Russworm & Blackmon - Blog Post #10

In the reading “Replaying Video Game History as a Mixtape of Black Feminist Thought,” personal experiences with video games from black women are shared through the utilization of an article formatted as a mixtape.  For starters, the fact that they wrote the article like a mixtape was really intriguing.  Typically, mixtapes are created in the music industry by artists showcasing their favorite songs or in the context of when someone might make a mixtape for their significant other.  The authors use this mixtape format to utilize lyrics from songs to help organize the stories/ideas of the women in the article.  To discuss the topic in more depth, the article is about the experience black women have had when they play video games, incorporating aspects into video games to include all races/genders, and the demographics of who often talks about video games.  

Two quotes stated in this article really stood out to me.  The first being the quote from Samantha Blackmon saying “I was hesitant to make a scholarly shift because I was sure that rather than thinking about game studies as lacking, many people would see me, a Black female scholar, as the one who was lacking something, unable to do “serious” scholarship, or they’d assume that I spent valuable time playing rather than doing serious work,” (Russworm et al 102). I think she brings up a very important point in how she was concerned about being perceived entering an industry dominated by white males even though she was likely more qualified and had more experience than many of them.  This concern is not limited to the industry she was trying to get into, but is unfortunately very common among many different areas.  This occurs in many areas of work where someone is perceived as being "less than" or unqualified because they do not fit the description of what the typical employee in that area looks like. Another example this made me think of is women executives in the business world who for so long were also looked at as being unqualified or inferior to a male in the same position.

The other quote relates more to the design and functionality of video games when Vanessa Paugh states that “I cherish the moments when I imagine some female’s face smiling in delight as she finds her skin tone among the choices. I remember playing a game where anything but blonde hair cost game currency” (Russworm et al 98).  These minor additions that video game designers make don’t go unnoticed.  The video game industry needs diversity among their employees and game designers from all races, genders, and backgrounds to ensure that these feelings of their players do not come as surprises anymore.  The women showcased in this article are taking steps towards making these things happen and advocating for proper representation.

Overall, I found this article to be really interesting to read through.  It is so important that companies in general have representation of different gender, race, etc. within their organization to ensure that all people’s viewpoints are heard, understood, and respected.  In the case of this article in relation to video games, it is really important to have diverse people on the teams that are creating video games.  Like the one quote above, something as small as a player having their skin color to choose from when creating a character can make all the difference.  If the majority of creators are white males, this representation gets lost.  These women are working to make important impacts in a variety of aspects using their own experiences and what they wish they had growing up.  

Sources:

Russworm, TreaAndrea M., and Samantha Blackmon. “Replaying Video Game History as a Mixtape of Black Feminist Thought.” University of California Press, University of California Press, 1 Jan. 2020, online.ucpress.edu/fmh/article/6/1/93/109838/Replaying-Video-Game-History-as-a-Mixtape-of-Black.