Racial Bias, Reverse Heredity and the Parents of Custom Avatars
Inspired by an unexpected moment of representation in Pokémon Sun and Moon, this talk examines how character creators handle race, heredity and the appearance of a player character’s family. Drawing on examples from games and my own experience as a mixed-race player and designer, I explore how seemingly minor design decisions can reveal hidden assumptions—and how designers might create more inclusive fictional worlds.
Talk at Game Devs of Color Expo 2021
30 Black Characters - Reflections on Representation and Bias in Games
Based on a personal project to draw thirty Black and Black-coded fictional characters, this talk reflects on representation across games and other media. By examining the characters I selected—and those I initially overlooked—I explore how cultural patterns and unconscious biases shape both our creative decisions and our understanding of who gets represented.
Talk at A MAZE. / Berlin 2020