Of course, the Black gaming community is making its own strides in the industry, regardless of the obstacles it faces. Black Girl Gamers, for example, has now grown to include 10,000 members in its safe and celebratory space to share in what they love. And, earlier this fall, Sarah Bond was appointed president of Xbox, becoming the first Black woman to hold the role. While Lopez is hopeful Bond’s promotion will have a positive trickle-down effect (without putting responsibility for every Black woman gamer on the exec’s shoulders), she also notes that the community can’t — and shouldn’t have to — do it all alone. There needs to be concrete action from stakeholders across the board. “For the most part, it’s still a struggle. For the most part, it’s still the industry thinking they know what they don’t, not knowing what they don’t, and not being bothered to ask,” Lopez says. “What are you doing to actually benefit the people who are asking to be correctly represented … and create a more equitable industry?”
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