With the death of E3 nearly complete, Summer Game Fest has become the go-to summer event for gamers to get hyped about.
According to The Verge, the event kicked off with a bang with a new side-scrolling Prince of Persia game, and there were a few more surprises after, including a new side-scrolling Sonic game, a new game from horror legend John Carpenter, a release date for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (October 20th), and an extended trailer and release window for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (early 2024).
At the show, there were a few expected reveals as well. A new Fortnite trailer teased a season that looks pretty wild, and attendees saw an extended (and spooky) look at Alan Wake II, as well as a trailer with some gory gameplay from Mortal Kombat 1.
There was a lot packed into this year’s Summer Game Fest, but while it featured games that included a wide range of genres and a great diversity of characters, one thing stood out: it did not feature a single woman onstage.
As The Verge reports, throughout the almost two-hour showcase, host Geoff Keighley brought up a number of personalities to interview onstage. He had industry veteran Ed Boon up to talk about Mortal Kombat 1. Nic Cage made an appearance to talk more about his Dead by Daylight character. Bryan Intihar came on stage to reveal the release date for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. But not once was a woman given that opportunity.
The lack of inclusion is particularly jarring because a great many of the games included in the showcase itself featured female main characters. I’m particularly jazzed about Lysfangha The Time Shift Warrior, an action RPG featuring a woman of color who can make duplicates of herself to help her fight.
For an industry that struggles with diversity but has taken great steps to be inclusive in terms of who is both on the game screen and behind it, it doesn’t send the best message when one of the biggest events of the year fails to spotlight the women, trans, and non-binary people who make these games a possibility.
The Verge is quick to point out that this is not only on Mr. Keighley – it’s also on the developers featured in these presentations to put their marginalized employees forward for opportunities like this. Representation matters. It’s just that simple.
—
Photo Credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com