The games industry has a problem with abuse that is systemic. Whether you’re a good person in the industry or not is irrelevant, the “networking”, “crunch” & “boys club” cultures are taken as necessary to fit into the industry. This results in pushing out marginalised devs. 1/10

These are all things that at some point I felt I had to accept. There are many parts of the industry that have made me uncomfortable for a long time, but I wanted to make games and I was told or observed that these are hurdles you have to get over if you want to make games. 2/10

The stories victims are sharing sadden me, but unfortunately don’t surprise me. I believe them and you should too. I’ve previously taken mental note to not collaborate with or invite certain people to event’s I’ve run, but I’m not sure this is enough. 3/10

As someone who teaches game design I question why I’m sending students into an industry that proves time and again to be toxic. It’s really difficult for me to care about teaching Unity and design fundamentals when it feels like there are bigger problems to worry about. 4/10

Where I used to teach, I brought up the idea of talking about social issues in the class, but was shot down by colleague in a higher position. They told me something along the lines of “we don’t bring politics into the classroom, stick to teaching how to make games”. 5/10

I’m now in the position where I’m in charge of planning an introductory game design class (and thus have the opportunity to set the tone of the education). I feel like I have a responsibility to address the problems with the industry and help the students be better prepared. 6/10

But what do I mean by “better prepared”? I don’t want them to have to be prepared for the industry as it is. I want them to be better members of a safer industry. We need more marginalised voices, but we can’t expect them to stay when they clearly aren’t being welcomed. 7/10

The realities of this industry should be addressed alongside design principles. But honestly I’m scared. Scared of the reaction of the more “gamergate” inclined students, scared of not knowing the best way to approach the topic. I’ve taught Unity, but this is new territory. 8/10

Maybe the fear is a good thing, maybe it shows it’s important. I don’t really know who actually sees my tweets (until recently I rarely tweeted anything), but if you have any ideas on how to approach these issues from an educational perspective it would be much appreciated. 9/10

This month I’ve done a lot of reflection on my relationship to being black. Partly my acceptance of whiteness as the norm in this industry. It’s been inspiring to see people support BLM, but I feel it would be callous to stop there. This industry should be for everyone. 10/10