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"Any good computer game must be totally fair. It must be possible for the player to reach the objective and win. This is not to say the game cannot be complicated or random or appear unfair."
— Tim Barry, InfoWorld, 1981 |
"We actually refer to people in the game industry as veterans once they've reached 5 years [...] the average career in video games is only 5 years long, and it's lower than that if you're a woman or person of colour."
— Emily Grace Buck, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, 2019 |
Almost 40 years since Tim Barry's statement about computer game fairness that still informs game balance today, Emily Grace Buck reminds us that the marginalised people working within the games industry rarely even meet the career-length average of five years.
Just like how game balance is about fine tuning a game's systems, rules, and gameplay to avoid power-creep and unfair advantages, the landscape of game development also needs consistent upkeep to make sure we're working to achieve the industry's true potential for fairness, equity, diversity, and inclusion. As a young, growing, and exciting industry, we have the potential to do spectacular good and act as a leading voice for change on the global stage; this is why Balance Patch exists.
Balance Patch was created by Leon, an open and out gay trans guy with a life long love of games and a ten year long career working on successful equality and diversity projects. He has experience as a Hate Crime Project Manager, a Welfare & Diversity Adviser, and has supported over 250 clients with seen and unseen disabilities and long term health conditions to create accessibility plans for both workplace and education spaces. He has created and run training sessions on hate crime reporting, LGBTQ+ Awareness, Trans 101, Language Usage & It's Impacts, and many more. He also currently holds a Master's degree with Distinction in Queer Theory and Global Studies from the University of Sussex. He also collects stingrays and his favourite pokemon is raichu—Ash was a fool.
Just like how game balance is about fine tuning a game's systems, rules, and gameplay to avoid power-creep and unfair advantages, the landscape of game development also needs consistent upkeep to make sure we're working to achieve the industry's true potential for fairness, equity, diversity, and inclusion. As a young, growing, and exciting industry, we have the potential to do spectacular good and act as a leading voice for change on the global stage; this is why Balance Patch exists.
Balance Patch was created by Leon, an open and out gay trans guy with a life long love of games and a ten year long career working on successful equality and diversity projects. He has experience as a Hate Crime Project Manager, a Welfare & Diversity Adviser, and has supported over 250 clients with seen and unseen disabilities and long term health conditions to create accessibility plans for both workplace and education spaces. He has created and run training sessions on hate crime reporting, LGBTQ+ Awareness, Trans 101, Language Usage & It's Impacts, and many more. He also currently holds a Master's degree with Distinction in Queer Theory and Global Studies from the University of Sussex. He also collects stingrays and his favourite pokemon is raichu—Ash was a fool.