K, Back.

So wow, my first post was in 2009. That’s some serious procrastination!  Yeah, I’ll have to work on that in the future.

Anyway, here’s what it means to GWB, since that’s what I’ll be sharing with you (infused with social commentary and other fun tidbits of information):

Gaming While Black (v.): To play a video game (either console, PC, or other device) while retaining social and cultural awareness, specifically as it relates to the melanin enriched.

Not a very loaded definition, but one that apparently the greater gaming industry chooses to largely ignore and fail to cater to. We’re not all fat white guys in our momma’s basement, gaming execs. We’re also not all thugs, “killaz”, or wannabe gangsta rappers either. I’d expect some sort of enlightenment or change in attitude since according to…wait, there’s no concrete statistics out there (coincidence?), but I suppose in the world of entertainment popular opinion, no matter how racist or asinine, counts.

So this will be me, examining things I observe in games while playing. Maybe I’ll throw up a guide or two, from my perspective.

Enjoy. Swear I’m back this time.

Hello world!

I’m sure I’m not the only black girl gamer, but it looks like I’m the only one with the audacity to rant about race relations and the gaming industry. A girl gamer, and BLACK! Wow, I’m like the embodiment of the market that will NEVER be served by the gaming industry- is it for good reason? I’ll get into what it means to GWB (game while black) with tact, ’cause trust me, there’s a whole lotta stuff that needs to be said and explored.

No, Not a GTA player!

I’m sure you have initial questions- here are my answers:

1. No, I don’t play Madden or Grand Theft Auto.
2. Yes, I do create characters with enriched palettes, but not all the time.  I also play white dudes (or fae, or elves) from time to time.
3. Yes, I do play/engage in MMO’s, virtual worlds, and console games.
4. No, I do not live nor have I ever lived in the “hood.”
5. Yes, I can speak 1337 fluently.
6. No, I am not an oreo; I’m proud to be Black, happy to have melanin, comfortable in my own skin, and all that good stuff.
7. No, I am not going to approve of the asinine things that some Black people do, no more so than I will approve of the asinine behavior of other races. I am not a martyr, simply stating observations and hoping to reach out to more aliens like myself.

Here goes something, or nothing. We shall see!