Slides from my AlterConf Chicago talk on why we need diverse games.

1. Why We Need
Diverse Games
Tanya C. DePass
AlterConf Chicago
@INeedDivGms
August 8,
2015

2. Today’s talk will cover...
How #INeedDiverseGames hit a nerve with the gaming community at just the
right time, and continued on to become something tangible, something that
people were interested in.
Diversity in gaming is not a new topic, but the tag seemed to renew that
interest. We’ll briefly cover the last few months of gaming news in relation to
diversity, where things seem to be headed, and conclude with what we can do
to be better digital denizens of the gaming sphere.

3. Some quick housekeeping
 Feel free to livetweet this talk! That will make me really happy  You can twitter tag me either with my
personal twitter @cypheroftyr or the #INeedDiverseGames account, @INeedDivGms.
 That said, please do not tag tweets with GamerGate, with or without the #, as they will be in your mentions
in a heartbeat. When I do have to mention them, they will be referenced as DE or Death Eaters. Yes, my
Harry Potter fannishness is showing.
 We’ll have a few minutes for questions at the end, but please keep it to questions, not statements,
soliloquies, or just your deep thoughts on a particular thing I’ve said. I’ll be around all day and happy to
chat with folks during breaks and after the day’s talks are done.

4. How this whole #INeedDiverseGames thing began...
On October 7, 2014 this tweet kicked things off…

6. Where’s the Diversity in our digital landscape?
Virtual Game Census, 2009 which was the first attempt at gathering racial data on players and representation in games.

7. Things are getting slightly better…sort of
This year’s E3 had more women on screen even if they weren’t on stage as much as their digital
counterpoints.
Dishonored 2’s E3 trailer featured a woman protagonist
EA’s Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, which features a woman protagonist was shown.
Rise of the Tombraider brought Lara Croft back to the forefront.
There were 23 games featuring a woman lead character shown at E3 this year!There were 23 games featuring a woman lead character shown at E3 this year!
Bethesda’s Fallout 4 showed a black man in the character creation portion of their E3
presentation but then went to the default white male avatar for the rest of the demo.

8. Why representation matters…
Because Letitia the Trash lady from Deus Ex Human Revolution…

9. Witcher 3:The Wild Hunt, or #GamesSoWhite
Witcher 3 Succubus Image from twinfinite.netWitcher 3 screenshot (@cypheroftyr)
Colorblind: On the Witcher 3, Rust and Gaming’s Race problem – Tauriq Moosa, Polygon
Video Games Without People of Color are not ‘Neutral’ – Sidney Fussell, Offworld
In Fantasy Worlds, Historical Accuracy is a Lie – Tanya DePass, Offworld

10. Rust randomized player race, gender, even genital size
Lead developer and studio owner Garry Newman wrote: "Everyone now has a pseudo unique skin tone and face. Just
like in real life, you are who you are — you can't change your skin color or your face. It's actually tied to your
SteamID [how the game recognises you].”
Many white gamers expressed concern, as Megan Condis documents, disliking being forced to think about race and
having to play someone who didn't match their own race. "The problem is lack of freedom of choice," one claimed.
Writing on Steam, another user said: "I was going to buy RUST today! But I am a white guy and dont [sic] want to take
the chance [!] of playing a black character." Another said this was "forced politics."

11. Here’s happier results of why representation matters
Tweets used with permission of:
@BrownBlaze, @Milodrums
& Michelle Li

12. 2K Studio’s - MAFIA III!!
Screenshot taken from ign.com – Aug 5, 2015
Meet Lincoln Clay, lead of 2K’s Mafia III game due in 2016 – “Set in 1968, Mafia 3 stars a brand new protagonist,
Lincoln Clay. He’s half-black, half-white, which matters since his story unfolds in the deep south of New Orleans, where
outward, violent racism was a part of everyday life at the time. Clay’s got it tough, because he also grew up an orphan,
constantly looking for family, which he found in the army during the Vietnam War. Suffice it to say, he’s seen some
things.” IGN.com, 5 August 2015

13. What can we do to diversify gaming?
 Get out of faux Medieval England. Go to Egypt,
Asia, South America as a basis for your games
stories. There’s more to the digital world than
the same places.
 Stop using “historical accuracy” as a failsafe to
excuse a lack of diversity
 If you are in a position to hire people, do better
in your choices. Blackgamedevs.com is a great
place to start.
 If you are a games creator, don’t be afraid to
write a character outside your experience. After
all, no one actually fought a dragon but it’s in a
lot of popular games.
 Don’t be afraid to mess up. You will do that, it’s
OK. Fail better, dust yourself off and try again.
 Speak up when you see race fail in a game you
spent $60, $70 bucks on. Engage, respectfully
but if no one speaks up we’ll keep getting
scenarios like Letitia and Battlefield: Hardline
aka Medpack Motherf***er.

14. Our Mission
The Mission of the work done under #INeedDiverseGames:
“#INeedDiverseGames via this blog, twitter and
other mediums seeks to bring projects, works and
research by marginalized folks to light. We also
seek to discuss, analyze and critique identity and
culture in video games through a multi-faceted
lens rooted in intersectionality.”

15. Statement of Purpose
The Purpose of our work:
Provide a safe space for gamers of color and any other marginalized identities
Provide a space to promote the work of creators in the gaming industry
To encourage and defend diversity in all forms
To assist POC, LGBTQIA and other marginalized creators financially when possible
We view diversity as a way to enrich the gaming experience, not a quota to be filled, or a
tool to avoid criticism.
Diversity is essential not just to reflect the variety of our community, but also to push the
limits of immersion, to present audiences with a perspective that they have never
experienced before, and ultimately, to foster empathy for others

16. Thank you
Photo courtesy of Manveer Heir @manveerheir
http://ineeddivgms.info
whyineeddiversegames@gmail.com
@INeedDivGms
“In honor of my 10th
anniversary in games I have a
message for everyone courtesy
of @cypheroftyr and
@INeedDivGms”
http://t.co/HoV66IUm5k
23 May, 2015