What was the first game to introduce a black protagonist? According to history, it was the 1976 SEGA monochrome arcade game, Heavyweight Champ. It featured a Black character battling against a white opponent.
Not exactly what you expected, right? We understand.
Black Characters Attempt to Come to Life
For about a decade, Black kids looking for video games featuring characters that looked like them could only find them in a few sports games. For example, PUNCH OUT!!!, released in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Despite this, the industry still had a long way to go.
Most of these characters were far from lifelike. Often, they were basically cartoon-like caricatures with exaggerated, distorted features. One prime example is the character named Jim featured in the game Square’s Tom Sawyer. This game was so offensive to black people that it was ranked as the #4 most racist video game in history by Unified Gamers Online (UGO).
Yet, there was very little to choose from, so people still played it.
Over time, the industry slowly introduced more characters of color. However, if you weren’t into fighting or sports games, you probably still didn’t see that many Black characters featured.
Demographics in the Video Game Industry
Today, the video game industry is big… topping more than $100 billion per year. That’s more than both the music and film industries make put together.
Since the 1990s, gaming has grown as a popular hobby for people of all ages. It seems this trend started with the launch of the groundbreaking game by Nintendo known as Super Mario Bros. Later, the game became a worldwide name when the Gameboy version was released.
By 2015, a Pew Research Study showed that 83% of Black teens of non-Hispanic ethnicity played video games. These teens were the most active gamer demographic around.
With so many black gamers, there was a desperate need for greater ethnic representation in the industry. This lack of representation had persisted since the beginning. While things have improved, the presence of non-stereotypical Black characters in digital games remain far and few.
A closer look at Diversity in Video Games
Game development companies like Xmiramira and EbonixSims became popular because of their custom user-generated game modifications. Their characters had darker, realistic skin tones, as well as Black hairstyles.
Then, Electronic Arts (EA) finally started listening to the complaints and demands from black gamers and made efforts to improve the way their characters looked. For example, The Sims allowed players to create characters with options that made their features look much more realistic and diverse than what was possible in the past.
despite this, there’s still a significant lack of diversity in gameS created by big-name companies. They still have a lot of work to do to ensure authentic representations of black people within the space.
A lot of the problem is due to the lack of Black game developers. According to the International Game Developers Association, only 2% of developers identified as:
- Black
- African American
- African
- Afro-Caribbean
How to Get More Black Characters in Video Games
When depicting Black people in video games, a more positive approach should be adopted where authentic characters can foster healthy identities for our youth and teens. Flooding the market with various genres that portray our people in respectful, realistic ways helps influence positive thinking about who we are and what we stand for as a Black collective.
Everyone deserves to see themselves in video games, including and especially People of Color. Only we can create notable characters that reflect our true history, current situations and futuristic imaginations.
So, where do we go from here?
Join the Polycaik black game developer Network
Our goal is to provide you with the tools you need to develop your own games featuring black characters that bring value to our lives.
We cater to aspiring Black game developers, including teens graduating from high school and young adults who love digital gameplay.
We all know how important representation is and the power of stereotypes can have on our community. Give your child not only a way to develop universal critical thinking skills but also an opportunity to make an impact in shaping tomorrow’s perceptions today.
Polycaik is game development software specifically designed to help people, traditionally ignored by the game industry, create their own video games.
The platform focuses on providing features that help address many of the challenges people in our community face, whether it be a lack of knowledge, support, or funding. We are dedicated to launching quality games for, by and about us.
Enroll in our course offering to learn everything there is to know about how to use the Polycaik platform. Also, receive updates on product launches, features, and game industry information, as well as opportunities for your youngster to take some of the financial burden off of you.
Get exclusive access to the Polycaik community, a network of developers, creatives, and gamers looking to build and promote digital games rich in Black content.
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