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Janae McPhaul, 30, has been playingvideo gamessince she was two years old.
Danielle Udogaranya
She discovered, however, that the free skins were limited for brown skin tones.
I was very disappointed," she recalls.
I want to show people that it takes nothing, says McPhaul.
Illustration by Uzo Njoku
I didn’t go to school for game design.
I didn’t go to school to learn how to make little NPC [nonplayer characters].
But the technology is there.
Layla Ellison from Redfall
The massive video gaming industry which is projected to reach$385 billion in revenuethis year was no exception.
Glad to see companies are backing their words up with action, Goard wrote.
I want to see the receipts, for promises can be broken.
Bangalore from Apex Legends
Have a variety of Black voices at the table in various positions because Black people are not a monolith.
I was like, Look at the [hair] texture!
she says of Laylas massive, glorious Afro.
Danielle Udogaranya
Even ifwerenot her, we know a sister, cousin, auntie, or homegirl who is.
But therepresentation of Black charactersgoes beyond the physical, and the voice is as crucial as the visual.
Layla Ellison from Redfall
Laylas voice is a chill alto with a dash of rasp.
Danielle Udogaranya
Her voice isnt what white people think Black women sound like; itiswhat Black women sound like.
Layla is cool but nerdy.
Bangalore, whose birth name is Anita Williams, is an assault legend from a military family.
I like her quiet power and her introversion, Luttrell says.
That quiet power is on a very low register, punctuated by intimidating confidence.
It may sound like a suggestion, but if youre smart, youll hear the command not to.
It’s pretty revolutionary.
As with Layla Ellison, Bangalores voice matches her look.
So I feel like it’s pretty revolutionary.
She also says the illustration of Black characters is far more nuanced compared with just a few years ago.
I know more Black creatives behind the scenes in development now.
(He has since left Respawn for another opportunity, which will be announced later this year.)
When Apex launched, two of the core characters were both Black and female, he says.
That never happens [in the gaming industry].
You usually have your standard white soldiers.
Occasionally, you might have one Black character.
The response was overwhelming.
It almost brought me to tears, Lewinson remembers fondly.
We had millions of players download that badge.
It was always something.
He decided to give up his dream.
Before completely throwing in the towel, though, he wanted to make one thing on his own.
Literally, I had to make a multi-platform, award-winning game before I started getting entry-level job offers.
That caught the attention of Nintendo, which led to a publisher agreementandfunding for two more games.
And so, over time, I taught myself how to 3D model.
That’s when I got into making hairstyles.
Once I started dropping the hair, the community wentnuts!
With just one look at thecustom hairstyle optionsit becomes evident why Udogaranyas content is such a hit.
The self-taught artists work has opened the floodgates of opportunity in gaming.
I stream as well, Udogaranya says.
I do presenting and hosting now as well.
I’ve just got my hands in so many different things.
Her hobby-turned-full-time career has also given Udogaranya a new sense of purpose in the work.
Udogaranya fulfilled the request, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and emotional.
The same woman was like, You’ve changed everything for her.
She won’t stop making Black Sims now.
She made herself and didn’t stop looking at herself; she kept showing everyone.
That particular experience has embodied everything, says Udogaranya, my sole purpose for doing what I was doing.
This story is part of a new AllureMelanin Editseries exploring the question, What does a nerd look like?
