections because of financial constraints.
This overwhelming bias in who makes games leads to not only to a lack of representation in games, but also to working spaces that are full of microaggressions and discrimination towards minority creators.
This undoubtedly spills into the world of the players.
Video games are modern art form that capture the imagination and present a new way to tell stories and interact with others.
The lack of diversity in development means there’s a lack of diversity in representation, which leaves out large groups of people from this art form.
Game Devs of Color Expo, organized by Brooklyn Gamery, opened on its second year bringing together developers and game lovers together to talk about diversity and making it in the world of gaming.
The event was held in Schomburg Center located in Harlem, NYC. This location is quite fitting as it is has been historically neighborhood of diversity and innovation in art.
Given that game making is so white and male, to enter a space that puts creators of color of color runs counter to what the industry, as it stands, is.
And although the convention is small compared to the top tier of the industry, it was no small showing.
It showcased 31 games created by people of color and hosted 25 speakers, all of color, to help the next group of developers succeed.
This is all thanks to woman of color and a game developer Catt Small.
After years of feeling marginalized and living through microaggressions in traditional game development spaces, she set off to create her own expo where she and people like her, which is to say marginalized creators, could feel comfortable and not like they were on display to meet quotas.
From this desire and with the help of a small group of friends, the expo was born. I sat down with her to discuss how this unique expo came to be and where it is going in the future.
Donyae: How did the expo come about? What first sparked this concept for you and your collaborators?
Catt Small: We did the first expo last year in January. It came about after some discussions at previous gaming events where we were often the only people of color. We wanted to have a space to feel normal, and not marginalized. So, we came up with the idea to have an event centered around race, ethnic identity, and game development!
Donyae: In your experience, is it one that exists behind the scenes as well? How do you hope that an expo like this will help that?
Catt Small: The lack of diversity in character design stems from the lack of game developers of color. People of color are vastly underrepresented in the industry, which prevents people from thinking of game development as a viable field.
The expo helps by giving people of color the chance to see people like them who make games. This year, we also had panels and talks about subjects including getting into and staying in the industry as well as polishing and launching games.
These are topics that normally require a large investment to hear discussions about.
We want to make sure people of color who are in games stay, but also that lots of new people see how awesome the industry is and feel confident enough to join.
Donyae: You mention the culture of gaming on your webpage, with such a wide variety of people, what does that mean for you? Especially given that gaming culture has so long been defined as a cis white male industry.
Catt Small: To us, the culture that drives gaming is the enjoyment of games. Games bring people together, and we want to include more people in it. Decades ago, many people were hurt and excluded for liking games. We don’t want things to be like that anymore.
Everyone deserves to play and make games.
Donyae: I completely agree!
Following that concept, you showed a wide variety of games during the last expo.
Given that you want to make a welcome space for everyone, how do you decide which games will be given space? Do you have a criteria or system for turning down games that may make people uncomfortable?
Catt Small: Each game is reviewed by the expo team to measure quality of the game’s content and message. Our goal is to have a balanced array of games that show developers of color that there is no limit to the kinds of things we can create.
We have shown mature games before (with a warning on the sign), but we do try to make sure games we show are not sexist, racist, or transphobic.
Donyae: As you grow larger, are you worried about losing some of the diverse nature of this expo? I know you’ve gotten some media coverage and some big names have stepped up to sponsor and partner with you.
Is being “whitewashed” so to speak a concern for your team? If so, how do you plan to combat that as you do grow?
Catt Small: We definitely want to keep this event inclusive and open to people of color. Our main concern is definitely not whitewashing, however we do want to ensure that the event does not turn into a diversity zoo of sorts.
We will always put people of color at the center of this event and do what is necessary to ensure that this event is accessible to them.
All the speakers are developers of color and all the games have people of color on their teams, and we intend to keep that structure.
Additionally, we plan to keep this event affordable with tiered and/or reasonable pricing that makes it inviting for people who are new to games or could not otherwise afford to attend.
Donyae: Awesome! Last question. What are plans for future for the expo?
Catt Small: We are already thinking about 2018! Last week, we had a great retrospective where we discussed our personal feedback as well as survey feedback from attendees. Next year will definitely be bigger and better (but just as inclusive).
We are looking for sponsors and people who would like to help organize the event, so if you’re interested, contact us via the Game Devs of Color Expo website!
For more updates on next year’s expo, visit their website here.
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About the author
About Woke
Woke is your digital media space for content that is truly diverse and representative. We plan to launch a platform of streaming videos in 2018.
We are following the latest happenings in pop culture, art, entertainment, and tech. Tracking the shift to a more inclusive media and entertainment industry. Read More on Medium.com/woketoday
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