Feminist
Pro-Queer
Anti-Racist
Gaming

That video games present biased, and often racist, representations should come as no surprise. The gaming industry itself isn't exactly swelling with staff diversity. MSNBC reports:

Roughly 80 percent of video game programmers are white, according to preliminary results of an International Game Developers Association survey of some 6,000 in the industry. About four percent of designers are Hispanic, and less than three percent are black.

They made no mention of the number of women in the industry. If we compare this to the demographics of the world's population, the numbers seem absolutely ridiculous. I'd imagine that if we had statistics on women of color in the gaming industry we would find them to exist at only a fraction of a percent in the industry.

To adequately pin down the multitude of reasons behind these statistics is nigh-impossible. In general, racial minorities (and especially women of color) are at a distinct disadvantage in getting into this field. This disadvantage is a result of a seemingly infinite combination of factors. From K-12 racial minorities are often treated differently by teachers. The same holds true in college. bell hooks talks about the racism present in the institution she attended for grad school. The experience of racism and sexism that she discusses was often indirect. "Instead, they communicated their message in subtle ways - forgetting to call your name when reading the roll, avoiding looking at you, pretending they do not hear you when you speak, and at times ignoring you altogether" (394). That is if you can make it to college or grad school. But the cards are stacked against you in that as well. Modern racism operates on so many levels to create situations, such as in the gaming industry, which people of color have a harder time breaking in. Class issues obviously come into play as well.

The gaming industry is a white (hetero) male centered market. Games are largely produced by white men, for white men. And if it seems that this particular sentiment comes up a lot on these pages...well...read the mission statement I guess. This fact is the reason for the site. But it is also founded in the hope that there are solutions. MSNBC also briefly mentions UVGA - the Urban Video Game Academy. The UGVA aims to counteract the racist images in video games through teaching disadvantaged youth how to create games. Teaching the basics of video game creation doesn't just prepare students for participation in the gaming industry - it also helps them excel in other fields as well. Video game production not only involves creativity but a whole host of other knowledge and skills as well. The UVGA exists not only to help those who are under-represented to become more represented but also to help students excel in math, writing, computer science, etc. They also state that increasing students' knowledge in these areas gives them confidence and helps to improve their self-esteem.

UVGA is such an important organization and I wanted to share its mission. Finding places like this help to counteract the negativity that is the basis for this site by giving hope in the future of gaming. All too often I find myself somewhat jaded by the nature of the games that I love that every so often I need to search for a cause to hope for something better. So, hooray.