Creating games that reflect all who play

Worth $100 billion, the computer games industry is bigger than film and TV put together. Goldsmiths, University of London, is known for its creative computing courses that nurture students who want to develop the next games that will excite players.

Despite its size, the video games industry is recognised as having a significant problem with how it portrays race, or even how it reflects society. While a significant percentage of players are Black or from other ethnic minorities, the International Game Developers Association in 2021 reported that only 4% of developers identified as Black*.

Felix, who has completed a BSc in Creative Computing at Goldsmiths, wanted to be a part of addressing this problem when he undertook his dissertation.

“As a half Jamaican, British born mixed-race person, I grew up playing a lot of video games with predominantly white protagonists. I also found that the Caribbean and Africa are hardly ever explored as locations for video games. So, I decided to create a story set in a location my family grew up in, and create a character that looked like people I grew up with.”

The result was Jah-Mayn’s Island Shenanigans, a physical computing platforming game in which a young man goes to the Caribbean in search of treasure. It features a series of mini-games with their own controllers, which Felix built himself.

Addressing negative representation on screen

Felix understands the importance of showing positive examples of Black characters in media – especially for the younger generations. “In GTA [Grand Theft Auto] San Andreas and GTA 5, the main characters were Black but were also notably criminals, which is a negative reinforcement of stereotypes. Children who see film or video-games characters who look like them and the people around them should feel they can achieve anything.”

Across most media industries in Europe and America, with a notable exception of music, the space is largely dominated by white middle-class men, with few opportunities going to ethnic minorities. But as has been proved by projects such as Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’ and Barry Jenkins’ ‘Moonlight’, when ethnic minorities can see themselves represented it allows for communities to come together and it has a positive effect on them. “Being able to celebrate your own culture is incredibly important and seeing representation of culture on screen and in games is an important aspect of celebrating,” says Felix.

He says: “In film and TV, we’ve seen a small increased presence of non-white people in front of and behind the camera, including writers and producers. The film and TV industries still have a long way to go to level the playing field but the gaming industry is lagging behind.”

Felix says that, even though the percentage of Black people that play video games isn’t much different to the percentage of white people, the industry is failing to attract a lot of the best talent. “Growing up, I was surrounded by talented Black and Asian people who were interested in – and had the skills to work and gain success in – this industry, given the chance,” he says.

Reflecting diversity further

During his time at Goldsmiths, Felix was always interested in giving visibility to the unseen and underrepresented in video games. For his first- and second-year final projects he created video games that experimented with removing the visual component of a video game and replacing it with an auditory-only experience to simulate what it would be like to play a game blind. “I believe projects that encompass the spectrum of diversity can only improve the industry as diversity can only lead to an improvement. On furthering visibility, in all the projects I’ve made, I have always tried to think outside of the box,” he says.

Felix says, the staff in the Department of Computing were supportive of experimentation and pushing boundaries. “They encouraged creativity and free-thinking but gave us a good grounding in technology that allowed us to create anything we could think of. I’m very happy I picked this course and would do it all over again if given the chance!”

He says the Department is more than just a place with great facilities and good teaching. What is also important is the support from those around you. “It has a good community where people help each other learn and progress.”

Now he has graduated, Felix is considering taking a Masters so that he can build on what he has learned so far. He also has plans for collaborating and extending the work he has done to improve representation, possibly with his own company producing all kinds of media, ranging from games to films. “I would love to collaborate with creators from all walks of life and all disciplines,” he says.

* International Game Developers Association 2021 Developer Satisfaction Survey