Gaming Doesn't Have To Be Toxic, And These Black Women Are Making Sure Of It
With the gaming industry bigger than ever and the rise of content creators, we're seeing more Black women in video games than ever before. But even before the era of Twitch, industry veterans have been trailblazing in every field, from art direction to product management. These are just a few of the Black women who are diversifying gaming and making the space inclusive to all.
Black Girls Rock / Via media.giphy.com
Tanya DePass — Content creator, founder & director of I Need Diverse Games
I Need Diverse Games is a nonprofit that "seeks to bring projects, works and research by marginalized folks to light. [They] also seek to discuss, analyze and critique identity and culture in video games through a multifaceted lens rooted in intersectionality." The organization also has a program that sends 25 people to GDC (Game Developers Conference) who otherwise would not be able to attend.
Tanya DePass, also known as Cypheroftyr, goes far beyond being a content creator (which is already a taxing job). She uses her platform to discuss diversity and representation, not only in video games but in our culture and politics as well. She often uses streaming to blend these two worlds together, as shown in the video below where she talks with Former Member of the Georgia House of Representatives Stacey Abrams about the 2021 Georgia runoff election while playing Animal Crossing.
Additionally, DePass is the creator, creative director, and co-designer of the tabletop RPG Into the Mother Lands, the programming coordinator and diversity liaison at Gaymer X, and a cast member of Rivals of Waterdeep, a Dungeons & Dragons live stream show.
Tanya DePass & Stacey Abrams on Voting, Heritage & Georgia Run-off Election
Jay-Ann Lopez — Founder and CEO, Black Girl Gamers
Lopez founded Black Girl Gamers (BGG) in 2015 as an online community that supports Black women in gaming. If you've ever played a multi-player video game, you know that sexism and racism are sadly not uncommon. Faced with this toxicity but having loved video games from a young age, Lopez created a Facebook group for black women to game together. The group has blossomed into a community with 6,000 members and continues to grow.
BGG and NNESAGA (who we'll see later on this list) hold events like Gamer Girls Night In, which not only holds gaming competitions but panels and nail-painting stations as well. The initial Gamer Girls Night In event was the first-ever all-female gaming event in the UK.
In 2019, Lopez received the MCV Women in Games Campaigner of the Year Award for her groundbreaking work. She and BGG have also partnered with brands like Spotify and Intel to combat gaming stereotypes and promote diversity. And to top it all off, she's also a presenter for gTV. Whatever Jay-Ann Lopez does next, it's sure to be game-changing (literally).
Keisha Howard — Founder and CEO, Sugar Gamers
Keisha Howard utilized her years of experience in the tech field to launch Sugar Gamers, an organization that works with both gamers and developers to create an inclusive gaming community. Sugar Gamers covers gaming news, supports all demographics' representation, and develops ambitious projects like a new augmented reality sport called Tachyon League.
Howard's success has allowed her to discuss pop culture with George Lucas and Stan Lee, appear on TV shows like the one pictured above, and give Tedx Talks about gaming and technology.
Winning at Gaming | Keisha Howard
Latoya Peterson — Writer, co-founder/CXO/technology director, Glow Up Games
Latoya Peterson is a writer that has been published on sites like Kotaku and the New York Times. Her commentary on culture, games, and technology have earned her multiple awards and a seat at the judges' table for the Museum of Play's World Video Game Hall of Fame.
She also created the blog Racialicious.com (the website appears to no longer be online), which gained her initial mainstream recognition. Her most recent position was Deputy Editor for The Undefeated, an ESPN site about race through the lens of sports.
But what about gaming?
Peterson's current job is the CXO (Chief Experience Officer) of Glow Up Games, an R&D studio that focuses on AR, VR, and mobile games. They most recently partnered with HBO to make a game for Issa Rae's show Insecure.
No wonder Forbes put Latoya Peterson on their 30 Under 30 list.
Amira Virgil — Content creator, coder
Better known by her screen name, Xmiramira, Virgil is a content creator with the ability to immediately feel like your friend. She never feels "on" or forcing it like some YouTubers can feel; she's just herself.
Xmiramira changed the gaming industry when she created a mod pack for The Sims. She wanted to start creating Sims content, but was unable to find skin tones or hairstyles that matched her own (the darkest skin tone was gray...). So she created her own skins and hairstyles, and the mod (The Melanin Pack) became immensely popular. It addressed such a crucial problem that Xmiramira and other gamers eventually campaigned to get Electronic Arts (The Sims developer) to include darker skin tones in their following game.
Representation in Gaming with Amira Virgil
Amber Herring — Content creator, critic, artist
We've talked about streamers and CEOs, but another crucial facet of the gaming industry that benefits from more diversification is criticism. Game critics play a major role in the success or failure of a game, as people want to know if they're getting a masterpiece like Elden Ring or a dud like launch-day Cyberpunk 2077.
As Lady Pelvic, Amber Herring reviews games, delivers news, makes top five videos, collaborates with other content creators, and provides commentary on video game conventions. And if you're a fan of JRPGs, you'll be a fan of Lady Pelvic.
Catt Small — Product designer, game maker, developer, co-founder, Game Devs of Color Expo
Catt Small co-founded the Game Devs of Color Expo, an event that showcases games created by developers of color and holds networking sessions. This allows everyone, from indie developers to industry professionals to get together and promote their work. The Expo has worked with the likes of Xbox, Nintendo, and Niantic. The 6th annual Game Devs of Color Expo is set for September 15-18 if you want to join!
Additionally, Small has created her own games Sweetheart and SenseU. Check out her Tedx Talk, "Changing the face of game development," below.
Changing the face of game development | Catt Small
Momo Pixel — Game designer, musician, art director, advertiser, writer
Momo Pixel has one of the coolest resumes around. Sure, she creates award-winning video games. These include games for Google Play and Hulu, as well as her most notable work, Hair Nah. The beautifully designed game features a Black woman who is trying to travel to a destination, but has to stop people from touching her hair. You can play it here.
In addition to her game design, Momo Pixel is a veteran of the advertising industry. She has done campaigns for the LA Clippers, Powerade, KFC, and Nintendo.
She also creates interactive art exhibitions called Momoland. As she states on her website, Momoland merges "art, music, anime, and technology. It promotes imagination, creativity, collaboration, gaming, and diversity within the geek culture community."
Momo Pixel is also a musician, and I think the only reason she doesn't have a tab for her musical work on her website is because of the sheer amount of items on her resume. However, you can go directly to her musical page here. In addition to all this, Momo Pixel delivers speeches and organizes events to promote inclusive gaming. Considering all this inspiring talent, here are some words of wisdom from Momo: "If I can, you can, but only if you do."
Equity in Gaming with Momo Pixel
Victoria Brown — Content creator, social media manager (Black Girl Gamers), founder & content curator (Contra_Viction)
Victoria Brown, a.k.a. Contra_Viction, worked as a technical writer and analyst before breaking into the gaming industry with Black Girl Gamers. She manages their social media, and has gone on to found her own brand also named Contra_Viction.
Contra_Viction is all about bringing gamers together through articles about the industry, advice on content creation, and getting out of your comfort zone by dressing up like a banana and dancing around Atlanta. But one of the core focuses of Contra_Viction is preserving local game stores. With streaming services like GamePass becoming the trend, local game stores could go the way of Blockbuster. Every gamer has those nostalgic memories of going down to your local game store and browsing around in person.
Check out a great Contra_Viction article on a Georgia game store here, and support local businesses!
Stephanie Ijoma — Writer, content creator, founder & CEO, NNESAGA
Stephanie Ijoma, also known by her handle NNE SAGA is a British multi-hyphenate who frequently collaborates with Jay-Ann Lopez of Black Girl Gamers (you can read about her further up this list). Named after her username, NNESAGA is one of the biggest communities and platforms for black gamers in the UK.
NNESAGA has worked with EA, Nike, Puma, 2K, Twitter, Facebook, and Adidas. Ijoma reaches gamers through her events, panels, and workshops, often set up at incredible places like high-end Adidas stores. Ijoma herself has also worked with PlayStation, Xbox, Sega, Apple, and she often partners with NBA2K to cover NBA All-Star Games.
Brittney M. Morris — Game narrative designer, novelist
If you're excited to play Insomniac's Spider-Man 2, know that the story is in good hands. Brittney M. Morris has previously worked with Insomniac on the first Spider-Man game, and wrote the novel Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales — Wings of Fury, a prequel to their hit game.
Morris's other writing credits include three books: SLAY, The Cost of Knowing, and The Jump (coming out in 2023). She also had a story, "The Green Thumb War," featured in Together, Apart, a collection of love stories set during lockdown. She was also the narrative designer on Subnautica: Below Zero and an untitled project at Funomena, as well as a contributing writer for The Lost Legends of Redwall.
You check out SLAY here, a book about a Black teenager who has to battle a troll. Not an online troll, but a legit, real-life troll. She must do so to protect the Black Panther-inspired video game she created, and the novel has been described as Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give.
Mary Udofia — Content creator, stream & content manager, Black Girl Gamers
Mary Udofia (SheGamerxo on YouTube and Twitch) is a UK content creator that is largely responsible for Black Girl Gamers' success. As anyone remotely familiar with gaming knows, having an online presence in the community means putting out a significant amount of quality content.
Mary Udofia has helped BGG reach countless gamers and impact the industry with her eye for quality content. She's a big fan of The Sims and Life Is Strange, has been nominated for the gameHERs Awards several times, and helped Black Girl Gamers win the 2021 gameHERs Awards for "Top Stream Team of the Year."
Dani Lalonders — Game writer, producer, CEO, Veritable Joy Studios
Dani Lalonders is best known for producing the video game ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area with their studio Veritable Joy. Lalonders and their studio are interested in bringing racially diverse and queer stories to light.
She is also a sensitivity reader, which is someone who reads another artist's work to point out any representation issues or problematic language. This dedication to inclusivity and quality content is what makes Lalonders the CEO of the future. As she's said: "I think more companies should hire people of color so I just did it myself."
Chella Ramanan — Writer, journalist, narrative designer, co-founder, 3-Fold Games and POC in Play
Having worked in both AAA and indie games, Chella Ramanan actually didn't see herself as a video game writer for the initial years of her career as a journalist. Even though she was immersed in the industry and reporting on video games for several console cycles, fiction was something she did on the side. But after getting into the industry with her debut game, Before I Forget, she became an instant gaming legend.
Before I Forget is a narrative exploration game where you play as a woman with early-onset dementia. You must travel through her home and examine faded writing and photographs to piece together her life and current situation. The BAFTA-nominated game was the first game of 3-Fold, a studio co-founded by Ramanan.
Ramanan then went on to found POC in Play, an organization that aims to "address the lack of representation and inclusion of People of Color in the video games industry visibly and behind the scenes."
Kenyeda Adams — Writer, community manager, Black Girl Gamers
One word you'll see repeated on this list is community. But as you've probably noticed, any time you try to plan a vacation with a group of friends, group organization takes a lot of work. Kenyeda Adams manages workshops and internal events for Black Girl Gamers to ensure everyone is comfortable and to elevate BGG.
Black women have created an incredible community in gaming; unfortunately, many have stated that their reason for doing so was to escape toxic communities. To ensure that toxicity stays far away from those who just want to get together and celebrate diverse gaming, and to expand the community, we need people like Kenyeda Adams. She is also the Discord moderator for BGG, and keeps the space safe and supportive.
Black Web Fest 2021: Funds & Games: Opportunities in the Gaming Industry
Laura Teclemariam — Product manager, Electronic Arts
Teclemariam is no longer at EA (she left for some startup called Netflix), but her four years at Electronic Arts saw her rise in the ranks and prove herself as one of the most ambitious business people in the industry. Though she got her start at Microsoft, so EA knew exactly who they were getting.
After leaving EA, Teclemariam went on to work for Glu Mobile, Warner Bros., and is currently Director of Product Innovation in the animation department of Netflix. My completely uneducated guess? She could be lending her experience to Netflix's new venture into gaming.
You know you're doing alright when Berkeley's School of Business uses your clout as an ad for themselves.
Lisette Titre-Montgomery — Art director, animator
"[...] Psychonauts 2 not only succeeds in rendering its weird, Claymation-ish world with modern materials and realistic lighting, it's one of the most visually spellbinding games I've played this year." That was what Rick Lane of PC Gamer had to say about Psychonauts 2, the latest video game that industry legend Lisette Titre-Montgomery has added to her impressive catalog.
Her other games include Tiger Woods Golf, The Simpsons, Dante’s Inferno, Dance Central 3, SIMS 4, South Park, and Transformers Age Of Extinction (mobile).
In addition to her talents as an animator and art director, Titre-Montgomery is a huge advocate for diversity in the gaming industry. She has been a keynote speaker at NASA, Intel, Black Girls Code, Girls Who Code, and Soledad O'Brien's Starfish Foundation.
Titre-Montgomery was invited to the White House during the Obama Administration to talk about diversity in the tech world, and is a member of the U.S. Department of State's Speakers Bureau. Business Insider named her one of the most powerful women in engineering in 2015.
Karisma Williams — Creative director, Senior experience developer & designer, Xbox Kinect
Remember the Kinect? It wouldn't have been possible without Karisma Williams, whose job was partly to moderate user experience. Everything that required interaction between player and Kinect (so, basically everything on the screen) had to be fluid. This was because a significant part of Kinect's marketing was for people who couldn't easily use a controller, like young kids or elderly people.
Shequeta Smith — Writer, CEO, Shero Comics
"Comics" may be in its name, but the goal of Shero Comics goes far beyond comic books. The female-empowered company wants to create a safe space for women to enjoy all things nerd culture. And while the company has traditionally focused on TV, movies, and comics, they are now venturing into video games.
Their strategy is pretty brilliant, and allows them to employ similar marketing techniques that heavy-hitters like Sony use in their movies all the time. Let me explain what I'm talking about. Their new short film, Dick Control, is about a misogynistic man who is cursed with E.D., essentially, until he learns to respect women. In the short, two of the main character's friends are playing a VR shooter. They say "Shero sent these over," and in an article released by Shero, they reveal that the game the men are playing is a prototype they are working on. It's just like seeing a Sony phone in a Sony movie.
With this kind of multi-faceted strategy, Shero could be the next Marvel very quickly. Keep your eye on Shequeta Smith, and check out Dick Control below!
Dick Control Movie (2022)
Sun Firouzi — Content creator
Far better known as Sunpi, Firouzi has been outspoken about the need for less male gatekeeping when it comes to gaming. She told Independent that she is constantly harassed online and was even stalked at one point. Many men also call Sunpi a "fake gamer," which many female gamers have endured.
The sexual comments she has received also raise a different side of the same coin when it comes to inclusivity in video games. It's not just about there being room at the table for everyone, but also the freedom to be who you want to be once you get there.
You can hear Sunpi talk about how she got into gaming and why she loves it below.
#YouTubeBlack Unite: Why We Game
Cara Ricketts — Voice, TV, and film actor
Cara Ricketts has been an actor for 15 years, and her first video game gig was for Far Cry Primal. Ubisoft seems to have been very pleased with her work, because she was called back for Far Cry 5, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Far Cry 6. She also lent her voice to the game Hyper Scape, not to mention over 30 movies and TV episodes of various shows.
As legendary voice actor Phil LaMarr has stated, there was very recently a time when "95% of the roles in video games were roles for white guys." This ratio was likely even worse for Black women in voice acting. To add to this, LaMarr says, white actors would often play Black roles, but Black actors were rarely asked to perform as white characters. While the voice-over industry still needs more diversity, Cara Ricketts is a performer that has been turning heads with what she calls her "advocacy-through-work."
Ricketts won the Stratford Festival's Best Actress award, and you can check out a monologue she gave as Portia (Julius Caesar ) for the Shakespeare Theatre Company's #ShakespeareChallenge here.
The next two women I'd like to shout out work in areas that don't require as many cameras on them as streamers or lead designers. While I was unable to find any usable images of Myrna Rich-Ray and Bria S. Williams, their contributions to gaming can be felt throughout the industry.
Myrna Rich-Ray — VP of people operations, Belong Gaming Arenas
Myrna Rich-Ray works at Belong Gaming, a company that builds gaming arenas for esports and competitions. According to their website," Every Belong Gaming Arena is fully equipped with high powered PC’s, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X consoles as well as lightning-fast gaming displays and esports quality peripherals."
Myrna Rich-Ray, a veteran of human resources and strategic planning, is the Vice President of People Operations. She's worked with companies like HBO and Burberry, and is currently lending her talents to the gaming industry. And as you'd imagine, People Operations is the backbone of getting an esports event off the ground.
Bria S. Williams - Senior product manager, Unity
Unity is the engine behind games like Pokémon Go, Monument Valley, Among Us, Beat Saber, and Cuphead. Being the Senior Product Manager, we can thank Bria for making some of our favorite games possible. Unity specializes in cross-platform and multiplayer games, so Bria will surely play a significant role in an industry that is becoming increasingly connected (*cough* metaverse *cough*).
Are there any Black women in the gaming industry/community you would love to see highlighted? Give them a shoutout in the comments!
Make sure to head right here for more of BuzzFeed's Black History Month coverage.
