This interview is a part of GamesIndustry.biz’s Black Voices Progress Report, providing perception into the totally different experiences Black professionals have within the video games sector. You may learn extra in regards to the venture and examine the opposite entries on this web page.
The venture and the studio had been unveiled in July final yr: EA launched Cliffhanger Video games, a brand new developer engaged on a Black Panther sport.
And whereas making it clear that he’s talking to us as a person and never on behalf of EA or Cliffhanger Video games, senior author on the venture Curtis Baxter is eager to communicate of the context of this title when requested about what it is like being a Black video games skilled in 2024.
“It’s a sport that’s actually vital to me,” he says. “I believe there is a large accountability from myself after which additionally the broader studio to actually ship one thing that is each distinctive, however then additionally speaks to the tradition.
“And I am hoping that it evokes individuals who need to get in video games after seeing it, as a result of I bear in mind the day I noticed the Black Panther film, the very first one, and the way I felt like a bit of child once more, I felt like this was made for me, and I used to be within the theatre crying on the credit. I am like, ‘Oh my goodness, that is how white individuals really feel 24/7!’ I noticed the film three or 4 instances in theatres as a result of I actually, actually felt seen and it impressed me. However I did not assume eight years in the past I might be serving to write the sport now.”
Baxter’s ardour for video games began in childhood and doubled down when he moved to Japan at 9 and “fell in love with all the pieces nerdy,” he smiles.
After he got here again to the US, he studied at UCLA however wasn’t positive on the trail forward, solely that he needed to “do one thing inventive.” He explored performing for some time earlier than discovering what makes him click on.
“I took an undergrad writing course throughout my final quarter at UCLA and I fell in love with it. I actually hounded my [teaching assistant] – in all probability to the purpose the place he was very irritated with me,” Baxter laughs. “That was undoubtedly like a ‘select me, decide me, I really need to be good at writing’ second, however I am glad I did. He had quite a lot of persistence with me, and he actually helped me turn into the author I believe I’m right now to be trustworthy. So from then on, I used to be like: ‘I need to do that as a profession’.”
Baxter took a yr off between undergrad and grad college, and wrote a minimum of 4 movies primarily based on one in every of his favorite franchises, Kingdom Hearts, in addition to a wealth of unique materials, and utilized to UCLA once more to go for a masters in screenwriting.
“I heard the writing program was nice and I bought in. I believe that actually helped me sharpen my instruments as a author. They did not have a online game writing course on the time, it was simply movie and tv, so I sharpened my expertise that method.”
He says that he was “the one Black man in the whole programme,” noting: “It is fascinating once you’re writing quite a bit in regards to the Black expertise and you’ve got a number of people who do not essentially perceive that have giving suggestions on your entire scripts…”
He then discovered a job on Fairly Little Liars, a cell sport that Warner Bros. had licensed to San Francisco-based cell developer Pocket Gems.
“That was in about 2014, after which I simply stored writing from then on. Quick ahead to the place I am at now; the pandemic hit again in 2020, and I discovered myself within the Bay and I used to be really with out a job and I did not know what to do – I used to be going via quite a bit.
“EA finally reached out to say, ‘Hey, you understand, we’re doing this sport and we would love for you to be a part of it,’ as a result of they noticed my earlier work. I believed it was gonna be this one-off factor and I used to be like, ‘That is gonna be enjoyable!’… And that sport turned out to be Black Panther. So I used to be really a contractor for the primary three months, after which they needed to rent me full-time. So I have been writing there [since 2021].”
That is not to say it has been easy crusing all alongside. After UCLA and his begin writing interactive narrative video games at Pocket Gems, Baxter says he did hit just a few “hiccups alongside the highway” earlier than he seized the chance at EA.
“I used to be a story designer for a corporation up within the Bay Space, and I used to be ousted from that firm and wrongfully fired. Thoughts you, I used to be the one Black male at that firm and it was partly as a result of my supervisor blew up on me.
“There is a large accountability from myself after which additionally the broader studio to actually ship one thing that is each distinctive, however then additionally speaks to the tradition”
“It was the wildest factor I ever skilled, and doubtless the worst factor I’ve ever skilled in my whole profession the place she berated me in entrance of the whole workplace and I did not say something again as a result of clearly I did not need to get in hassle myself… Their motive why they fired me was all racially motivated stuff. ‘Nobody felt comfy or protected working with Curtis’. However thoughts you, I used to be associates with everyone on the workforce. However they wanted to say one thing to get me out.
“At that time I actually realised that when you are working your method up, in any trade in all probability, however within the video games trade as properly, you are gonna be met with these sorts of issues, particularly when [you’re] what we like to name within the Black neighborhood the ‘lonely solely’ – once you’re the ‘solely’ in any scenario, it is not place to be.
“I attempt to do my greatest now after I do be part of groups, taking a look at who I am going to work with, I attempt to guarantee that I am not the ‘lonely solely’ as a result of I do not need to be put in that place ever once more.”
He acknowledges that there is nonetheless quite a lot of work to do even now that he is a longtime voice in video games, including: “There’s not lots of people that appear to be me, and I am making an attempt to be a part of that change as properly.”
He continues: “And that is the rationale I additionally joined [EA’s Black Panther team] as a result of it is a property I really feel tremendous enthusiastic about, particularly on the heels of a earlier job the place it was all racially motivated. Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd and all these items and the Black Lives Matter Motion, it was all occurring whereas I used to be experiencing this in order that was in all probability the roughest level. However I believe I emerged quite a bit stronger. I began going to remedy in 2020, I have never stopped and it has been nice.”
Having additionally labored throughout TV and movie, most notably at Cartoon Community, Baxter sees similarities between these fields and the video games trade, particularly in the way in which profession development works, particularly for marginalised teams.
“I like the individuals who work in video games as a result of they’re tremendous passionate in regards to the merchandise. I’ll say that there’s a facade that’s tremendous welcoming, which I additionally discover related to Hollywood.
“Folks have a tendency to rent individuals who appear to be them or their associates. One other a part of that I do imagine particularly for minorities, for girls, [is] there are usually not that many individuals in energy making choices, inexperienced lighting stuff. And in addition hiring – if we do not have girls, we do not have individuals of color, minorities, in these positions of energy, then there is a good likelihood these sorts of persons are in all probability not going to get employed on the similar fee as their counterparts.
“I do assume there are organisations and people who find themselves actively working to change that. There’s DevColor, Black Women Code, the Black in Gaming Basis – there is a bunch of various organisations on the market. However I do assume there’s quite a lot of work to be carried out.”
Baxter says coaching is essential to stopping the video games trade’s vicious cycle of marginalised teams not making use of for jobs as a result of they do not see themselves represented in senior positions.
The cycle was lately identified on social media by The Verge reporter Ash Parrish, primarily based on stats from the 2023 GDC survey. Taking a look at profession longevity, 87% of sport builders with over 21 years of profession had been white males. Solely 6% of Black males working in video games reported having over 20 years of expertise, and there have been no Black girls in any respect.
“There’s not lots of people that appear to be me, and I am making an attempt to be a part of that change as properly”
“I believe [one solution is] coaching individuals at senior ranges and even at junior and affiliate ranges and ensuring that you just sit down with them and say, ‘Look, what is the path to being a frontrunner on the workforce or being a frontrunner in one other organisation?’ Actually begin that from the get go. I believe it does two issues. One, it prepares them for these potential roles, however two, it additionally motivates them and offers them a North Star to get to.”
Trying forward, Curtis says he displays on his successes and failures each week and on a month-to-month and yearly foundation as properly, taking a look at and monitoring his targets, fascinated about his private growth and his profession, in addition to his relationships.
“When it comes to profession, that is really one thing I am actually coping with now [which] is the place do I see myself sooner or later exterior of simply the author position, proper? I do have aspirations to be extra within the video games trade and I might love to be head of story or be a director or narrative director as a result of story is my bread and butter.
“I believe by way of issues that could be stopping me from getting there, it simply looks like there’s a lot consolidation within the gaming trade, there are such a lot of layoffs, and guys who’re in these positions proper now are sometimes those that keep in these positions. And it is like, how do you navigate and get in if these roles [that] are sometimes few and much between? And in addition when they’re out there they’re already taken by my white male counterparts.”
When requested whether or not he feels that needle is transferring by way of diversifying the trade and particularly for Black video games professionals, Baxter solutions: “Barely, and that is being beneficiant in my view.”
“Each firm possible is eliminating their DEI packages. Up to now few months, there’s been this bizarre flip of like, we do not assume DEI is true, it is ‘reverse racism’, which I believe is comical.
“And it is unhappy as a result of all of those firms, going again to 2020 and the Black Lives Matter motion – and clearly that is in America, however I believe it does maintain floor worldwide, particularly within the UK which has an enormous Black inhabitants as properly – they had been like, ‘Oh, we’re going to put money into DEI, get extra individuals on employees, practice them, guarantee that we assist them’. However we’re in 2024 and most of these programmes both by no means bought off the bottom or are all ending. So there’s quite a lot of lip service. And I do not assume that is good for anyone in my place, particularly minority people within the gaming trade.”
When requested about what experiences he thinks provided him a greater likelihood as a Black video games skilled to get the place he’s now, Baxter goes again to his uni expertise and actually enthuses about UCLA’s writing programme.
“UCLA was incredible, simply being across the calibre of writers I used to be round. And in addition that community is invaluable. Linking again to organisations, one in every of these different organisations I [joined] whereas I used to be in grad college is named Younger Storytellers. And one of many issues that they do is that they uplift marginalised voices.
“Often they work with elementary college college students, and work with youngsters who possibly have a predisposition to the humanities, possibly they’re bullied in class, possibly they’ve a incapacity – we assist them write their very own story and get actors to assist act it out. I like that non-profit. I believe serving to individuals and doing issues for others has helped with my very own profession by way of going again to the the explanation why I needed to be a storyteller.”
“Constructing real relationships will serve your profession properly, and in case you are going to community, community with different individuals at your degree”
To younger Black sport professionals simply coming into the trade or simply wanting to get into video games – and particularly writing video games – Baxter says it is all about studying how to write in another person’s voice.
“[This] is gonna serve you properly in your profession. As a result of more often than not, particularly now, all the pieces is IP pushed, and if the IP exists prior to [you joining], then you definately’re gonna be pulling quite a bit from IP. Clearly, I am doing Black Panther [but] nearly all of my writing roles up to now have been primarily based on another pre-existing IP. So from a author’s perspective, I might undoubtedly say at all times, at all times, at all times find out how to write in a voice.
“Simply talking typically, internships are incredible and they’re simply a good way to first off be taught in regards to the trade. Talking from a movie and TV background, throughout grad college I additionally did three totally different internships. The primary was at Fox, the second was at Disney, after which additionally Sony. At Disney, I used to be making an attempt to get Kingdom Hearts made,” he smiles.
“However you simply be taught a lot from individuals and develop these actual relationships. One actually large factor I need to say about networking that served me so properly, is that I attempt not to go to networking occasions typically, and the reason being I really feel like it may be a bit of bit transactional. I believe once you do internships and you set your self in locations the place you need to be, and the place these sorts of persons are, discover one individual, possibly two individuals that you just really need to genuinely get to know.
“Constructing real relationships will serve your profession properly, and in case you are going to community, community with different individuals at your degree. No matter you are doing, should you’re an engineer or should you’re a author, make one thing, go create one thing, put it on the market, it does not have to be excellent.
“Put it on the market and begin getting these expertise, as a result of I do assume what you will be taught as you create one thing, then these expertise will switch over if you find yourself prepared to your first affiliate or entry-level place someplace.”
He continues: “That is one other good factor, too – mentorship. Like my [teaching assistant] from grad college, Tony! There are tons of people who helped me alongside my journey. So if you will get a mentorship and attain again and in addition pay it ahead and mentor others, that is enormous.”
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