i have been an avid gamer my entire life and i have noticed a change in the games being developed. there are way more female lead characters even if it doesn't even make sense (like ww1/ww2 historical games). i cant speak from a developers side but i can speak from the players side. there has been a huge political swing in the gaming industry and diversity where sometimes doesn't fit. but the fact is they are trying.

I've always found it bizarre that people refer to gaming as some sort of community. I play strategy games online and the only interaction I have with my opponents is usually "good luck have fun". I have no idea where the person I'm playing is from or what race or gender they are. As far as I know this is how most online gaming works so it's strange that anyone could feel marginalized by such a setting. If I want community I'll call a friend.

Instead of engaging in "I'm marginalized" pity parties ad nauseum, creating your own product, marketing niche while not annoyingly compelling majority acceptance. More minority STEM Degree seeking college students, less victim's "studies majors would help.

Mr Gooden seems to have a creative mind that goes beyond even gaming. His game sounds like it'd make a great screenplay or possible even a streaming series. I would encourage him to go even farther than gaming. At 21 the world is his.

I think articles like this perpetrate a myth about gaming, that unless you are some protected class member making an indie game, all other games are violent shooters played by young white adult males. Plenty of games explore difficult issues in their own way. Look at a recent global blockbuster, The Witcher series of games. It tackles racial hatred (of elves/dwarves), domestic violence, the horror of war, among other things. As an RPG it gives YOU, the player, the ability to respond interactively in many ways. Many of the games I play (RPG games) tend to explore similar themes. Lastly, on gamergate, there were utterly horrendous things done by people. Doxxing, death threats, etc. None of it can be justified. But it isn't some indication of gaming culture, it is just the same group of trolls on 8chan (and similar sites) who today pump out memes about Trump owning the libs. Can we stop acting like there are millions of gamers out there who are even thinking of this on a regular basis? It is just the trolls.

I'm looking for engaging or entertaining games. Games that will challenge me in any way they see fit, be it mechanically, reflexively, strategically, etc. When I'm looking for something to play I don't care what the representation is because I'm looking for either an artistic experience or something that will make me think and grow as a player. If the dev wants to represent somebody, that's fine. But as for somebody who's actually playing games, I'm not making my purchases because "muh representation". I'm making my purchase because the game itself is good. I think a perfect rep of this would be Celeste. The story itself revolves around anxiety and depression and how it can be debilitating to those that suffer from it. The free DLC that dropped for it recently had a small easter egg that showed the main character was trans without just outright stating it, which imo was a very good move. Frankly? I didn't care, because the gameplay itself was so good - one of the best 2d platformers to come out in recent years. Diversity is all well and good but if it's the main selling point of your game then you're just releasing a political statement. As somebody that plays a game to play a game I want to experience something beautiful or challenge myself.

Not all so-called ' minorities ' in America are created equal. White women aren't a minority. They are a majority protected class. White European American Judeo-Christian women were and still are the greatest beneficiaries of the blood, sweat and tears shed during the Reconstruction, JIm Crow and Civil Rights eras by black men, women and children. White gays and lesbians are a very close second in privilege and power. Followed by white European American Judeo-Christian Hispanic Latinos and Mornons. The most mocked, marginalized and maligned Americans are black African and brown First Nations LGTBQ. Followed by black African American and brown First Nations straight women. Then black African and brown First Nations Muslims.

I game and I'm older, and it's sad that we still have misogynists and hate speech online. Hiding behind anonymous user names mostly, but sometimes not. Game companies do NOT want to be involved in this, putting money first. PlayStation stopped having a reporting system and now sends you to the 'in game' reporting systems for issues unless someone actually sent you a written message through their own system, but....most games don't have an in game reporting system. If there is a reporting system, it's usually automated and abused for other reasons, such as people reporting others they don't like, with the number of reports being the primary factor in whether someone gets a penalty, NOT the issue of the report. There's lipservice to investigating this by game companies, but it's worthless, and obviously hasn't been a drop in the ocean as far as stopping people from racist, and woman hating behavior. Don't expect it to change without someone actually putting laws in place. It's just pathetic.

I am an avid console gamer. If people want to create new game franchises or genres that are more appealing to them for whatever the reason, well, more power to them. I only have an issue when someone wants to modify a franchise or genre that I enjoy and then tell me that it's better for me.

I'm a game playing senior woman (not alone in that BTW) and yes, I like women and diversity portrayed in games, like in the Real World. People should be able to play a wide variety of characters, just like there should be a wide variety of types of games. One size does not fit all. Diversity in fantasy harms no one and for the life of me I can't understand why anyone has made a big deal about it. There are plenty of trolls playing but not as many as in years past IMO, maybe some due to better filters or there are just less of them. I hope the latter. I always assume that the trolls are 12 year old boys because if they can't handle someone being different than they are, they never matured into adults, poor things. Instead of fighting for what matters in this world, they are stuck smearing gamers or developers for how they look or dress or what games they like or other ridiculousness. A lost segment of society. One wonders what they are going to tell their grandchildren when they are asked what they did during the toxic Gamergate era.

“If you’re a young person of color playing games, you don’t really see yourself represented,” said Mitu Khandaker, a professor at New York University’s game center. “That kind of instills in you this sense that maybe I don’t really belong.” I didn't really just read this sentence, did I? If the faces of the characters in a video game are not darkened the right amount in whatever way they technically color video games, it might hurt some people's feelings or damage their self-esteem? Well, I'm Jewish. If there aren't enough Jews represented in video games, am I supposed to feel marginalized? How about Native Americans, Asians, Arabs? THIS is the culture we have become? Complaining about representation in VIDEO GAMES?? I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

This was a truly interesting article about individuals. I found it a refreshing change from the politically correct diatribes. I got a sense of who each of these people are as individuals. I'm not a gamer but I can see how it appeals to some people the same way writing poetry appeals to me.

This reads as though written by someone with very little interaction with the subject matter, and I think that there is room for some really excellent discussion on this topic. In particular I think it would be interesting to look at how diversity in competitive gaming differs between something like Smash Bros, which is either played in person, or with no interaction, vs a game like LoL, which is pretty much the opposite.

Sometimes people just want to play a game and not get a lecture on identity politics. That doesn't mean they're "toxic".

I have worked in the gaming sector. Nearly thirty years ago, at my first job at a game company it was already far more diverse than any other sector. There were lots of women and people of color and gay people working there, and there was even an openly trans person. None of it was an issue. I honestly think this is more of trendy, easy story than an actural problem. The industry is full of people who got picked on for being nerds. They have a lot of empathy and all they care about is if you can solve problems. I get theat there are a lot trolls, but they should not define this issue.

How many voted in 2016? Who did they vote for? The rest is just talk.

I think it's great for people to have all kinds of gaming experiences. Many of the things described here sound more like personal projects than something others would be interested in playing. And as if the audience would be small and sonewhat specialized. Is that intentional? As a rejection of larger and more popular groups who reject them?

I’m black, female, lesbian, and a gamer that mostly plays sports titles.....I usually don’t talk to people online because I’ve had some annoying experiences....I play on the PS4 console and I’m about to switch to pc to explore the creative side of gaming.... I want to tell my own story but I don’t know where to start.... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I worked on one indie game as a director. I planned out and tested each element meticulously and gave it the look and feel it needed. In the end I was forced out by one of the subordinates who didn't show up to meetings, had no plan, and flat out refused to do his job. But he was a bro, and I wasn't, and that was all the currency he needed and he knew it.

As a female game developer, this is a very inspiring read. When I was younger I lacked people to look up to not only in the narratives and visuals of games, but also in the development scene. I am happy more kinds of people are in game dev and telling the stories they want to tell. It is fantastic that young adults and kids now can find more characters and developers to identify with. And in turn when they are older, maybe they will inspire someone else.