In honor of Stop Cyberbullying Day and in prep for a couple gaming-centric conferences GGWP will be on panels at in the months to come, we asked our co-panelist Annabel Ashalley-Anthony from Melanin Gamers to write a guest blog post for us on a topic on which her organization advocates – the importance of Diversity in the Gaming Industry. The ramification of not prioritizing inclusive policies at gaming studios can show up in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, as Annabel discusses, including the culture of the community.

Helping gaming studios and other audience-driven brands achieve the perfect vibe for their community is a core mission at GGWP, and we help our customers daily to analyze and detect content that doesn’t align with their guidelines and to moderate or reward behaviors according to their policies.

Here Annabel discusses some of the other impacts of not prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion in Gaming.

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In the last two years, the gaming industry has faced a surprising and alarming backlash, sometimes labelled as the “anti-woke” agenda. Companies that have attempted to make strides when it comes to diversifying their workforces and games have been accused by some to be pandering to the “woke agenda”.

But what does this term mean and why is it dangerous for the future of the gaming industry?

Having a diverse pool of people working on a game naturally leads to creating more engaging and diverse games. – Annabel Ashalley-Anthony, Founder of Melanin Gamers

The word “woke” was originally created as a call to action to raise awareness for social injustice but unfortunately, it can be co-opted and used as a catch-all slur to hurl at companies that are making even a modicum of an attempt to ensure that their game represents all the players. 

From a meme into a movement, these threads/posts and online videos have become large-scale boycotts and online outrage against gaming companies. And they have extended to individuals who work at these companies. Ubisoft recently had to release a statement in defense of their employees who were being personally targeted by trolls online as a backlash from Assassin’s Creed Shadows. 

It is not just Ubisoft that has faced recent backlash – games like Tales of Kenzera: Zau and the upcoming sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei have also fallen victim to these trolls as well. Consequently, any game that strays away from the white male heterosexual protagonist is in danger of being brandished with a “woke” label and vilified for pandering to the “woke agenda.” Though few in numbers in comparison to the wider gaming community, these trolls asking for mass boycotts and creating vile discord online can be viewed by shareholders as more of a risk, therefore potentially reducing investment and production budgets for games that hope to be more culturally diverse. 

But this isn’t, or rather shouldn’t, be where companies backpedal and give into the riotous mob; rather, it should be a real chance to stand firm. Diversity and inclusion are not buzzwords that can be used only when they are popular or on Pride Month or Black History Month. They need to become a real and genuine shift in the tide. Backpedalling or completely abandoning these efforts can have dire consequences, both for a company’s reputation, but ultimately it could lead to the very financial loss they were so ardently hoping to avoid. 

This is true in both gaming and non-gaming spaces. A prime example is Target, which should be used as a cautionary tale to all companies who seek to follow suit. Earlier this year, Target ended its $2 billion DEI-focused pledge of ‘Belonging at the Bullseye’ that was initially started to help black-owned businesses. 

While online discourse from trolls can stay online, motivated activists will ensure that work is done and there are real-world consequences. Mass boycotts of Target stores ensued, and eventually led to Target’s stocks plummeting by 30% and earnings dropped almost 5%. Their consumer trust was lost, many feeling their DEI efforts were performative activism.This illustrated that ultimately, companies will pay higher losses from caving in rather than standing firm to their missions and initiatives – especially when they resonate with their audience. 

That being said, embracing a genuine and authentic push for diversity is not without its demands. It can be costly and time-consuming to dedicate people or departments to ensure that the recruitment process is diverse and that the company has an inclusive culture. That individuals are compliant when it comes to unconscious bias and other such training. 

Yet, ultimately in the long run this pays off. 

When it comes to diverse voices and talent – there is more to gain than to lose. Having a diverse pool of people working on a game naturally leads to creating more engaging and diverse games. 

Companies who have genuinely made strides to ensure their games are more inclusive have enjoyed critical success and gained financially, a great example of this is Spider-Man: Miles Morales – the title contributed heavily to the sale of PS5’s when the console launched. The game sold over 65 million copies in its first year alone and won a multitude of critics’ choice awards for its fresh and diverse story-telling. 

Diversity is more than just a tick-box; inclusion is more than a buzzword it is necessary for companies to have a systemic shift from the ground up and the top down when it comes to a genuine and visible change in the industry. Real change doesn’t come from division but from unity. Communication, transparency and visibility are key when it comes to moving forward. 

GGWP looks forward to speaking with Annabel at Develop Brighton and DevCom in the upcoming months, and help show how proactive detection and moderation create and facilitate the inclusive community most games strive for.