With the new Square Enix title Forspoken set to release in January 2023, the prevalent recurrence of non-white main characters taking the center stage of the narrative is not only refreshing, but essential to the progress of the gaming industry.

The phrase “representation matters” might sound over rung, but it is the truth. Gaming and the film industry have a long history of not having diverse casts. That is starting to change. Gaming developing companies are listening to their audience.

It is a simple request that should not be a chore. Every gamer should feel like they’re a part of the journey. The best way to do that is to design the characters to look like the players.

Forspoken showcases a woman of color from New York City named Freya, who contests with the mythical creatures in a foreign world named Athia. You can tell that the budget and scale of this game is something we have not seen before. The confidence that Square Enix has in its developing team shows in every trailer that has been released so far.

When characters are casted to be people of color, the cultural and influential value of the story increases. The game is automatically enhanced by the addition of a new voice and new perspective given by the actor or the character design. By looking out for actors of color, the casting directors are looking out for the audience as well.

Audiences want to be seen and heard now more than ever. It is not just a smart marketing tool, but a smart humanitarian choice to invest in diversity. Bringing new voices to the table will allow more players to feel involved in the community and the game itself. For instance, Arkane Studios’ Deathloop won best game direction and best art direction at The Game Awards 2021. The game features Black lead characters that drive the story forward. They are not the sidekick to the white hero or the emotional support either, they are the focal point.

People want to see themselves portrayed with real intention of making a difference in the journey of these games. The paradigm shift can be traced back ten years ago when Telltale’s The Walking Dead series began with following Lee Everett, who is a Black man. He becomes a father-like figure to Clementine, who is also Black. This game is narrative driven and focuses on the survival of these two characters.

It is rare to see Black characters at the forefront of a horror game, or within the entire genre of horror. The Walking Dead video game series showed that stories can be led by Black main characters without stereotypes or mishandling of the culture.

Telltale told a zombie apocalyptic story that just happened to feature Black characters. They never made it a spectacle or downplayed the maturity of the situations because people of color were front and center.

This should be normalized and not perceived as an oddity. There is nothing strange about wanting to include everyone in the fold. The gaming industry must start to create a player experience that has inclusion at the helm. We do not just want stunning graphics and smooth gameplay mechanics, but real substance to the characters we embody every time we pick up a controller. As a result, the gaming community is becoming more diverse. Stats founded by a survey conducted by Newzoo, found that more than forty percent of gamers identify as women across different ethnicities and sexualities. Creating stories with characters of color means that there is a new influx of gamers playing because they see they are being represented.

In this new generation of gaming, we are seeing the gaming industry welcoming in new fans of different ethnicities. Whether it is Naughty Dogs’ Uncharted Lost Legacy or Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, players are demanding more characters of color. No longer are audiences tolerating the social norms established by the white majority.

Although there is still work to be done, gamers are beginning to feel impowered, and most importantly, valued by major companies. White characters still outnumber those of color, however, within the last five years, it is more common to see people of color leading the narrative and producing compelling characters than in the past.

The future of games is contingent on those who play them. If the growth of the gaming industry is to be positive, companies must see to the desires of the consumer and learn from past failures. Gaming is not an experience that is reserved for one type of demographic.

Storytelling is not exclusive to any gender, race, religion, or sexuality. There must be space made for others to be given the spotlight. Different perspectives can help us keep an open mind.

The gaming industry has a massive platform that has the capabilities of voicing grievances for marginalized groups.