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Black Lives Matter: How the games industry is showing support and how you can help

Resources, organisations, and things you can do to help support the Black Lives Matter movement

Black Lives Matter: How the games industry is showing support and how you can help

On May 25th 2020, George Floyd was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, sparking a sustained period of protests and riots as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

It has left some people feeling helpless, while others have been moved to start taking action. We would like to share those actions with as many people as we can, so that everyone can find some way to show their support.

We wanted to spotlight some of the activities people and companies in the games industry are taking to provide their support for Black people at this time, as well as provide some resources for those of you wondering how you can help out.

How You Can Help

blacklivesmatters.carrd.co - If you're not sure where to start, this website has a huge list of petitions to sign, funds to donate to, FAQs for protesting, and other resources to help educate yourself on racism.

Split a donation between multiple organisations - If you don't know where you should donate to, this service allows you to split a donation equally between a number of different organisations, including the Black Lives Matter Global Network, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, The National Police Accountability Project, and more.

Black Lives Matter Global Network - The official website for the Black Lives Matter movement contains numerous resources and a direct donation link for helping to fund their efforts.

Watch this video on repeat - This video contains a lot of art created by Black people with links to their social media accounts and websites. It's also overloaded with ads, and all the revenue generated by them will be donated to worthwhile causes supporting Black people.

What the Games Industry is Doing to Help

Organisations

Racism didn't just spring up overnight, and many organisations and initiatives already exist to support Black people and people of colour in the games industry already.

Black Game Developers - A new list of Black game devs across many different disciplines, with links to their portfolios and social media accounts.

Ukie has a long list of diversity and inclusion resources and initiatives on its Ukiepedia, but here are some specifically related to supporting people of colour in the industry.

Black Girl Gamers - An online community promoting Black women in games with regular streams and the upcoming Black Girl Gamers Online Summit.

BAME in Games - An initiative to encourage more diverse talent to work in the games industry and the wider entertainment industry.

POC in Play - An initiative focused on increasing the visibility and representation of people of colour in the games industry.

People of Color in Tech - A website full of articles from people of colour in the tech industry offering advice on getting jobs across a number of different disciplines.

Hustle Crew - A community focused on inspiring and helping women of colour through talks, training, and mentorship.

Mentors/Assistance

Several prominent figures in the games industry are now offering free mentorships for Black people looking to gain some insight, experience, and feedback in the games industry.

The Game Devs of Color Expo Twitter has a huge thread of mentors offering their time and mentees looking for help.

Consultancy firm Robot Teddy is offering free pitch deck reviews, consulting sessions, and $50 for two Black game devs each week throughout June.

Games writer Greg Buchanan is offering scholarships with portfolio reviews, creative feedback, assistance in applying for jobs, and approximately $120 in financial support to set up a website. He is now keeping two slots reserved for Black game devs and writers.

Humble Bundle has established a $1 million fund specifically for Black developers to get their games published. More details on this are due in the future.

Donations

Several developers have donated to charitable organisations as part of their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

EA has pledged $1 million to several organisations beginning with the Equal Justice Initiative and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and will be double-matching donations made by its staff.

Supercell donated an undisclosed sum to Black Lives Matter and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund as part of its support, and will match all donations made by its staff to either organisation.

Square Enix has donated $250,000 to Black Lives Matter and will match any donations from its staff to the organisation.

Team17 has pledged to donate an undisclosed figure to UK charity Stand Up to Racism every month going forwards.

Ubisoft has donated $100,000 to Black Lives Matter and the NAACP.

PC storefront Itch.io is putting together a bundle of games, revenue from which will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Community Bail Fund.

If you have any more suggestions of resources to be added to this list, please contact PocketGamer.biz Editor Ric Cowley at ric.cowley@steelmedianetwork.com.