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[Lactose_Intolerant]

i still want to know what happened to Bish

He saw what the OT has become in the last few months and wasn't allowed to ban people. This is how he sustained himself all these years.

This is my theory.

 

[thepenguin55]

It sucks that this list is like half voice actors that are barely "video game" guys.

And that top ten list is cool, but a lot of them are "this person has a job in the game industry, and maybe they started their own company," and the company makes... mobile games?

I guess I don't know what I expected.

Yeah. I can come up with black people who work in the industry, but ones who are influential is where that becomes tricky. Maybe an argument could be made for Phil Lamarr? While he does a lot of voice over work in general he has done a TON of voice over work in games. I mean, he has a great, iconic voice and has a pretty wide range too.

 

[Corpekata]

This thread paints a pretty poor picture.

 

[TI82]

Was about to post Reggie's yearbook photo, he needs that fro back stat.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Was about to post Reggie's yearbook photo, he needs that fro back stat.

He'll have a talk from his white peers saying he looks unprofessional.

How did Reggie get started at Nintendo?

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Yeah, this is what I mean. The singer of the theme song of Final Fantasy XV is in a thread asking for "the most well-known and influential black people in the gaming industry."

Just... damn, man. This thread does not make me feel good at all. I guess I'll do what everyone says when this subject comes up, and try to be the change I want to see in the industry.

The poster above me had a better example: Muriel Tramis.

 

[Mr. Desu]

 

[Nicky Ali]

I also wish a black woman currently had a prominent place in the industry *sigh*

There must be a better example, but Aisha Tyler is pretty great (even if games are a really small part of her work)

EDIT:

Goddamn I didn't even see this haha

 

[Corpekata]

The top google result for "black video game developers" is Criterion Games.

Like, I know WHY it says that, but it still made me laugh.

 

[Bronetta]

Just... damn, man. This thread does not make me feel good at all. I guess I'll do what everyone says when this subject comes up, and try to be the change I want to see in the industry.

Jace Hall - produced games, TV shows, web series, artist, businessman and so much more.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jace_Hall

 

[whyman]

That girl from the Ubisoft press conference. The only one I could think of. Kind of sad.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

There must be a better example, but Aisha Tyler is pretty great (even if games are a really small part of her work)


EDIT:


Goddamn I didn't even see this haha

"Really small" is an understatement. Nothing against Tyler but the fact that we are on page 2 and scraping the barrel like this is sad AF.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

Was actually thinking about this today and looked up Jerry Lawson.

But you know, looking at that black culture is popular among whites thread the other day it got me to thinking...there's not a lot of games I think people would consider "black entertainment", is there? I guess with games it's trickier to break them down by ethnic contributions like you can do a tad easier with film and television, and I don't believe there's as much research done in terms of how race effects what games people play.

Like for example we're celebrating Moonlight as representing a major win for black entertainment in the movie business. Has there ever been a comparable game?

 

[Kayhan]

Has to be Reggie.

 

[akidnamededdy]

This thread paints a pretty poor picture.

I mean the dude who invented cartridges and the current president of NoA, that's some good shit right there.

He'll have a talk from his white peers saying he looks unprofessional.

How did Reggie get started at Nintendo?

Miyamoto ordered a Bigfoot pizza while on a trip to the USA and was like "we need to hire the person who made this happen right the fuck now guys." Maybe. Probably.

Was about to post Reggie's yearbook photo, he needs that fro back stat.

It's like the most perfect fro I've ever seen. It's sublime.

I didn't even know "black entertainment" was a thing :/

Got a whole television network and everything.

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Was actually thinking about this today and looked up Jerry Lawson.

But you know, looking at that black culture is popular among whites thread the other day it got me to thinking...there's not a lot of games I think people would consider "black entertainment", is there? I guess with games it's trickier to break them down by ethnic contributions like you can do a tad easier with film and television, and I don't believe there's as much research done in terms of how race effects what games people play.

Like for example we're celebrating Moonlight as representing a major win for black entertainment in the movie business. Has there ever been a comparable game?

I didn't even know "black entertainment" was a thing :/

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Like for example we're celebrating Moonlight as representing a major win for black entertainment in the movie business. Has there ever been a comparable game?

To get that you have to have substantial representation and diversity behind the scenes and in that regard the gaming industry is generations behind where movies or music or hell, even comic books are.

 

[Pupperbabysassy]

Lee Everett and Clementine?

 

[Bad_Boy]

You don't get any bigger.

Soon to be replaced by

For me this. After horizon, there is no game i want more.

 

[mattiewheels]

Um...........er...........Derek Smart?

 

[EDarkness]

Give me a couple of years guys! I hope I'll be influential.... Sad that there aren't many black folks we can name outside of voice actors and such. Very telling.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

I didn't even know "black entertainment" was a thing :/

In the sense it was used in the other thread admittedly it did concern shows with primarily black casts, but also a big part was contribution from black minds---I guess when it comes to video games there's not really a game that people would associate as being primarily from black creators like how there's movies, television shows, and even comic books, which have advanced further than gaming perhaps in that regard, that people would easily identity as examples of primarily black influence in that medium.

 

[Nairume]

Mike Pondsmith is a boss. This guy has touched a lot of great properties in both the tabletop and video gaming industries (even assisting on the original Ultima), and even spent time teaching game design at digipen.

 

[War Machine]

You can find hundreds of Black game developers on the Black Game Devs Twitter account


https://twitter.com/blackgamedev

 

[CJCW]

This thread paints a pretty poor picture.

Yeah, I clicked it expecting to be enlightened and came away disappointed. Guess I never thought about how few black devs there really are.

 

[jennetics]

He's a black Haitian-American.

Learn something new every day. Thanks!

 

[Some Nobody]

lol. I definitely expected to click this thread and be enlightened about black folks in gaming, but nope. And people complain about comics--there's (comparatively) plenty of us doing dope shit there. Here the biggest thing I learned was Reggie Fils-Aime is a black guy.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

ITT: there is a huge diversity problem in the games industry.

My thoughts exactly. Games industry can do more to recruit minority talent. All they need to do is get booths at the next NSBE National Convention. They can PM me and I'll get them connected, as I was a former National Executive officer. There are missing out. SHPE and SWE would be great resources for these companies too.

 

[Neptonic]

My favorite guy Austin Walker is going to pierce the video game heavens at the rate he's moving up in the world.

 

[Bold One]

Not one person could name a person from a single news outlet or gaming site

 

[Cwarrior]

Wow this thread is so sad, when your naming voice actors & presenters who are famous from other industries (Hollywood) and random game journalists guy gets named, you know the video game industry has very little diversity.

 

[Big0Bear]

With Reggie at Nintendo you would think they would have a Nintendo franchise white a black character. It is nice to have him there though

 

[Zolo]

With Reggie at Nintendo you would think they would have a Nintendo franchise white a black character. It is nice to have him there though

I don't think Reggie has any real power when it comes to what gets developed. Not that I've seen any way.

 

[CrazyHorse]

I thought Reggie was Samoan.

 

[Jigorath]

So Reggie, Kratos, the guy who invented cartridges and Aisha Taylor.

Uhh, yeah.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Miguel Percy-Fauntleroy Rossington IV

 

[Dabanton]

Well this thread sure is depressing. Voice actors and people who present stuff.

Jerry Lawson is probably the only person named so far with a lasting effect on where gaming went.

 

[TheSkullPrince]

Aisha Tyler, her hosting Ubisoft's E3 press conferences is the only good thing about Ubisoft.

 

[Big0Bear]

I don't think Reggie has any real power when it comes to what gets developed. Not that I've seen any way.

I could see that but at the same time I think he might be able to get something done

 

[Frozone]

Unfortunately, it's very hard to get into the gaming industry (let alone any tech sector) as a black person. Especially for tech roles (both lead or regular). Derek Smart is like the only programmer I know that made a big impact in videogames (no matter what happened to his project). I feel the only way to get in is to have the background of Neil D. Tyson, or something equivalent.

 

[RespectThySole]

I'm black and didn't know Reggie was black haha.

 

[What did he mean by this?]

Wait, youre telling me Reggie and Drake are black!??

 

[family_guy]

Look at any developer team photo and you'll be saddened.

 

[Nosgotham]

Give me a couple of years guys! I hope I'll be influential.... Sad that there aren't many black folks we can name outside of voice actors and such. Very telling.

To be fair I can't name but a few white people, or if Mexican decent. Now Japanese..lol I can name a lot.

Most influential to me on this topic was Ngai. I used to listen to him and take his word as gospel. Haven't heard much from him lately

 

[Wulfric]

Well, this is a depressing thread.

So we have Reggie, the singer of Somnus, and the voice of Kratos. That's rough. I'm googling studio group photos and haven't found a single black person in the crowd.

Come to think of it, I can't think of any big Latino personalities either. I don't want to distract from the topic at hand, but I'd be lying if I said there weren't obstacles for PoC in gaming.

 

[LiquidSolid]

ITT: there is a huge diversity problem in the games industry.

Yep, though the people running into this thread to talk about their favourite marketing guy/voice actor paints an even bleaker picture.

Off the top of my head, two black developers I can think of are Shaun Escayg (creative director of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy) and Ru Weerasuriya (he's Sri Lankan but still, co-founder of Ready at Dawn and director of GoW: CoO and The Order: 1886).

I thought Reggie was Samoan.

You mustn't have met or seen many Samoans cause he doesn't look like one (or Polynesian in general for that matter).

 

[StrategyFan]

10 years ago: jace hall

 

[mobilesworking]

Auriea Harvey, co-founder of Tale of Tales (Endless Forest, Sunset).

 

[labaronx]

Ramone Russell lead developer of mlb the show and avid baseball fan

Super likeable guy and one of most interactive developers on social media

 

[Kebiinu]

Wow. I figured the gaming industry was white washed, but not to this extent. I really hope we can revisit this topic in the future with more black excellence. The lack of diversity is heartbreaking.