DeepSummary
The transcript discusses the underrepresentation of people of color in the video game industry, despite gamers of color being more active in gaming than their white counterparts. It features an interview with Neil Jones, a Black game developer who struggled to find employment in the traditional gaming industry and decided to create his own game, 'Aerial Knight's Never Yield,' to showcase his talent.
The episode also includes an interview with Damon Packwood, co-founder of GameHeads, a non-profit organization that provides training in game development to low-income youth and people of color in the Bay Area. Packwood talks about the importance of diversifying the gaming industry to better represent the diverse gaming community and prepare for the influx of gamers from countries like South America, Africa, and Asia.
Both Jones and Packwood highlight the systemic barriers people of color face in the gaming industry, from discriminatory hiring practices to a lack of opportunities and funding. The episode presents GameHeads as a potential solution to breaking down these barriers by equipping marginalized youth with the skills and experience needed to secure jobs in the gaming industry.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- People of color are underrepresented in the video game development industry despite being more active gamers than their white counterparts.
- Black game developer Neil Jones struggled to find employment in traditional gaming studios and created his own game to showcase his talents.
- Damon Packwood co-founded GameHeads to provide training and mentorship to marginalized youth interested in game development careers.
- The gaming industry faces systemic issues of discrimination and lack of opportunities for people of color.
- Diversifying the gaming industry is important to better represent and cater to a growing global gaming community.
- Organizations like GameHeads aim to break down barriers and create pathways for underrepresented groups to enter the lucrative gaming field.
- While challenges persist, there are signs of positive change in increasing diversity and inclusion in the gaming industry.
- Providing access, training, and funding is crucial to empowering marginalized developers to succeed in gaming.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I always tell companies, I'm like, look, the players of the future are all going to be extremely diverse, right? The next billion players are coming from South America and Africa and Asia, and these are countries that the gaming industry never had to consider.“ by Damon Packwood
- “I always tell my students, I said, look, man, ten years from now, I want to get that phone call from you while you want a beach in Brazil, talking about how you living your good life. That's really all I want.“ by Damon Packwood
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Episode Information
Access and Opportunity
Morgan Stanley
5/31/23
On this episode, we discuss the lack of representation in the video game industry, from the stories that get told in games to the people who get to make them. While gamers of color are more active than their white counterparts, they still only make up about 13% of the gaming development industry, according to a study by Pew Research. First, we hear from Neil Jones, a Black video game developer who went independent after struggling for years to break into the industry. He shares what inspired him to pursue a career in video game development and the difficulties he and his peers faced looking for employment at traditional gaming studios. He shares how he created and released his own survival game, Aerial Knight’s Never Yield, to carve his own path in. Then, host Carla Harris sits down with Damon Packwood, co-founder of Gameheads, a video game industry job training non-profit aimed at preparing marginalized students for work in the lucrative video game industry. We discuss how the marginalized youth in his Bay Area community are primed to take advantage of the upcoming demographics shift within the gaming community.
Come on and join us for the ride.
https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/inclusive-innovation-and-opportunity
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