Just like how video games are diverse, so are the people making them. With that said, Black people are still the minority when it comes to crafting the fun experiences that fuel this multi-billion-dollar industry. According to a 2021 survey from the International Game Developers Association, only 5% of respondents were Black while nearly 80% were white.
NPR delivered this illuminating fact while putting the spotlight on five Black developers with varying expertise in the space. One of the featured experts, Xalavier Nelson Jr., said video game companies and publishers are playing catch-up when it comes to hiring Black talent.
The games journalist-turned-studio head writer told reporters that employers are struggling to hire for senior positions when juniors aren’t given the space or opportunity to grow. Then, when it comes to potential Black candidates, they’re usually “survivors” of hostile work environments.
“Once people are in, what you’re looking at for all the people who are Black who have survived, is that they’re survivors. They have existed in toxic environments,” Nelson explained. “They are flowers in the desert. If you bring in a group of 10 people and one survives and becomes a standout, it is not an acclamation of your recruitment efforts, it is an indictment that this one star exists because you failed to preserve the other nine.”
While several major developers and publishers have faced lawsuits for gender-based discrimination and harassment, very few have been accused of racism in the workplace, such as the bombshell allegations against Activision Blizzard (Call of Duty, Overwatch) in 2021.
Previous IGDA surveys found that the number of Black…
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