Diversity-Minded Game Design

Diverse games are good for business and good for players. Inclusive design expands your audience, boosts engagement, and makes your game more authentic, thus ensuring everyone feels welcome.

Big takeaways

Video games are versatile and powerful social platforms — designers should wield their cultural influence thoughtfully.
Diversity can be thought of as three interrelated but separate outcomes — representation in content, diversity of developer teams, and inclusion of players. This makes it easier to identify opportunities for improvement and measure progress.
Diversity in game design is important for business bottom lines and central to digital thriving.

What do we mean by diversity-minded design?

Diversity-minded design involves promoting belonging to a wide-range of individuals, groups, and communities by striving toward representative content, diverse developer teams, and inclusion of diverse player identities.

Specifically it means founding all of your design work in principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure the widest range of players are represented and feel welcome.

big idea Introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DEI is a powerful tool for creating more engaging games, building stronger communities, and fostering a more vibrant gaming landscape.

There are three broad areas of focus. This article provides just an overview to get you started, but as the Playbook matures we will be adding more content that goes deeper on these topics.

Together, these provide a framework for identifying areas where we can improve diversity and measure our progress. Asking ourselves critical questions about each aspect will lead to more inclusive practices.

1 . Representation in content

Key questions to ask:

How might our content be authentically inclusive and representative?
How might individual developers raise the bar for the industry?

What good looks like:

We strive to accurately portray diverse communities, places, and cultures, ensuring our games resonate with authenticity and inclusivity.
We are mindful of what we represent and the examples set for others.

2. Diverse developer teams

Key questions to ask:

Are our design teams equipped with varied perspectives?
What expertise are we missing?
Are members empowered to use their unique viewpoint to improve the game?

What good looks like:

Our teams include people from various backgrounds with wide-ranging lived experiences.
We acknowledge it’s impossible for internal teams to reflect all needed perspectives, so we engage with external consultants and experts to help us responsibly portray diverse experiences and cultures.

3. Inclusion of diverse player communities

Key questions to ask:

How does my game welcome and entertain players from different backgrounds and communities?
To what extent do players feel welcome in the social dynamics at play?

What good looks like:

We’re committed to creating games that welcome and include all.
We design platforms to ensure that underrepresented voices are respected and heard, and create safe spaces for players from communities that have been marginalized.
We address hate, harm, and exploitation swiftly and effectively.

Method Unlocking Change: Shifting Hearts, Minds, and Budgets

Explore common barriers to values-driven change and ways you can help win over hearts, minds, and budgets.

Diversity and representation

Diversity and representation, while interconnected, are distinct concepts. Diversity encompasses the wide spectrum of human differences, including (but not limited to) race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, socioeconomic status, and disability. It refers to the actual presence and inclusion of diverse individuals within a given context. Representation, on the other hand, focuses on how these diverse identities are portrayed or depicted — whether those portrayals are accurate, authentic, and respectful.

In essence, diversity is about ensuring a seat at the table for everyone, while representation is about how those voices are amplified and reflected in the narrative.

Representation

What it is: The visual presence of diverse characters or elements within a game. This can include characters of different races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, ages, body types, etc.
How it’s achieved: Representation is often achieved by including characters that visually reflect diverse groups. This can be done through character design, casting voice actors, and incorporating cultural references.
Benefits: Representation can help players from marginalized groups feel seen and validated. It can also challenge stereotypes and broaden perspectives.
Limitations: Representation alone can fall into tokenism if it’s not backed up by meaningful inclusion and depth in character development. It can also risk reinforcing stereotypes if not handled thoughtfully.

Diversity

What it is: The inclusion of a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and voices in the game development process itself. This encompasses the diversity of the development team as well as the diversity of the stories, themes, and gameplay experiences presented in the game.
How it’s achieved: Diversity is fostered by hiring and supporting diverse talent in all roles within the development team, actively seeking out diverse perspectives and stories during the creative process, and collaborating with cultural consultants and experts.
Benefits: Diversity leads to more authentic, nuanced, and culturally resonant games that appeal to a wider audience. It also fosters a more inclusive and innovative work environment.
Challenges: Building a diverse team and incorporating diverse perspectives can be challenging due to systemic barriers and unconscious biases. It requires intentional effort and commitment from all levels of the organization.

To create truly meaningful representation in games, diversity must be woven into the fabric of the development process itself. A diverse team ensures that a wide range of voices and perspectives are considered, leading to more authentic and nuanced portrayals of characters, narratives, and gameplay experiences.

What if my game is already out?

While establishing a diverse team and designing an inclusive game from the outset is ideal, it’s never too late to make meaningful changes. By consistently showcasing diverse characters, weaving inclusive narratives, and looking for ways to challenge harmful stereotypes, you can attract a broader and more diverse audience.

Complement this with proactive moderation to create a safer space by minimizing the influence of those resistant to progress or harboring harmful intentions. This empowers players who value inclusivity, amplifying their voices and positive contributions to foster a healthier, more welcoming community in the long run. This will move the norm toward inclusivity, while reducing the impact of detractors.

Don’t hesitate to seek external support. There are consultancies specializing in guiding developers towards better representation.

Also, a common and effective approach is to begin by defining your studio’s values, establishing a strong foundation for your efforts. This framework will serve as a guiding light, providing direction and support during challenging times.

guide

Finding and Developing Your Studio Values

A selection of key articles that will help you and your studio define your core values and transform them into action.

By taking these steps, you can create a game that not only reflects the diversity of the real world but also fosters a community where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered.

You can make a difference

Don’t let the scope of improving diversity intimidate you. Start with a focused effort, perhaps on creating more representative content. Seek expert guidance, and your initial success will fuel growth in other areas. Remember, the journey toward inclusivity is ongoing. Collaborate with the industry, share your learnings, and commit to creating games where players of all backgrounds feel welcome.

Diverse game development is crucial for creating prosocial games. Inclusivity both benefits players and boosts a company’s bottom line through increased engagement, loyalty, and appeal to players. When studios prioritize digital thriving, they must also champion diversity and inclusion as foundational values.