MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
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POC in Play unveils the ‘POC in Play BHM 100’, pulling together one hundred Black games industry professionals. The images started as part of a landmark takeover of BAFTA Games Twitter under the hashtag #pocinplaytakeover. However, the success of the event led the team to create a permanent space for the 100 names and faces on the organisation’s website
Adam Campbell, co-founder of POC in Play, says, “There are fewer than 2% Black people working in the global games industry, but we still found one hundred talented people to highlight for Black History Month. The response was incredible and only highlighted how important it is to recognise the Black people who are already here. Only by celebrating our current pool of talent, can we inspire new people to join the industry and recognise it as a place that will welcome and nurture someone who looks like them.
“We would also like to thank BAFTA Games for giving us the platform with #POCinPlayTakeover, allowing us to shine a spotlight on Black led-games and teams for a whole week in October. Being showcased by BAFTA really resonated, with some people expressing how this is the first time they felt seen in the industry. We are hoping there will be another one hundred people to celebrate for Black History Month 2021 and that’s part of the advocacy mission for the whole POC in Play team.”
The ‘POC in Play BHM 100’ includes industry figures such as Reggie Fils-Aimé, formerly of Nintendo, to Rosemary Buahin of Xbox UK and new talent such as Ahmed El-Badawi of Sumo Digital. By making the BHM 100 available on pocplay.org, the list becomes an easy resource for people looking for inspiration to join the industry. It also offers journalists and events organisers a resource to help them diversify the people they turn to for comments and opinions.
Tim Hunter, Director of Learning and New Talent at BAFTA”, said: “Working with POC in Play to highlight the amazing Black games industry talent has been such an important collaboration. The takeover was able to shine a spotlight on this incredible talent and it is great news that POC in Play have been able to maintain this spotlight through creating a permanent space to showcase them. We look forward to hopefully more collaborations in the future to continue this great work.”
BAFTA works year-round to celebrate and support the games industry, through the BAFTA Games Awards, masterclasses, annual games lecture, emerging talent support initiatives such as BAFTA Crew Games and other events throughout the year.
