Black Girl Gamersis a community-powered business that specializes in heightening Black women in the gaming industry. BGG was founded in 2015 and has grown from a small Facebook group to a multifaceted company that now publishes content creation, offers workshops and mentorship programs, does video game consultations, and more all to encourage representation and equity in the space.
CEO and Founder of Black Girl Gamers Jay-Ann Lopez spoke with Game Rant in a recent interview about the need for new,original content that explores different cultures, which hasn’t been done enough. She also named which video games are on the right path for diversity and inclusivity, and others that still need some work to do.
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Cultural Folklore And Mythology Are Important
The Witcher 3is one of Lopez’s favorite video games, which has received praise for its gameplay, narrative, and world design – along with winning a lot of Game of the Year awards – but has gotten backlash for having only White characters. Lopez said that she knowsThe Witcher 3is based predominantly on a Polish novel, or more specifically Slavic mythology, so she thinks it would be unnecessary to change any of the characters.
I’m not averse to having White characters. I’m just annoyed at how prevalent they are. I wouldn’t want to change an existing character that I can think of at the moment. One of my favorite games,The Witcher 3, is predominantly based on a Polish novel. I have seen no need for me to change that main character.
What I want is more stories that are authentic to Black and Brown and Non-White POC to be reflected in. I don’t want to necessarily have to “racebend” an existing character for me. That’s not the epitome of representation. It works in some ways, but I want some original content.
Instead, Lopez wants video games that look into the myths and lore of Non-White cultures like the Philippines, she said for example. It’s not common to see a Filipino character, but some recognizable ones could beIsabella Rosario Dulnuan Reyes fromCall of Duty: VanguardandCall of Duty: Warzone, who is a 21-year-old operator in the Trident faction, and Josie Rizel fromTekken 7, whose fighting style is kickboxing and eskrima—a traditional martial art of the Philippines—and whose name is inspired by Filipino national hero, Jose Rizal. But, aside from those characters, there hasn’t been a mainstream video game that focuses on the country’s lore and mythology, which is the case for many ethnicities.
Raji,a single-player action-adventure gamethat follows a young girl in ancient India, was one video game that allowed Lopez to explore a different culture through its gameplay, and she “loved it.”
The team is, I believe, Indian, [and] the main character is an Indian female character. I played that game and I loved it. It’s like dipping into someone else’s history and it’s more educational in their culture as opposed to having people who don’t know the culture talk about it.
Apex Has Done Well, But Overwatch Still Needs Work
Lopez told Game Rant that, she feels, strong representation is mostly prevalent in games that have character rosters likeApex LegendsandOverwatch, but she creditedApexfor covering “a lot of bases” with their diverse characters like Bangalore, who is Black; Crypto, who is Korean; and Gibraltar, who is a Pacific Islander, among many others.Apexhas alsobeen considered the most diverse video gameby many, with multiple ethnicities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations being represented.
Apexis definitely one that’s done quite well. The intention is there, and the same withOverwatch.Overwatchdidn’t have a Black female character for so long, and they had six White characters that were male, seven White characters that were female And I was like, “Where’s the Black women?” Out of the two, I would pickApexbecause obviously they represent me and that’s what I’m here for really and truly.
Deathloopwas also great andGhost of Tshushima.I’m not Japanese, so I cannot speak to the cultural accuracy, but I really enjoyed that game. Again,Rajiis another one as well.
But other thanApexandOverwatch, Lopez said that she wants to see more done by companies who build franchises around White characters.
What I’m also looking for from these companies that create franchises around White characters – theTomb Raiders,The Witcher 3s, the Nathan Drakes,The Last of Us– are playable protagonists that have their own franchises that are non-White. We don’t see that very often either.
What Black Girl Gamers Are Doing
Black Girl Gamers has created an accepting community for Black women and Black non-binary people, which is made up of almost 10,000 people, and has simultaneously increased the visibility of Black women streamers and content creators through their TikTok, Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. They hold in-person and online workshops and mentorship programs that can connect community members with other Black people who work in the gaming industry. BGG alsodoes consultations for video games to increase representation, pushing for more diversity and representation in the industry.
Overall, it’s just closing the gaps in all of these different areas, putting people forward for opportunities, and providing insight and knowledge. That’s been our focus for the last eight years, and it continues to be.
