I meant to comment on this BET Article earlier, but life has conspired against me. Well, given recent events, it seems like perhaps it’s past due.
Couple of things to discuss on this subject. First, how to untangle the meaning of the word “black” as it refers to someone like myself. Second, what is the significance of being a black professional in the game industry. Finally, what is the impact of our racial heritage on the games we make?
So, am I black? Seems like a strange question, I know. If it were 250 years ago, I’d probably be a slave. Part of my African background includes former slaves, another part includes free creole Africans. Of course, if you look at me, you may or may not recognize that part of my heritage. If you saw my mother, you’d think you were looking at the wrong person, because far beyond the external traits of her brothers and parents, her external appearance is that of a white person. But she’s not. She’s black. Her grandfather built the first brick house in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Her father was a dentist and a civil rights activist. My mother went to an all black segregated school. My mother and father couldn’t get married in her home state because interracial marriages were illegal in Arkansas. I can relate many other stories that illustrate the nature of her heritage, but let me just finish this point with this note, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
My Mother (yes, she's black!)
Yet, to be black in America isn’t just how obviously one looks black, it’s a multitude of factors, but largely divided between how one self-identifies and also how others perceive you. Sure, there are the obvious factors. For example, I just attended the funeral for my Great Uncle James Elvis Guinn, grandson of a former slave and the first black surgeon in Fort Worth Texas. So, yes, I identify with the black community. Yes yes, I listen to hip-hop, R&B and jazz. And yes I can dance. The same can be said for most of the kids I met in Korea. So enjoying the culture that has it’s roots in black culture certainly doesn’t make one a black person.
Chaka or "me" as seen by my boy scout troop
Another important part of figuring out whether I’m black (or how black I am? 
) has to do with the way other people perceive me. For example, did I suffer from racism? Absolutely. Let me share a couple of stories, just to illustrate. I got in LOTS of fights in boy scouts. Why? Because some of the older kids in the troop decided to nick name me “chaka.” Don’t remember who “Chaka” is? See the image from “Land of the Lost” to the left. Now, to be fair, Chaka WAS lighter colored than the other furry ape people. Somehow, I didn’t find much consolation in that.
When I was 16, an older kid threw a watermellon through the window in our garage with the “N” word carved in it. Not the brightest guy, he and his accomplice (someone I thought was my friend) were caught by the police as they ran back to the car. Imagine their confusion when they were brought to our front door and my mom answered it. I distinctly remember the sputtering, “B-b-but y-your not black!?”
Ah, teenagers.
Finally, and perhaps the best illustration about how confusing this subject can be for all of us, let me relate an exchange I once had between a police officer and myself. He had stopped my friend for a broken headlight (this is a longer story, ask me about it later), and my friend’s drivers license was expired. So he wanted to check mine and have me drive. He took out his flashlight to examine my license. Then he shined it in my face (it was after 1AM). “Son,” he began in typical Texas trooper fashion, “What nationality are you?” My mind froze. Really? Is he really asking what nationality I am? Or is he trying to ask me that OTHER question? And why would he want to know that? Hmmm…maybe I should just play this one straight.
“American.” I responded directly.
“No,” he said, this time more slowly and with emphasis, “What nationality are you?”
Uh-oh, I thought. Can I play dumb or should I point out the inaccuracy of this question? “Umm…Texan?” I responded quizzically. I mean, we practically are a “Whole nuther country” in these parts.
He frowned at me. “Just answer the question son, what nationalilty are you?”
I couldn’t help it. As politely as I could, I respond. “Sir, I don’t think you’re asking me the right question. I’m not from Israel or something. I’m an American citizen.” Then I waited to find out if I was going to jail.
“Aw hell, never mind,” he grumped and headed back to run my license. The rest of this story can only be told in person.
So, yeah, I’ve dealt with plenty of racism. And racism from people who don’t think I’m black ENOUGH. And people who think Italian people aren’t white. That was a new one for me.
You see, my father’s not black, he’s Italian/Sicilian. I’m not all black. And I certainly identify with Italian culture, particularly the cooking! My Italian language skills are poor, but I blame that on my Poppa 
. Sorry Poppa-poppa.
I married a white beautiful white woman. But check this out, I didn’t KNOW she was white when I met her. Hell if it wasn’t for the Internet, I never would have met her, much less dated her. Not because she was white but because she was taller than I am. Not something that I usually considered . We met on IRC in 1993! Anyway, that’s another interesting story about identity and bias.
Me and Doug
Am I black? Am I white? The real answer? All of the above. I’m as black as Obama is. I’m as white as Obama is. Yes I’m black, but I’m also an American with a rich multiculture heritage that allows me to appreciate the success and struggles of all kinds of people. I understand bias, discrimination. I also greatly appreciate that I have been able to grow up experiencing the generosity and lack of discrimination or hate in the hearts of most Americans. Sure, there were a few bad apples along the way. But there were also the vast majority of people that I’ve known that don’t have the least inclination to be racist. I went to Plano Senior High School, at the time one of the whitest, wealthiest public high schools in the country. I was accepted there. My one black friend was accepted there. Not as a matter of concious approval, just as a state of being.
What does it mean to be a black game developer? Well, for one thing, it’s a pretty unique experience. I’ve worked at Origin, EA, Sony Online, and Codemasters, and of the hundreds of people I’ve worked with, I can count the number of black game developers I’ve gotten to work directly with on one hand. I think it’s 3. Indirectly? maybe 5 (counting QA and IT people). Why is that weird? Well, blacks are over-represented as consumers, so why are they under-representedas developers? I can tell you one thing. It’s not because of discrimination within game companies. Even more problematic than the gender concern, I get almost zero applicants from the African-American and Latin-American communities. I can’t put my finger on why, but I’m certainly aware of it, and as with all communities, I continue to communicate what a great industry it is for anyone to get into. This is something I’ll continue to work on, because I honestly don’t care if you’re black, white, hispanic, asian or what, but when there’s a disconnect as obvious as this one, it’s worth figuring out.
So, what does it mean in terms of what Heatwave will produce? Well, anyone who knows much about Heatwave Interactive knows that my partner is “Black.” Well, guess what, it’s not that simple. Like me, Donn is of mixed heritage. We’re both of african and Italian/Scilian decent! How about that as a coincidence? Guess what’s even more interesting? I didn’t even know that about him until we had been talking about starting Heatwave for 3 months! We had been introduced via email by our common (white) associates, and we’d been talking on the phone while I was in England and he was in Philly. So while it wasn’t inherent to our working together, it was a very interesting coincidence to discover.
So, what’s the real impact? Well, guess what, Donn and I aren’t making the games by ourselves. The reality is that our influence will be most noted in the teams that we put together and broadly felt by the topics we choose to address (more on that soon, I hope!). I believe the result will be mainstream, broadly appealing products that reflect our rich American heritage. Fundamentally, I think we have an appreciation for other points of view, and other cultures, and I’m truly excited to see how our backgrounds contribute to games with less typical stereotypes and more intelligent and thoughtful characterization and storyline. I’m up for the challenge. Are you?
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