Understanding the impact of QPOC representation in video games

Abstract

The lack of representation of diversity in media has been a long-standing and documented problem. Different types of media suffer from different problems with regard to representation. The games industry has been under fire for portrayals of women and underrepresented minorities for many years. Looking at the game industry as part of the larger technology and computing industry, which also has problems with lack of diversity in its workforce, we see that the problem is not just within the games, but also within the industry and community (Gamergate). The focus of this work is specifically on representation of a cross-sectional group of underrepresented minorities, Queer People of Color (QPOC) in video games. The term QPOC is derived from the term Person of Color (POC). It is used as a means of self-identification by members of the group to reject a single “master status”. To find out the impact that representation has, we surveyed QPOC about their experiences with representation in video games and solicited their opinions on how this representation, or lack thereof, has impacted them. Our survey showed that members of this group did not feel well represented, but were greatly influenced by the representations that do exist. We believe that one of the steps to solving the diversity problem in technology is to make sure that all groups feel welcome in the technology space. For games, working to make sure as many people as possible are represented is the first step in that inclusion.