Thanks to trailblazing tools like Dove’s Code My Crown, change is here.
This is Texture Talk, our long-running column that deep dives into the dynamic world of curly hair, from crowns of curls that are free flowing to strands that are tucked away in a protective style.
The world of video games thrives on — and even necessitates — forward-thinking innovation and reinvention. Yet while the second wave of the natural-hair movement (which started in the 2000s and ramped up tremendously in the 2010s) fuelled a cultural shift and continues to showcase the importance of proper and equal representation of Black hair, the gaming industry has lagged behind.
“There has been little to no evolution of Black-hair representation in the gaming industry,” says Isaac Olander, CEO of Tallgran Studios and a lead contributor to Dove’s Code My Crown, a free guide that launched last year to help video-game designers create precise digital depictions of natural hair. “Although there are millions of Black gamers [contributing to the over $300 billion industry], textured hair and protective styles are still extremely limited and stereotypical,” says Olander. Users often have to choose from caricature-like, racist options — such as matted cornrows and messy locs — when building their characters. “This can leave Black players feeling unseen and unwelcome in the gaming space.”
While some may argue that digital representation in a fictional space is irrelevant, the vast majority of Black video-game users disagree. One study found that eight in 10 gamers have felt “excluded, discriminated against or not good enough” due to poor portrayals of textured hair. For celebrity hairstylist Lacy Redway, whose clients include Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj and Teyana Taylor, this hits particularly close to home. “I’m a Black mom raising a Black child who is a gamer,” says Redway. “I’ve watched him create characters on a game platform, and…
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