Hey everyone, I’ve been thinking on this a lot after seeing the consistent focus at Xbox on creating a more inclusive gaming environment not only with their narratives and characters, but in the people that we see represented at Xbox conferences, social media, and the like. Slowly, the rest of the industry is taking strides to follow suit, which should be equally celebrated. So I thought I’d make a thread about it and how diversity/inclusivity makes you feel represented and/or empowered.
For those that may know me, you’re probably saying “but Daniel, you’re a cis straight-white male, are you really the right person to talk about this and isn’t this just virtue signaling?”. I’m not entirely sure that I am the right person, but I didn’t see another thread like this and felt that my personal history might help explain why I’ve been a crusader for equal rights and inclusivity for the past decade. See, in 2011 my younger brother committed suicide; he was gay and, unbeknownst to me at the time, he was ruthlessly bullied by kids at his school and our parents did not make things easier. I was away at university when everything happened and I didn’t find out about the persecution until it was too late. It made me reevaluate my life completely, in many ways I won’t bore you with; this isn’t a pity call, but just an explanation as to why inclusivity is an important thing for me.
I had always felt that I was an ally to women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and to those that live with disabilities of some kind, but it wasn’t until after my brother passed away that I realized that it’s often not enough to just be a friend, but that it’s necessary to speak when others are afraid to and stand when they can’t. I don’t need to explain how things are difficult for women, people of color, or the LGBTQ+ community, but as so much of our moment in history is attempting to revive an abhorrent mode of thinking, I think we should stand united in protest in every way possible and celebrate the positive changes we see in this industry.
For me personally, I feel that every story that focuses on characters and stories of women, a people of color, people of different abilities, or members of the LGBTQ+ community gives any member of those communities a new source of representation and inspiration; thus, hopefully for those lost and hopeless, a small reminder that they aren’t alone. It shouldn’t take a look at any number of the videos of children throwing mock funerals for Chadwick Boseman/Black Panther, why these stories are so impactful to those communities. I know some may have disliked Locke’s story in Halo 5, but it was amazing to see a powerful Black hero backed by a roster of powerful women Spartans in the forefront of one of the largest gaming franchises out there. We have lived through much in 2020, but it is pretty damn amazing to see that we have had two major publishers (Sony and Xbox) put out headliner titles with transgender and/or gay main characters that aren’t demonized or made to be pariahs (The Last of Us 2 and Tell Me Why).
I believe Xbox has embraced that diversity more and more over the years, dating back to Gears of War and plenty of other games, but also in their internal culture and overall Xbox team where so often it’s dominated by white males. I’m hopeful more of the industry is following that path that those like Microsoft/Xbox have been laying. It’s those stories and what they mean to you that I want us to share and discuss, to celebrate, and - for those publishers or studios that could be doing a better job - a place to highlight the areas that we still need to be doing better.