There are a lot of arguments as to why Black women aren't represented in the corporate video game industry.

Most people argue that it's because of the racist and sexist culture that plagues most work environments. Some believe that Black women do not know these jobs exist. Others even believe it's because Black women, or women in general, simply aren't interested in working in gaming.

The social justice movement sparked last year by the killing of George Floyd exposed a significant lack of Black representation in all levels of corporate leadership. From entry-level staffers to CEOs, Black women are among the least represented demographic in corporate America. In gaming, these numbers are even lower.

"Whether we're marketing, selling or financing, Black women are severely underrepresented in the industry," said Keshia Walker, founder and chairwoman of the Black Collegiate Gaming Association. "We should be more represented and have the opportunities to make an impact on every aspect of the gaming industry outside of just the recreational side of it."

Walker, who has been gaming for 35 years, said it's a win-win situation when corporations value diversity and inclusion at all levels of the company.

"Black women are used to pushing the envelope, breaking ceilings, multitasking and having to exceed expectations," said Walker. "We usually go above and beyond what is required to continue to make things happen and so when you have Black women involved in the entire process around the gaming and esports industry, it's an opportunity for them to expand their base to a very loyal consumer audience."

And unlike most online games, there's real money at stake here. Global video game revenue was over $130 billion last year and it's expected to reach $277 billion by 2025. The industry flourished during the pandemic as millions of people forced inside turned to video games as entertainment.

The inequalities in the video game business mirror the overwhelmingly white, male, corporate culture found in Silicon Valley. Representation of Black workers at high-level tech companies are in the single digits.

Dani Londers, 21, learned firsthand about the barriers for Black women trying to enter the video game industry. Londers co-founded and developed the game, ValiDate, 2019. Londers and her minority-led team of developers struggled to raise capital to support the project. Finally, friends, family and fans of the idea crowdsourced the funding

Within nine days of the launch, ValiDate had reached its funding goal and raised over $47,000. "It was so crazy that so many people believed in us," she said.

Being a Black woman, Londers said the early success of her company's launch has not shielded her from the daily racist and misogynistic encounters.

"It's a lot of men explaining things to me that I already know," she said. "A lot of people calling me the N-word, rape threats, misogyny – it's nothing I haven't seen before but it still sucks."

It's these daily acts of violence, according to Londers, that prevent Black women from having the desire to work in gaming in the first place.

Rishi Chadha, the global head of gaming partnerships at Twitter and an adjunct professor teaching his craft at the University of Southern California, said there is a shortage of diverse talent in the esports ecosystem. While this issue isn't exclusive to the professional gaming world, Chadha said underrepresented backgrounds struggle with getting access to some of the simple luxuries necessary for a career, or simply interest in, gaming.

"If you look at a lot of the kids competing in esports, their parents bought them a computer or a console and that's how they were able to play," said Chadha, who has worked in the esports and gaming industry for over a decade. "A lot of underrepresented backgrounds don't have that same luxury and I think their parents don't necessarily think playing video games can amount to anything."

Chadha underscored the importance of gaming companies doing more than the bare minimum to attract, cultivate and enrich underrepresented talent.

"There needs to be more mentorship programs, there needs to be more institutional things that are being put in place to allow for people to grow," he said. "People need to see there's an opportunity for them to really develop into something."

Electronic Arts, the world's biggest maker of interactive games, released its first diversity report in 2020, which showed Black workers accounted for roughly 3.2% of its 10,000 employees. Since then, they've adopted outreach programs to expand its reach and attract more diverse talent.

One potential solution to increase diversity is to start with the players themselves, said Londers. The 21-year-old developer said she wanted to create a game that reflected her real-life experiences as a queer woman of color.

"We decided that we wanted to make characters that look like everyday people," said Londers. "We got Malik with a chain, we got Rocky, who looks your typical flamboyant, black gay whose super into fashion. These are people that you would see walking on the street and that is just super duper important when it comes to gaming."