Representation with intention | GDC 2024
Day one of the 2024 Game Developers Conference opened with a session about fostering inclusivity and diversity in game communities, with panellists giving a welcome reminder about why this matters and the obstacles standing in the way.
Hosted by Gamesight head of creator programs Jennifer Zall, the panel featured Capcom's senior brand marketing manager Jaclyn Simmons and senior manager for social media and community Andy Wong, as well as Lilith Games senior brand marketing manager Kayla Mansell (formerly manager of global creator relations and marketing at 2K).
The talk emphasised how fostering inclusivity in your community can only grow your game and be good for your business, with the panellists highlighting how many issues come from the industry relying on some bad habits that die hard.
"One of the biggest obstacles that I have faced comes down to the core factor that people don't like change," Mansell said. "We spent so long in this industry doing everything the same way and people are like, 'Well, we did it like this once and then it made lots of money so let's keep doing it'. But the world is changing and we need to be able to adapt and change with it.
"Especially when we think about social media – the world is so huge but it's really becoming so small. And in order for us to be global, we have to think global. We have to think about those cultural barriers and the access that we're giving to these games. So I'm huge on education. There are so many free resources out there [on] how we break through these cultural biases as well, because even if you don't realise it, we all have them. So being able to take a step back is really important."
Wong, who works on the Capcom Creators program as part of his responsibilities, highlighted that there is also still a barrier in having executives understand that diversity does positively impact a company.
"When you want these diversity initiatives at a game company, you often need buy-in from executives and from directors and
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