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Few gender-focused studies of video games explore the gameplay experiences of women of color, and those that do tend to only emphasize negative phenomena (i.e., racial or gender discrimination). In this paper, we conduct an exploratory case study attending to the motivations and gaming practices of Black college women. Questionnaire responses and focus group discussion illuminate the plurality of gameplay experiences for this specific population of Black college women. Sixty-five percent of this population enjoy the ubiquity of mobile games with casual and puzzle games being the most popular genres. However, academic responsibilities and competing recreational interests inhibit frequent gameplay. Consequently, this population of Black college women represent two types of casual gamers who report positive gameplay experiences, providing insights into creating a more inclusive gaming subculture.
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This content will become publicly available on July 31, 2025
Black Women Getting a Seat at the Table in the Video Game Industry
Historically, the African American female population has been underrepresented within the STEM workforce, creating non-inclusive environments. The metaphor of getting a seat at the table reflects the idea of inclusivity where Black women’s opinions are valued, and they can make decisions and create change within the workplace. Intersectionality poses several unique challenges for Black women pursuing careers in the video games industry. We motivate further research on this group through existing literature and insights from running a research group on the group design of human-centered data science games in a collaborative university setting. We take an autoethnographic perspective on the topic, with the first and second authors grounding their findings in their own experiences as Black women in STEM and higher education and with video game development studios. We outline tangible actions toward the recruitment, development, and retention of Black women in the video games industry in the future.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2127924
- PAR ID:
- 10552391
- Publisher / Repository:
- Common Ground Research Networks
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The International Journal of Organizational Diversity
- Volume:
- 24
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2328-6261
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 65 to 83
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Black Women African American Women Video Games Game Development Diversity Underrepresentation
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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