Confetti’s Cozy Corner: Black American games industry trailblazers who inspire me!
Today is Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, Emancipation Day [Texas], and Black Independence Day! Juneteenth is a significant day to celebrate for Black Americans as it is a celebration of freedom, family, and joy. Black Americans, through the art we create, whether that is through music, painting, or video games, are an extension of that joy and play. As a Black American gamer celebrating Juneteenth, I want to share some of the Black American trailblazers within the games industry, who give us that feeling of joy, play, and are big personal inspirations!
January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared ‘all persons held as slaves’ within the Confederacy free. For the Proclamation to be effective in the rebellious states, the Union had to win the Civil War, which became possible with the acceptance of Black men into the Union Army and Navy. Nearly two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and about 2,000 Union soldiers arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, informing the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people that they were free. June 19th was embraced as Juneteenth or Freedom Day to commemorate this day!
While we have, and still do endure, systemic racism, misogynoir, an epidemic of fatal violence against Black trans people [especially Black trans Women], and so much more, we are ALSO more than the pain we endure and the trials we conquer. During the Nerdy Magical Girl Podcast, featuring Xbox President Sarah Bond, she stated, “Gaming drives connection, shared experiences and shared achievements”, and I have always been a believer that ‘play’ is a universal form of expression, joy, and community. Black American joy is something that should always be amplified.
Here’s my list of Black American video game trailblazers.
Jerry Lawson
Innovator, Engineer
Jerry Lawson, originally from Brooklyn, New York, was one of the first African American computer engineers in Silicon Valley, known as the ‘father of the video game cartridge’ as he designed the swappable game cartridge. He led a team that developed the Fairchild Channel F console, which brought the world of video games into the home in 1976.
Lawson founded Video Soft in 1982, which was the first Black-owned game dev company in the United States, but unfortunately, it closed its doors soon after many cancelled projects due to the recession of 1983-1985 and consumers not buying video game consoles. One month after being honored by the International Game Developers Association as a game industry pioneer, he passed away in 2011.
Later in 2019, Lawson was honored with the ID@Xbox Gaming Hero Award for leading the design of the first cartridge-based console that went on to inspire the games industry for generations.
Zaire Lanier
Writer and Narrative Designer – South of Midnight
While the games industry is saturated with inspirations from Eurocentric ancient history, such as Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Eurocentric mythologies, South of Midnight explores the rich history of the Deep South and African American Southern folklore.
The story of South of Midnight, written by a team of writers, including Zaire Lanier, speaks about the inspirations for Hazel’s story, which was not only drawn from many members of the development team being from the south, but Lanier’s own family has roots in the South. Lanier grew up listening to stories from her grandparents and adoring her little sister, so the creation of South of Midnight was truly born from a place of love, empathy, and family.
Lanier has also worked on other gaming projects, such as Subnautica: Below Zero, Naughty Dog, and has run two successful Kickstarter campaigns, resulting in over $120,000 raised to fund two graphic novels.
Every developer on the project credits South of Midnight as a group effort, and it takes a village to create a good game. Nevertheless, there is something magical about a video game project starring a Black woman, that’s created by folks who look like you, that adds the extra sparkle of warmth to its creation.
Lanier is a big personal inspiration because I relate a lot to her journey. While I have been gaming majority of my life unlike Lanier who started gaming in her mid 20s, I got my start in the creator space later in life compared to my peers who had already been in the industry for years. When I started creating content in 2019 I always felt behind, but hearing her story and how the journey to the destination can take windy paths, inspires me to keep going and to take up space while trusting the process.
Ahmed Best
Performance and Voice Director – South of Midnight
Ahmed Best, famously known for his roles in Star Wars as Jar Jar Binks and Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, made his video game performance and voice directorial debut in South of Midnight.
While a team wrote South of Midnight, including Zaire Lanier, Best brought the characters to life through acting and executing Southern Black culture most authentically. He put a deep focus on the subtlety of Hazel’s story and how she interacts with the world as a girl from Southeast, who runs track, and is very close to her mother, and brought that to life in the game. He spoke in interviews about how he wanted these characters to feel like home, like inspiring his team to nail Southern Black colloquialisms and guiding everyone to give their best in their performances.
Best also plays Roux, which his BTS performance can be seen in Xbox’s Weaving Hazel’s Journey – A South of Midnight Documentary on YouTube.
Best had a very rough time after his portrayal of Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace, and often spoke of his deteriorating mental health, and how he wanted to end his life. As someone who has also dealt with those thoughts, seeing people like Ahmed Best openly speaking about his feelings with ideation, the impact people’s actions and words can have on others. Being able to tell his story today while seeing the brilliance of his artistry inspire others, gives me the encouragement and strength to go on.
Ira Blossom
Founder of Black King Games & Sr. Staff UX Manager, Google Ads
Blossom is currently a UX Lead at Google who primarily focuses on advertising software tooling. With over a decade of user experience design, web development, and research under his belt, it goes without saying that his resume and skills are impressive. He is also the founder of Black King Games LLC, and recently published his first gaming project called That’s Dope.
That’s Dope is a party game that can be used to spark conversation, as an icebreaker, or simply to get some good laughs. The card topics range from categories like dating, sports, food, and life choices. Each round, players read the topic from a card, and everyone else votes whether the topic is ‘Dope’ or ‘Nope’. It’s a very simple but fun card game folks can play with friends, and it encourages folks even to make their own spin on the rules. There are many editions to the game, most being safe for work and family, and one other not so much, but what you choose is up to you.
As someone who enjoys various tabletop games, when walking into tabletop spaces it is apparent that it is very white and not always the most inclusive of spaces. Having representation in any form in tabletop from Black people is a W, and Blossom is a very hard working and passionate creative and engineer.
Sarah Bond
President of Xbox
Sarah Bond is the first Black Woman President at a multinational gaming company, a phenomenal achievement she has worked hard for. In the Nerdy Magical Girl Podcast, she speaks of her journey to get to the role she has today, which is another example of the journey not being a straight line, but trusting the process. Not only is she the leader of Microsoft’s Diversity & Inclusion Initiative as well as executive sponsor of Blacks @ Microsoft Employee Resource Group, she also oversees the entire Xbox ecosystem, including hardware and software platforms. Also, Bond being a fellow Jersey girl makes her even cooler!
I got to meet her at Summer Game Fest and I was so nervous and overjoyed, I could not make sense of my words. But I did manage to tell her that her hard work is an inspiration to me. I know that she has had to work hard to get where she is today and her presence gives me hope that anything is truly possible.
Cozy K
Cozy Content Creator
Former paralegal turned cozy gamer, Cozy K, also known as Kennedy, is a major influencer & creator when it comes to the cozy games space. With a total following of over 1.6 million followers across multiple platforms, Cozy K has cultivated an online space that centers hobbies, self-care, and amplifying cozy games. Her community is very welcoming, and while she encourages a cozy space, she is not afraid to talk about societal issues that are important to her. Her content is a warm invitation to slow down and find joy in the things that amplify your happiness.
Cozy K was a part of the inaugural 2023 Black History Month Visionary Voices list who are ‘industry disrupters’ who are known for their cultural impact. Cozy K’s content is comforting and a constant reminder that it is okay to slow down and that self-care is not selfish. Her Cozy game recommendations center on topics such as ‘Comforting Cozy Games that Help With Grief’ or ‘Cozy Games for the “Nothing Sounds Fun”‘.
Cozy K is a trendsetter in the cozy community, and although I am almost sure I am older than her, I admire her a lot, not only for the hard work she puts into her content, but also for her willingness to share knowledge and tips on content creation, as well as practicing what she preaches; which is take care of you.
Cozy K’s undeniable impact in the cozy gaming space and her content bring much joy to many worldwide and serve as a giant reminder, especially to Black gamers, to find joy in the little things.
Pleasantlytwstd [PT]
Co-Creator of Black in Flash
Black in Flash was created by Pleasantlytwstd [PT] and Limy, and is a community of Black Speed Runners that is a part of Games Done Quick [GDQ].
Black in a Flash, while a budding community, is mighty in its influence in the speed running space. One event under Black in a Flash called Back to Black raised $44,000, benefitting Race Forward. There is also a 4-Day Juneteenth event showcasing various speed runners playing many games, highlighting Black speed runners, and uplifting Black joy.
PT is also the Community Coordinator at Crystal Dynamics and fosters an inclusive community in every space they enter. They have led panels at cons such as Pax East and Twitch Con, often leading discussions on equity and inclusion, game development, executing actual change in the games industry beyond empty platitudes on social media, and continuing to remind me that Sephiroth is not a real person [HE IS TO ME!].
Pleasantlytwstd has described Black in a Flash as their baby, and has cultivated an environment that welcomes Black Speed runners, no matter their experience. So if you are a speed running vet or a newbie, PT encourages you to apply to join the Black in a Flash community!
I also must legally mention that Pleasantlytwstd is a Leo…
Catch the full Black in a Flash Junteenth schedule on GDQ’s socials!
Tanya DePass
Creator & Creative Director
Tanya DePass, also known as Cypheroftyr on Twitch and social media, is an actress, director, editor, gamer, and the Creator & Creative Director of the sci-fi odyssey Afrofuturist role-playing game Into the Motherlands, and a pioneer in the tabletop RPG space. Tanya advocates for marginalized people and often consults on issues of DEI, intersectionality, and LGBTQIA+ representation. She founded and was the Director of I Need Diverse Games in 2014, which was a non-profit that aimed to improve and support for marginalized folks in the games industry.
Tanya was also named Gayming Icon at the 2022 Gayming Awards. The Award is given to an individual that has significantly contributed to furthering the status and increasing the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in the gaming industry.
While this list is short, there are a SO many Black American creators, artists, programmers, beta testers, and many more who make the gaming industry what it is today, blazing their torches for us up and coming folks to follow in their footsteps and carry the torch forward for those behind us.
Black American culture has inspired so many aspects of gaming. As the games industry grows, it’s fantastic to see that Black American creatives are getting more opportunities to create our stories or being ambitious to make our own spaces, as the games industry has a VERY long way to go when dealing with systemic oppressions.
In 2020, we saw many initiatives from many gaming companies creating posts acknowledging the racism and inequality in the games industry and even going on mass hiring sprees of talented Black creatives, only to lay off many of those creatives years later. Some companies are still committed to their strategic plans of creating equity in the games industry, but those examples are few and far between.
This Juneteenth, I celebrate all Black gamers, developers and creatives who find joy and community in our shared hobby of playing video games. Whether you’re a cozy gamer, speed runner, or tabletop player, our joy and impact in this industry from its genesis are undeniable. We all have folks in the industry we look up to, and my short list highlights just a few Black creatives and innovators who inspire me.
Happy Juneteenth. Time to Turn Up!
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