It has been interesting watching the video game industry react to the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter protests that have dominated the attention of Americans and people around the globe. How do companies that benefit from marketing grisly violence, albeit fake, respond when it’s clear the populace has had enough of violence that is real? How does an industry with a representation problem fix it so new voices are given opportunities to share their vision?
Over the past week, we’ve seen a variety of responses from developers and publishers. Rockstar took Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Redemption Online offline for two hours to honor the life of George Floyd. NBA 2K20 gifted players with shirts for their avatar that read “Black Lives Matter,” “Say Their Names,” and “I Can’t Breathe.” It also went offline for two hours in memory of Floyd. Many other developers have opened their pocketbooks, with everyone from The Pokémon Company to Yacht Club Games to Niantic donating money, not only to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and organizations like the NAACP, but also to fund projects from developers of color.
While those type moves are fantastic for the short term, another development out of last week may benefit the industry in the long run. On Wednesday, Infinity Ward sent out this tweet:
Source: Destructoid Developers are implementing better tools to fight racism in online gaming