Rufus R. Noble It was not until the pandemic hit that Jayde started streaming on Twitch and discovered thousands of women were like her across the globe. Other Black female gamers were:
- A constant presence in her stream.
- Making comments on how satisfying it was to see someone like them.
- Hosting a live stream on Twitch with her face prominently when video games are released, dominating cosplay’s fun.
“I was used to feeling like the hobbies I had almost made me less ‘Black.'”
The feeling of loneliness that Jayde was experiencing previously was not an anomaly. In May, Jayde’s US Office of the Surgeon General issued the following advisory to draw public attention to loneliness as a serious health problem for the public. It is one of the top three problems for those who self-screen via the Mental Health America online program. Based on 2022 data, 48% of people with a high risk of mental health conditions cited isolation or loneliness as contributing to their mental health issues. For younger people who were under the age of 18 years old, that percentage was slightly higher, with 50 percent.
Amid a growing loneliness crisis and at a time where social connections are more important than ever before, Black women can create an environment within the geek culture that encourages the feeling of belonging, reflects their experiences, and, most importantly, creates a safe environment that allows them to enjoy the joys of play.
A long history of white dominance in the gaming industry
The notion of play, the idea of play, or an experience that takes place when doing activities for pleasure and enjoyment, is believed to be a universal pleasure. In the realm of gaming, it is not. This joy has been largely snubbed by those who hold harmful and racist ideas about what the gaming industry and the gamers and developers in it should and can be like, according to TreaAndrea M. Russworm, Ph.D., a professor in the interactive media and games in the University of Southern California. “Historically, the medium has had its racial biases, very overt racist codes,” Dr. Russworm says. “A history of white supremacy runs deep in the gaming industry, both past and present.”
Dr. Russworm, who identifies as a Black or queer woman, writes and teaches on the interplay between game culture and race. The gaming industry’s player base is constantly changing with the shift from white-male-dominated platforms and streams to areas populated by vibrant communities of all races that can play anything, including Candy Crush to Call of Duty. However, according to Dr. Russworm, the industry does not value or even acknowledge Black female players.
There’s a lack of diversity among first-person protagonists, skin tones, and hairstyles in video games Black women play. When they do appear, however, they’re only sometimes represented appealingly. For example, the Afros in the concept art for The Sims 4 were similar to cauliflower. Black streamers, including Jayde, use moderator bots to filter out offensive language and conduct from those who watch their stream. “There are members of society at large, but also specifically of the gaming community, who do not want to see Black women on a Twitch stream, ever,” said Dr. Russworm.
Black women’s presence in the gaming world and geek culture is a sign of resistance.
Platforms like Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube have come under fire for users who spout vulgar and racist abuse on livestreams, threads, and chats. Women gamers and members of the LGBTQ+ community have reported harassment online by males, leading to a “we’ll do better” statement from Twitch’s co-founder and then-CEO Emmett Shear.
Black women’s presence in the gaming industry and the geek world is a sign of resistance against oppression systems, as stated by Dr. Russworm. They can play cosplay with characters that are not Storm of X-Men and Marvel’s Monica Rambeau, and they are willing to participate in an industry where the majority of characters in video games are male. Only 8 percent of characters are women of color.
It’s not easy to confront in a world where a culture that can be a source of happiness and entertainment could also be a source of resentment and Blackness everywhere. This has been the situation with Krystina Arielle, a tabletop gamer cosplayer and host for the High Republic Show on StarWars.com. When she was informed that she had been chosen as the frontrunner for the web-based sci-fi series, she says she was thrilled because it had been a fangirl’s fantasy that came real. “I was thrilled because I knew there would be little girls who got to meet me in this world …. in the same way as I was able to see Nichelle Nichols,” she explains. “There’s a certain level of permission in seeing someone in those spaces.”
However, her positive news was confronted by particular snarky comments by social media users who were critical and pointed out tweets Arielle was known to have made during the racial reckoning in 2020, which criticized the racism that exists in America. For Arielle, it seemed like the keyboard warriors were shouting unmistakably that no Black women were allowed.
“No matter what I say, no matter what I do, no matter who I am, my existence in this space becomes political,” she declares. “No no matter how skilled I am, or how many conversations I engage in about pop culture, geek culture, or any of these topics I possess the information that I possess however I’m not qualified to speak for them. I’m a ‘diversity recruiter.'”
She recalls that the unending hostility drove Arielle into a state of loneliness and anxiety. To overcome these emotions, she says, she joined in with cosplay. During Black History Month, #28DaysofBlackCosplay brought the community together to engage in performance art and post creations on social media. Arielle was in character as Supergirl, Captain Marvel, Sailor Neptune, and other surfaces.
“I posted the pictures that made me feel the most powerful,” she explains. “It was a reminder of my identity. It was also telling those who were doubting me, “You’re free to talk about anything about me, but I’m going demonstrate my true self.'”
