A Black QA tester's perspective | Black Voices Progress Report
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This interview is part of GamesIndustry.biz's Black Voices Progress Report, offering insight into the different experiences Black professionals have in the games sector. You can read more about the project and check the other entries on this page .
Up until this point with the Black Voice Progress Report, we've spoken to people who have been established and successful in their field. However, an anonymous QA tester tells us what it's like being Black in a role that frequently does not command proper respect, regardless of who's filling it.
They say their emerging games industry career began because they enjoyed the hobby and entered the field to work on AAA titles when the opportunity presented itself.
However, they tell GamesIndustry.biz they were not aware of the representation disparities within their company until one in-person party where they noticed a lack of diversity.
"This prompted me to do a lot of research and just realize how bad of an issue [representation in the industry] was, and I knew I needed to at least do something while I'm still in the gaming industry," they say.
Their concerns about a lack of diversity expanded as time went on, aggravated by a schedule and remote-working set-up that increased the sense of isolation.
"Everyone who is Black does not work on my shift. Every time I want to say 'hi' or 'what's up,' I can't," they say.
"We have a Black network within our company. However, there's not a lot of people in the area that I can talk to; [some are] states or even continents away."
The anonymous tester explains that leadership has not addressed this isolating environment, and expressing those concerns about having more interactions with a more diverse employee pool would be difficult to navigate.
"All of my higher-ups, except for one person, are not people of color. It is extremely difficult to convey this to potentially not caring ears," they say.
Additionally, the
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