Black people play more video games, but little diversity behind the scenes

African Americans are among the biggest consumers of gaming products, but why aren't they behind the scenes making the games?

[RIPSKATEDESTROY]

yea, lets label gamers even more...

[Pozzle]

It's a fair point though. If there is indeed a lack of African Americans (or ANY particular group of people) in the industry, it brings up the question of why this is the case.

Surely the dreams and goals of white gamers aren't all that different to the dreams and goals of black gamers. So does this mean there are black gamers out there who WANT to become devs but can't, because they either don't have the opportunity, or don't have the money, or don't live in an area that offers such qualifications? And if so, is there more than can be done to help black gamers to achieve these goals? It's a valid thing that should be researched.

[young juice]

allow me (a black gamer) to insert my two cents. i wont lie... there was a point a few months ago where i decided "hey, i love video games. im gonna makem too YAY".

*downloads dev c++ and vim.

* buys prentice hall c++ without fear second edition (for beginners)

* starts reading

DAMN SON THIS **** IS HARD!!!!

*quits

lol naw i havnt quits. but in all seriousness i think alot of talent goes into developing especially if your makin a good game like uncharted or gears. and when your sitting there for hours at a time it makes you think about if your wasting time

maybe ill just end up making another 'Rogue warrior'...sigh well i could always join the marines lol

[n4f]

i rather play than make. its doesn't mean that playing video game automatically will make me like making them. i test video game for ubisoft and its wack.yes im getting paid but when your behind the scene its a different thing. just like in the movie. you like film but that doesnt make you an actor nor director.

[Kakihara]

Don't worry Young juice, I'm whiter than a snowman's balls and I went through that exact scenario with wanting to make my own game, downloading the tools then quitting as soon as I found out it took actual effort. Making videogames is an alluring idea but way too damn hard. No matter what colour you are, that's as true as your name is creepy.

[trenso1]

That's actually what I'm planning on doing as a profession and become a developer. My computer broke down down so until I can get a new one I can't get any hands on expirence. But that is my goal and after meeting MM I can see its not impossible just requires the effort some people aren't willing to put in.

EDIt: if anyone knows of any good game development schools that would really help as well. I'm currently applying for computer engineering majors

[TheXgamerLive]

Here ya go, it's simple really and so many of us get called "racist" when in fact were realist,it's reality.
Why? It's an indiviual thing but sure if you want to categorize it, then it's this, many blacks don't have the desire to be in these fields, opportunity is there for everyone and many different races are in the field, it's just that they don't want or desire to be in it. Affirmative action gives an unfair advantage today but still we see little to no blacks, so simply put, that is their choice, nothing more. To say blacks nare among the biggest/play more video games, not true. We all do. All races are crazy about gaming, there may be nations where their poverished to the point where they can't play, nor even know what video games are.
most races/people don't have the money to do what they want in life, so it''s your desire that paves thast way, and again, blacks are given even more opportunity w/free grants, loans that are minority based. Again, realist, not racist. It's just reality.
Most white/asian children desire to be a professional at something, sports is only a fun sport, blacks in general not all, but most desire and fantasize about being sports profesionals/musicians. Will blacks change and adjust their goals one day and make the playing field equal in gaming, ...no is my guess but it is what it is.

[coolbeans]

What? Words like "studies indicate" in news blogs are not used for the purpose of labeling. They're trying to reach some sort of conclusion with this examination.

[Bathyj]

"studies indicate"

Is that like the Fox News eviquilant of "Its been said..."

[ATi_Elite]

There are many People of all racial make-ups that are in the gaming business. Soledad O'Brian of CNN just has a special coming up on Blacks in Silicon Valley that making HUGE contributions to Electronics and even in video games. Sure the diversity is small at times but so is the Black Community as Blacks are third behind Whites and Latinos in population size.

As the video Game industry increases so will the diversity like all other Industries. This country has Black billionaires, Doctors, Lawyers, Judges, Mayors, governors, Scientist, Astronauts, Inventors, CEO's of fortune 500 companies, a Black President and even a few BLACK HOCKEY PLAYERS so I think diversity is working well.

Many many people help make a video game but usually we only see the CEO of the publishing company or the CEO of the Dev team. It's almost a chore to find Team Photos of Developers but I found a couple Bungie and Infinity Ward and guess what they have Black People......and women too.

[Mutant-Spud]

Yeah Blacks are like 13% of the population, what percentage of Whites work in the gaming industry?
In reality the dev pool is tiny, the ESA estimates that only around 32,000 people work in the Gaming field in the U.S.
I have experience in trying to break into another highly competitive field, illustration and graphic design, out of the dozen or so guys I used to collaborate with 15 years ago only one ended up starting his own studio and as of 2008 none of us are still working in the field.
Another example, a housemate of mine wanted to be a film maker, he basically got paid in free meals for working on low budget film shoots, commercials and music videos for over ten years, we had to spot him rent money and drive him all over the place, he was 34 before he made his first film and until he sold it he was living in poverty, not many people White or Black have that much dedication or are willing to sacrifice so much.
In a lot of these niche jobs it's down to personality, who you know to get a foot in the door and just being in the right place at the right time.

[morkendo]

African Americans are among the biggest consumers of gaming products,

is that RIGHT?? i beg the differ african americans is only 1% out of rest of the world gamers. unless the WHOLE continent of africa playing games which I seriously doubt.

[seinfan]

People who live in Africa are not African Americans. They're just Africans.

[SilentNegotiator]

Black Americans have higher unemployment rates in general. And between social-economic imbalance and self-demeaning culture like BET and many comedians, we're not moving past it.

Social advancement must be priority #1. Education must be treated as a value, self-image must improve, the demeaning nature of the entertainment world must stop, self-segregated culture must stop, and more has to change to see real improvement.

Right now, less qualified persons are being hired to Chicago fire departments due to a lawsuit. More qualified students are losing out on grants and scholarships because they don't happen to be minority. "Civil rights leaders" ("Reverend" Jackson) are marching to see attempted murders get lighter sentences because they attacked a person for a hate crime.
We are going about all of this completely wrong. It is the CULTURE that must change to help push us forward. You can't put people on life support forever.

[Mutant-Spud]

What is it Like to Teach Black Students?

by Christopher Jackson

http://martynemko.blogspot....

Pastor Manning on Black people:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[LOGICWINS]

"African Americans are among the biggest consumers of gaming products, but why aren't they behind the scenes making the games?"

Simple answer to a simple question. Most Latino, Asian, Black(basically minorities) gamers willingly CHOOSE to just play games instead of getting involved in making or marketing them in the industry.

Most game devs are white...hence they will naturally create characters that look like them.

[fluffydelusions]

"Most game devs are white...hence they will naturally create characters that look like them."

Fair point, but it's also about demographics. You can bet a lot of money is invested in determining how to best cater a game to a target audience. You can see similar behavior in ads on television, newspapers, and so on. This is marketing 101.

[yesmynameissumo]

How do you know they willingly choose to just play games? There are socioeconomic factors, education and access to education factors, as well as the hiring practices within the industry. Why aren't more white people professional basketball or football players? Rappers? It's more than just "they willingly choose not to" imho.

[Tonester925]

-_- So black people are limited to only playing sports or rapping? Don't let the media get to your head.

[yesmynameissumo]

First - I'm black. Second - Both the professions I listed are DOMINATED by blacks, similar to how the games industry is dominated by whites. Don't let jumping the gun get to your head.

[Letros]

It all starts with eduction, there is quality of teaching and willingness to learn, and opportunity to succeed. If there are problems with the system, the government should be doing something about it, and sadly they don't seem to care.

[Tainted Gene]

Good conversation, and I agree with yesmyname point.

[Thepcz]

''Why aren't more white people professional basketball or football players? Rappers?''

White people coach the black basketball players. White people own the stadiums. White people own the sponsors etc. White people don't play basketball, they own it.

White people own the record labels. They own itunes, they own the concert halls, the radio and mtv. white people dont rap, they 'own' rappers/artists.

But yeah, it is social economics factors that makes it that way.

[Rumor]

Well star hawk the guys black aha

[Pozzle]

"White people coach the black basketball players. White people own the stadiums. White people own the sponsors etc. White people don't play basketball, they own it.

White people own the record labels. They own itunes, they own the concert halls, the radio and mtv. white people dont rap, they 'own' rappers/artists."

That reminds me of a comedy routine Chris Rock did a while back: "There are no wealthy black or brown people in America...We got some rich ones, but we don't got no wealth. People ask 'what's the difference?' Shaq is rich. The white man that signs his paycheck...is wealthy. 'Ahh here ya go Shaq. Go buy yourself a bouncy car. Bling bling!'"

[Christopher]

***Most game devs are white...hence they will naturally create characters that look like them.***

It's not just that. If the biggest demographic is black and yet they buy the images produced by mostly non-black developers/designers, then why change it?

If everyone is eating your hamburgers, you don't change the recipe. When people stop eating them, then you look into what you need to do in order to get them back.

[RememberThe357]

Thats a good point, but look at the popularity of CJ form San Andreas. GTA:SA had authentic characters that also happened to be black and it's success was insane. Even in black culture the characters of San Andreas are adored.

I don't think that the issues is that developers are sticking to white guys because they sell. Black characters have sold as well so that's not really the issue. The issue I think is what the author says; white guys drawing white guys. More black creative forces, more black characters (same goes for all races).

I see it more as a cultural issue than a race issue. The more diverse the creative talent culturally the more diverse characters will be. This change wont come from a creative push but from the natural integration that happens in open societies. Give it time, we'll see more black, asain, mexican, etc...

[n4f]

do you know what this mean?
now developer like activision , thq,ubisoft and all those mainstream that create commercial hd gray shooter/sandbox will look at that thing and in the futur,
you will have call of duty with a black protagonist he will be from the hood he will rap and all that
or in ass ass in creed the main character will be black protagonist he gonna be a killer pimp
and then microsoft is going to pull their biggest trick, in halo 4 master chief will pull out hes helmet and surprisee:hes black. and hes was from the bronx with he's homies went he decide to join the space marine.

[Optical_Matrix]

Change the title. Sorry to be pedantic, but I don't like that term 'blacks'. Hell, I don't even like the name label 'whites', and I'm black. Anyways. It's something I've been wondering which my friends who studies game design brought up further. Theres a serious lack of black people working in industry. Not that it's too much of a problem, but considering that a fuck load of black people are really into their gaming, why don't many work in industry.

I'm hoping to get into the industry through a Design/Graphics/Illustration route which I'll pursue once I have my degree. Someones gotta step up to the plate I guess lol

[fluffydelusions]

Well there was a black guy during that PSV/PS3 cross platform talk at E3. Forget the game he was demoing...began with an r

[radphil]

There was one for WipEout 2048 iirc. Was talking about how the game works across the PS3/PSV platforms, and during the time he was racing while explaining to him, and won by fractions of a second at the end.

[LOGICWINS]

"Theres a serious lack of black people working in industry. Not that it's too much of a problem, but considering that a fuck load of black people are really into their gaming, why don't many work in industry."

Same reason that there aren't many black surgeons and astronauts. Its just not a profession that most blacks gravitate to.

[Machioto]

You are generalizing all blacks,just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist.

[Christopher]

I don't think gravitate is an appropriate word. The truth is that a much larger percentage of black youths lack the education and financial means to get into schools with such high costs and years of education (6-8 years).

Smart people are smart no matter where they are educated, but that doesn't mean that smart people are not affected by their peers and culture. How likely is a black youth to get into medicine when he is raised by a community that lacks such influences? What are the professions that are seen as desirable in such communities? I've watched a few shows on the success of gangs and how some of the leaders of the most prominent and successful gangs have high IQs.

Many schools that black youths attend don't offer programs that aid in getting into certain schools, nor do they have the funding to fully educate kids on computers and trending technology.

Financial aid is available, but the financial status of the student's parents greatly affect how much aid is available. And, financial aid doesn't guarantee enough to pay for access to all schools.

Sadly, one of the best ways to ensure a better education for your child is to join the military and get stationed overseas with a DOD or a similar education system where there is a lot of funding into the education as well as materials. I was introduced into programming in my Freshman year in school while overseas alongside many others. I was the minority in every single one of my classes and there were a ton of bright black and Hispanic youths getting an education that otherwise would be unavailable to them in the areas their parents were from.

[n4f]

regie fils-aime is half black

[Bathyj]

He's half chin too.

[Convas]

GASP! You're of the browner persuasion too?! Will the revelations never end?!

http://www.latimes.com/medi...

[Titanz]

Joking!

It is strange though. Maybe we just prefer being on tv?

[LOGICWINS]

"We're too busy ballin' and cappin' asses"

LOL!

[nefertis]

Lmao bubbles Titanz

[CaptainMarvelQ8]

If we get out and have some sun light then we would turn black.That is why.....

[UnSelf]

lmaooo

[Arknight]

Why specify people's skin color? We are all equal and skin color matters about as much as what color your hair is. If everyone really believed in equality they would stop these stupid studies and just call people, people.

[Pozzle]

In a perfect world, race wouldn't matter and everyone would be treated equally. But the sad fact is, many aspects of Western society DO treat people differently based on race (or gender), particularly when it comes to getting hired for jobs. Generally white people are hired for jobs more than black people (and get paid more)...regardless of the black person's qualifications, past experience, or educational background. Just take a look at some of the studies listed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

It's pretty sad that it's the 21st Century and stuff like this still happens...but ignoring it won't make it go away. Ignoring it only enforces the idea that continuing this sort of behavior is ok.

[Fishy Fingers]

Couldnt the headline of gone with "African Americans" rather than "Blacks". Sorry if I sound a little PC.

[Kingdom Come]

Agreed, it's quite unnecessary.

[The Meerkat]

Because African American is a silly PC term.

What is an American whose parents came from Morroco, Lybia, Algeria, Egypt called?

Like in the UK people from Pakistan are called Asians.
But we call Chinese people Chinese! (as if China wasn't in Asia)

[C L O U D]

Nailed it.

[bozebo]

"Because African American is a silly PC term."

That ^

An attempt to be PC just offends the people who the term is there to avoid offending because of the assumption that not using the phrase would be offensive. It surrenders to the idea that offensive terms should exist. Really, no words should be offensive; when did "sticks and stones may break your bones" stop being relevant? We are taught that as kids yet for some reason it gets ignored my lots of society.

Only when the use of a word is evident of the intent of it being insulting should it be insulting, and in those cases it simply proves that the person using the word is a (can't swear here, there are no other words to describe...) **** (that'll do but I'd rather be able to swear. Why is it wrong again? lol @ topical) and instantly has no opinion anyway. Delicate issue, but it must be addressed or we will never be able to get past the issue in this multicultural world.

Hmm... not quite happy with my wording but it should make sense :P

[ZippyZapper]

I find it funny how americans say "african american" when talking about black people but then say "white" instead of caucasian american. What was wrong with saying white and black in the first place?

double standard

[Hufandpuf]

Not every Caucasian in America is American.

[jivah]

wouldn't the correct term be european american
because well if you were truly american you would be native american or something related to that

[bozebo]

Why does it matter anyway? Labels should only exist as descriptive terms for when they actually matter. As in: "who's james?", "oh he's the black guy over there" (maybe not a very 'black' name but I guess that proves the point even more, also here in the UK there seems to be less name disparity that American TV seems to show exists over there, and probably does). Otherwise we surrender to the idea that the words should be insulting, when they shouldn't be - they are a relic of the older generation who didn't grow up with the same (correct) outlook on the world that most of us do in the younger generations (ie they genuinely were racist because they learnt from older generations, and so on). Only recently has there been a proper movement to end the cycle, people power ftw. The internet should help (though... 4chan probably wont lol)

[solidt12]

I don't like the term Blacks or African Americans. For one I'm not from Africa. There is a white guy at my job that is African American though. He moved here from South Africa. It makes no since to call us African American unless we were born in Africa then moved here. That's how it works for every other race. It makes more since to be called black instead of African American even though I don't like it but its just a general term so its no big deal. It's just a description.

[Legion]

Well not really regardless of if you were born in America or not... Asians are labeled Asian regardless. It is supposed to reflect heritage. But these days we are a melting pot. In about 50 more years you won't see anyone with natural born red hair. And in about 200 years there will be no more Blonde haired people. We are mixing for better or worse.

[xXxSeTTriPxXx]

i don't agree because i'm American pure and simple.labels are labels and i don't care for them.

[SITH]

You don't like black!? Well to bad on that one. How else are we (Black) people going to diffientriate ourselves from the many other people of color in the world. I met Indians darker than me, and even filipinos. Plenty of latinos are dark too. But when you hear or read black you know the reference is towards those of African decent. And by the way, every single human comes from Africa. That is where the origin of our species began.

[FunkMcnasty]

'Cept not ALL black people who are American born can trace their heritage back to Afrca... one of my good friends' grandparents moved to America from Trinidad, and he HATES the term "African American" because technically, he's of Carribean ancestory. In the Part of the Country where I live (the Boston, MA area) there is a large demographic of people with black skin color, who are Haitian, Latin American, Jamaican. In America, where it's always been a melting pot of different cultures, people take a gerat deal of pride in their cultural ancestory, no matter how many generations removed they are.

[ATi_Elite]

Some people prefer African-American while others prefer Black American.
Just like some prefer to be called Latino while others prefer Hispanic.
Just like some prefer White while others prefer Italian-American, Euro-American, Jewish-American, Asian-American, etc. etc..

In MY AMERICA we prefer ONLY AMERICAN cause color doesn't matter to us because we all bleed Red White and Blue!!!!!!!

[Graey]

I know right. Every time I hear blacks used like that is seems idk weird.

Even using whites seems weird. Its almost like they want to say the no no word but this is the reformed way to say it. I don't know it might just be me, but it seems a bit demeaning when used like this.

On this subject,however, I have been thinking the same thing for years. I've always wondered why there were/are no fairy tales/fantasy novels/worlds/mangas/comic books/epic stories ala lord of the rings written by a black person. Even more to the point where is the lore lol.

Weird thing to think about but I'm black and I hate and I'm a geek and I can never understand why we as a people don't have this.

Okay okay you talked me into it (gets out piece of paper and pen). I'll get the ball rolling but I better not be the only one.

But seriously I'm pretty sure I'm wrong and if anyone has any info on where I might find any of the above stuff please let me know.

V/R

[JAMurida]

Well, me being black, I do feel like I'm in the minority of black people who play video games, especially the type of games I play, which puts me even more in the minority. Funny to because people around me who don't know me would never guess I'm VERY much into gaming and other things like anime, manga/manwha, graphic design, soccer, etc... They pretty much assume I'm just that stereotypical "black guy". Oh well though, it's one of those things you can't change so...

I honesty never look at people by color anyways, so I guess something like this just goes right over my head most of the time.

[one2thr]

Same here, especially when I walk into computer/electronic stores knowing more details about the products that those stores are selling and I always get that "Oh I didn't know you knew that?" Look or the "I didn't expect you to find it" look..... Hell, I get patted on the back about being able to build "A" PC, and the only thing I did was read and do some research about the parts I was purchasing....... Pfftt..... That's people for ya

[Graey]

ha ha wow and here I thought I was the only one. Now I found 2 more...woot!!!

It is funny when people first meet me as most black people say I talk white. When people say this to me I just look at them and say you mean I speak correctly. Its really annoying.

True story. So I'm calling my mom cause I needed to ask her a question and the phone rings. Well I know she's home but she doesn't pick up the phone. Phone keeps ringing and eventually I have to leave a message.

A couple minutes later she calls me and I ask "mom, how come you didn't answer the phone". You know what she says...because I thought you were a white guy and I didn't know who you were.

We both laughed at that even though It kind of hurt a bit. Still I bring that up to this day to remind her to answer her damn phone as it could be me on the other end.

[Hufandpuf]

There are a few games with African American protagonists like Afro samurai and the 50 cent games. But I guess we are used to playing Japanese games when growing up so essentially in the gaming world, we have become color blind. That's not to say we don't know who we're controlling, but we don't care who we're controlling.

I don't like the use of stereotypes in games so when games like saints row gave you the ability to create your own character, or if multiplayer games let you choose a different race, then yeah we often opt for the African or Latino and such. But that's not to say we don't like playing as people different from us, we are just an underrepresented group that games, but it's not as bad as the lack of Hispanic representation

I'm looking forward to the game Starhawk. Even though I do not own a PS3, it looks fun as hell, and features an African American protagonist. I wouldn't care if he was white, but I did see a LOT of negative comments because of his race. I'm glad devs are starting to look at who is playing their games, and hope that more minorities can get into the industry and spread some positive influence for an underrepresented demographic.

[Rainstorm81]

You couldve said better games like CJ (san andreas) or Kratos.....50 cent games and Afro samurai is like the bottom of the barrel

[Hufandpuf]

Kratos isn't black. Is he? I thought the guy that voiced him was just black. And CJ is an excellent example, but common traits in black protagonists is usually fufilling a selfish goal, as apossed to star hawk, where the protagonist tries to make a wrong right.

[one2thr]

Kratos is black..... You can even look at a few cut scenes where the ashes first cover his body..... Hell is facial structure screams black, let alone his..... Which happens to be acted out by a Black male...... And Atlas is black as well.....

[Graey]

@ Hufandpuf

Yeah Kratos is black and voiced by a black actor. I forgot what the name of the tv show used to be.

It used to be him, queen latifah and 3 other women. arrgh if I could remember I would tell you. He was the intellectual black guy not the plumber. It was a really good show. Came on around the time the tv show Martin was on.

[mike1up]

@ Graey

The name of the show is Living Single. I don't know the actor's name, but he played Kyle.

[Rainstorm81]

*Kratos before the ash* in GoW1

[Machioto]

one2thr is partly right about kratos being black.

[Rainstorm81]

LMAO @ Dredlock Kratos designs @ 0:28 & 0:38

[ZippyZapper]

I can't think of one black game designer.

[solidt12]

I know a few talented people in school working toward that goal but none in the industry at this time.

[FunAndGun]

The only one I can think of is Travis Williams from Idol Minds, PAIN and Ruin on Vita.

For some reason I remember the name Jerry Lawson as being one of the first black video game pioneers although he was more on the engineering side of things.

so yeah, more diversity would be a good thing.

[one2thr]

I think theres 2 black designers that worked on the Resistance series, i believe theres 1 that worked on WarHawk..... Hmmm i know theres 1 for need for speed and a few other EA titles, Def Jam Vendetta and so on..... Dej Jam kareoke game, and im in class cant think of any others...... Im i the only person that what the random game diaries that developer/publishers put up on the internet?....

[MariaHelFutura]

I'm extremely proud of this thread for not having some ridiculous racist remark so far....

I'm black/african american and imo its because alot of them/us are "newer" to gaming. Im not, but alot of my friends are. Just like the NFL in time their will be an explosion of talent creatively due to the shear number of people interest in it. Alot of these guys who make games today grew up in the time of gamers being only nerdy asians/white guys in their moms basement. Gaming is alot different now, its almost cool, its been quite the change. The future will reflect this.

[n4f]

i only agree with you for the first sentence cause i dont think black are newer in the industry but again i dont have statistic prove who right or wrong so..

[Convas]

I would've never guessed you're black. No lie. But that's the internet for you.

Good to see us as black gamers stepping out into this community. Now I won't feel so lonely. X)

[bozebo]

"...grew up in the time of gamers being only nerdy asians/white guys in their moms basement."

Typical racism/stereotype :P

The funny thing is it's true... and that is why it isn't offensive. (fits my stereotype quite well lol)

@HarryMasonHerpderp below:
That surrenders to the idea that... meh, I've said the same thing in other comments on this page :P
Only because we often hear the word blacks being used in a negative way (and avoid using it even if we are being neutral or positive to avoid being offensive lol) is it seen to be wrong. Unless we start using common sense (in the english language the s means it is plural of course! duh :P) then we won't be able to remove the negative connotations from the word. Political correctness is having a reverse effect (or is slowing progress). We need to just have a stiff upper lip. Judging by most of the comments on this page, we are making good progress - at least our generation is.

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

Blacks? =/ is it not supposed to be black people?

[Graey]

ha ha I know right. I'm not the only one who feels saying it like that feels a bit odd.

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

lol judging by all of my disagrees
and no agrees im guessing people
dont feel the same.
I love N4G haha

[goodbyeN4Gfaggots]

Black, White, Male, Female, Young, Old, Nationality, Age...i honestly dont care who i play as in a game, as long as it's good, it's all the same to me.

[Legion]

There are a lot of fat people that like to eat McDonald's why aren't there more fat people working there? Just because you like something doesn't mean you want to do the menial labor to create it.

[chasegarcia]

edited- Cultures focus on different things. I just think black people are generally not interested in programming.

[chasegarcia]

Actually what I mean is that any person can become a programmer if he or she decides to learn a language. I think the main reason why we don't see many black people in the game industry is because the majority of blacks that got an education decided not to get it in Computer Programming.

[GhostofHorizon]

It's kinda weird because few times I went to board game conventions, there wasn't a single black person there. It was really weird.

[GamerElite]

Nice picture they choose for the article. Not very flattering.

[Saryk]

I live in an area that has a high majority of blacks.

http://quickfacts.census.go...

They play games just like I do. I have always stated that all games should have some kind of character generator. Mass Effect you could be any race or sex, so there is no excuse not to have it in all games.

[klimkuz]

An extra thought:

In Sweden all education and university gets paid for every student, so they very eager to get each and every student they can, and all you need in order to get in are good grades in school (because there are no exams or meetings, thus teaches cant filter out non-white people just by reading the name on the paper).

I studied in best Uni in Sweden with only tech and science educations, and guess what, there were almost no girls and no non-white people. In our class of Computer Science of 120 people we had 2 Muslims and 1 black, all others were white.

Uni was blamed in discrimination so they lowered passing grades for girls and non-white and guess what again... amount of girls and non-whites didn't change!

Bottom line: don't say that there are no black people somewhere because its for white only. Because its bullshit, sometimes some races/nations just don't like those educations/professions as others do.

[Tonester925]

Growing up with a NES to a Sega genesis games have been my one time hobby. All the way up to my adulthood. (Turning 21 next year lol) And me and my friends (who are also black) always came up with ideas for games. And we still talk about them to this day. I wanted to go in that field but I just couldn't see myself successful in it. Maybe because the majority was white I dont know. I also have some friends going to the Art Academy to become Video Game creators. So we might see them in the future. Im going to pass my ideas to them lol

[Tonester925]

Here are some other articles about this. I didn't even knew stuff like this mattered and Im black.
http://newamericamedia.org/...
http://www.wired.com/gaming...

[Venjense]

As a black person myself, I feel many black people feel they can't be accepted fully and equally into mainstream society so they don't pursue regular careers paths.

I think it has more to do with class though, people in the middle class feel they have just as much opportunities as everyone else, people in lower classes feel they won't fit in with the middle and upper unless they make it rich.

[Clarence]

When I was younger I thought about trying to make games, but to be honest coding was way above my head. Geometry all most made my head explode.

I was pretty good artist in high school, so I opted for a degree in graphic design and illustration. There are ways to get into gaming. Concept design is what I would like to do. So i'm working towards that.

[pcz]

simple.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Well I'm a black gamer and I'm not sure if this is just me but I have an interest in deigning, but not in games but in apparel stuff like fashion deigning (thats what I wanna do) though I love my video games, taking the time to design is something thats just to tedious for me (again thats just me) . I also believe that Black folks in the gaming forefront in terms of designing are there but not really doing the technical stuff but like voice acting or choreo/acting or a male/female model so yeah black folks are most likely there just not doing the coding.

[FunkMcnasty]

This whole thread brings to mind that Wierd Al song "White and Nerdy" (A parody of "Ridin' Dirty" by 50-cent if you've never heard it).

[Tuxedo_Mask]

It would be good to see more protagonists of different races in games, just as long as they aren't voiced by white voice actors like in Bad Boys: Miami Takedown.

[hadouken007]

Yeah just like dead island,there's a black, Asian, white, characters,but the black Guy has to be a rapper, why? PS. The black guys not from new Orleans, I'm.from new Orleans and no one sounds like him,he sounds like he's from Alabama or something. LOL I had to tell that.

[whitesoxfalife1976]

wow after me reading a lot of yall comments, congrats for not saying stupid shit.
the article touch a few points without being touchy on the matter. WE do need to be in that area but we look for whats quicker and whats quicker than spending time out to do whats right? WE look at the local heros the dough boys, da weed man cuz why? thas who is making it in our world.....sometimes we cant see past the street corners and i shud kno cuz im i that bracket sad to say it but its true..........sometimes our upbringings also plays a factor just like any other household in america, but we are on a reality train in our world for us who is in the lower income bracket. our mommies didn't say"son i want u to be a game designer" cuz it wasnt realistic for it to happen we get the son i want u to play in sports, but first get ya education so you can own something in life just in case that dont work.....but in todays world i believe we have a better chance now. but its up to us to step up if we dont then well.....to be continue

[Xenial]

I'm an African American gamer and i spend quite a bit of time gaming when i'm not busy. I thought about becoming a game designer but graphic designing is more of my interest.

By the way: C++ is used in video game creation? I'm currently in a C++ class at my school and its not hard after you learn the basics.

[Killzone3Helghast]

I thought this was common knowledge? Black people live on welfare still blaming white people for slavery. If we do something right, we're racist. If we do something wrong, we're racist. We do anything, we're racist.

You just can't win with them.

[qwertyz]

lol not all black people are on welfare and you don't realize that most african americans are mentally damaged as a result of 400 years of slavery and horrible oppression you may not know this but they hate themselves more than anything in this world(this is the reason they are always chasing after non-black girls especially ours because they believe anything is better than black ), have low self esteem and mainly focus on athletic because they where told for centuries that they couldn't do anything else and THEY BELIEVE IT!

Most of these people honestly believe they are not as intelligent as other races because we said so, as you can see they still have your typical slave mentality of listening to master and its really sad because they should not be listening to us because most of us hate them and don't want to see their progress.

They are still mentally slaves they physical chains where removed but the mental chains are still there and that is what you fail to realize they have gone through ALOT over the past 400 years and need counseling its not that they are stupid because all the african immigrants I know and went to college with where very intelligent and are doing VERY well thats because those ones are not mentally screwed up and thus have regular self esteem and don't hate themselves in any form.

@Xenial

LOL people like you don't like to here the truth and what I said is simply the truth I'm not racist in any form I just tell it as it is and if that hurts your feeling then thats too bad. Many native americans as well do have self hate issues because of what they've been through thats why there is also alot of colorism in native American reservations just as much colorism as there is in the african American society. HAve you ever noticed that african american men praise light skinned girls and often insult dark skinned ones and treat them badly because of their darker skin tone ? EXACTLY!! self hatred does exist.

[bozebo]

I don't think they have all been strapped up to the Animus...

Sure, there are probably some crazy black people who think stuff like that. But crazy people exist in all cultures/demographics and their voice tends to be the most noticed (whether it be good or bad).

The real reason for "african americans" (don't know why people are afraid to call them black, it is probably insulting to assume they would be insulted by it) to generally have a lower income is because the majority of them originally entered the economic system at the lowest end. I guess you have heard the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".

A lot of people in the games industry now were from more wealthy backgrounds because computers were expensive in the 80s and early 90s. And most people saw no need to own one, so only families with a connection to the IT industry or who needed home computers for... I dunno, 'important business work' or something :P would have one.

In todays world though, the cultural divide barely exists. It's just a relic from the past. Anybody from any background can end up in any industry. If that is not the case over there I'm glad I don't live in the USA lol.

People growing up these days should be desensitised to things like racism, religion, depiction of gore/violence etc. And just learn to live without worrying about rubbish like that except when it actually affects them. I know not to be offended when I am insulted for being Scottish, or Brittish, or skinny, or a computer nerd - because I know it doesn't matter; the person is just a... (need to swear but can't on n4g :P) and their opinion instantly means nothing. When it (stereotypes) comes from high up places in protected positions though... (aka employers) and there is no way to disclose it... that is when there is an actual problem; but the younger generations are rightly learning the correct way to deal with stereotypes and eventually those problems will dissolve in our countries. (actually, a lot of people who recently immigrate to our countries tend to be the most racist; because they didn't grow up in a culture that taught them to deal stereotypes properly)

Give it another generation and observations like the one the article is about will no longer be possible to make though. (except in genuinely closed off sectors, I would mention politics but... somebody already proved that wrong)

[Xenial]

A lot of the things you have said are incorrect; please spread your false knowledge somewhere else.

[Xenial]

It's the people like you why African Americans call some white people racist.

[SuperK]

What the f'k are u talking about u dumb arse banjo playing fool. lol

[NoobJobz]

Black people play more video games? Hmm. Maybe. Not the case with me. I live with 3 black roommates and I easily play much more than them. But then again, they are on the football team so that takes up alot of their time. I guess we will see during the spring, when they are done with football. ATM, I'm averaging over 10 hours a day on Skyrim. That's gonna be hard for them to beat.

[Yodagamer]

omg did this have to be brought up... why can't we just play the game without worrying about this

[SuperK]

Could'nt have said it better myself. Bubs for the smart comment Yoda

[bozebo]

"For potential employees there are a wide range of well-paid jobs to consider, such as design, production, programming, audio and business."

Er.... not really. It is EXTREMELY hard to get into the games industry. The only places employing at entry level make boring little iPhone and Android games and the work experienced gained there is irrelivent to the needs of developers for the bigger platforms (360,PS3,PC,Wii,3DS,Vita), all the studios who make games on them require experience on the same platforms already.

Anyway back to the article... I dunno. Here in the UK the workers in the industry are pretty representative of the demographic populations, or at least in the few industry events I have been to. Except designers tend to be Irish... not sure why that is lol.

The industry is probably one of the most open towards different cultures and races because it has matured along with a better understanding of the multicultural world (with the internet, in other words).

[mike1up]

Nice read. As a black gamer i really enjoy reading articles like this.

IMO the title should read "Expect to see more African Americans/Blacks in the future video game industry". I am an optimist and a realist.

I am a realist in the sense that their is no simple answer to author's question. You have to look at all of the factors that may effect an individual's career choice: socioeconomic status, cultural backgrounds, racism etc..

I am an optimist in the sense that i firmly believe that everyone is created equally. If things do not appear to "average out" now, then they will soon. It is the universal law of averages. If significantly more black and latino youths are playing video games now, then in the future expect to see more black and latino developers, programmers, designers etc..

[shinrock]

this was a waste of time.we just dont make'em we play'em,so what.