Black History Month is a time in the year where the nation recognizes the contributions that Black people and culture have made throughout history. It’s a time to celebrate those in the Black community that have paved the way with their amazing achievements to show younger generations that they too can make their mark on history.
Historically speaking, the tech and gaming space has struggled when it comes to diversity but gaming specifically has had difficulties with representation and providing an inclusive platform for all gamers. What has significantly affected representation in gaming has been the racial makeup of the game development community. In a 2019 survey among game developers worldwide, only 2% identified as “Black/African-American/African/ Afro-Caribbean”. To help improve statistics like this, there are many organizations and events that are creating a platform for Black creatives to be able to share their talents with the world, expand their knowledge and strengthen their presence in tech and gaming.
In Honor of Black History Month
Here at AppOnboard/Buildbox, we have a team that is known as EAT – the Equity Advancement Team. EAT’s purpose is to promote social education and equity while fostering an environment of inclusion, understanding, compassion and belonging that stretches far beyond the confines of the workplace. As we celebrate Black History Month, EAT, and all of the AppOnboard/Buildbox team felt it was important to acknowledge and recognize those in the Black community that have impacted the tech and gaming industry. To kick off our celebration, we wanted to highlight some of those organizations and events that are paving the way and strengthening the presence of the Black community in tech and gaming:
Black Community in Tech & Gaming
- Game Devs of Color Expo – Game Devs of Color Expo is an annual event that features a variety of diverse speakers
- AfroTech – AfroTech is a conference and a web platform where the founders and employees of some of the fastest-growing tech startups will present the tactics & strategies they use to grow their products and businesses
- The Hidden Genius Project – The Hidden Genius Project trains and mentors Black male youth in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills to transform their lives and communities.
- Black Girl Gamers – BlackGirlGamers is an online safe space and platform that heightens the visibility of Black Women in Gaming and advocates for Diversity & Inclusion.
- Coders of Colour – Coders of Colour is an organization aimed at “Empowering and enabling young underrepresented people of color to pursue a career in tech by providing them with a safe space for them to learn, explore and grow”. We do this primarily by running free coding workshops for young people.
Throughout the rest of Black History Month we will be highlighting Black game developers and giving you a closer look at the phenomenal games that they have created. From everyone here at AppOnboard/Buildbox, we would like to say thank you to the Black community for all of their talents and contributions to history as well as our industry.