Read on Twitter
you know what? doing a thread.
Every time something happens that draws attention to the fact that there are no black women in the game, black women and their allies bring it up.
Because that's the only way to communicate that it's still a problem, and that it's BEEN a problem for a long time.
Because that's the only way to communicate that it's still a problem, and that it's BEEN a problem for a long time.
It continues to BE a problem despite the Overwatch team acknowledging that it's a problem and saying they're gonna do better.
Every time they make another unforced error that draws attention to the problem, it's only aggravated by their failure to actually do anything about it.
Every time they make another unforced error that draws attention to the problem, it's only aggravated by their failure to actually do anything about it.
Yeah, women who aren't black can wear cornrows. Plenty of women in MMA do it b/c it's a good way to keep hair under control in those circumstances. I could see someone claiming cultural appropriation but I don't think that's the core issue here.
The core issue is that Blizzard keeps failing to put a black woman in the game, and then keeps doing things that AREN'T adding a black woman to the game.
A short list:
A short list:
* Announcing Sojourn but she's not coming until OW2
* adding a second black man to the game in Baptiste,
* adding another white science person in Sigma,
* adding a second cowboy in Ashe,
* adding a second female-identifying robot,
* adding a skin (for MEI) with cornrows
* adding a second black man to the game in Baptiste,
* adding another white science person in Sigma,
* adding a second cowboy in Ashe,
* adding a second female-identifying robot,
* adding a skin (for MEI) with cornrows
Other game studios like Respawn (with Apex) or Arkane (with Deathloop) ARE addressing this problem.
The fact that Blizzard has spent so long delaying Sojourn after announcing her means that they're building up some huge expectation about what she'll bring to the game as a PoC.
The fact that Blizzard has spent so long delaying Sojourn after announcing her means that they're building up some huge expectation about what she'll bring to the game as a PoC.
As a single black female character, Sojourn can't meet that level of expectation after so long. If Blizzard had said "the first lesbian hero is coming" instead of outing Tracer, lesbians wouldn't have been okay with that. Why are black women expected to be okay with that?
It'll be great when Sojourn's in the game! But by then it'll have been after YEARS of black women saying that Blizzard had let them down. Black women have to work SO HARD to get what other groups get for free.
That feels awful.
That feels awful.
Wanna know what else feels awful? Black women and their allies bring up this problem, like they always do whenever this happens, and people clap back with "ugh, why does this have to be a *race* thing?"
Because black women don't have a hero in this game that prizes diversity.
Because black women don't have a hero in this game that prizes diversity.
I love Overwatch. I love the game, I love the team, I love the positive things they've done and I accept that they can't do everything they want to do.
But I don't love that some of the things they get to do come at the expense of black women who love the game as much as me.
But I don't love that some of the things they get to do come at the expense of black women who love the game as much as me.
Thread over. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
