Gerard “HipHopGamer “Williams of HOT (97.1 FM) in New York are among the gaming executives and developers being honored
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, OCTOBER 22, 2021 – In recognition of the achievements of top Black executives, creators, and developers who have made a significant impact in the video gaming industry, The Black in Gaming Foundation will host its fifth annual Black in Gaming (BIG) Awards. The award show will be streamed on Youtube, Facebook, and Streamyard on Saturday, November 13th at 3 p.m. PST/6 p.m. EST.
Hosted by long-time black game industry advocates Carl Varnado and gaming executive Laura Teclemariam, the BIG Awards is designed to educate the game industry and recognize Black game developers to honor outstanding accomplishments and help empower the next generation.
“People of color have been an integral, and often unrecognized, under-appreciated part of the game industry from the start,” says Black in Gaming Executive Director Carl Varnado. “This is how we honor the accomplishments of Black game developers and creators, industry-wide.”
Studies show approximately 2% of all game developers are people of black descent, while the demographic of players continues to be a huge consumer market segment. BIG Awards aims to bridge the ecosystem gap between black creators and consumers to create new career opportunities for marginalized communities.
“Through the BIG Awards, we’re able to recognize the game industry’s ‘hidden figures,” says Black in Gaming’s Chairwoman of the Board, Laura Teclemariam, “and so we help ensure Black ingenuity is documented and shared while recognizing their contributions for the aspiring game developers of tomorrow.”
Since its inception, the Black in Gaming Awards Show has successfully garnered interest and honored individuals from notable organizations including previous honorees Reggie Fils-Aime, former President/COO of Nintendo of America Inc., and Sarah Bond, Corporate Vice President, Game Creator Experience & Ecosystem at Xbox and more. The complete list of Black in Gaming Awards for 2021 include:
- Excellence in Programming Award
Julian Walshaw-Vaughan, Vice President of Engineering of Roblox
- Industry Champion Award
Davina Mackey, Director, Support Services & Operations, PlayStation Studios QA of Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Media Award
Gerard “HipHopGamer” Williams, Media Personality and Gaming Journalist — WQHT (97.1 FM) – also known as Hot 97 in New York, NY
- Lifetime Achievement Award
Travis Williams, Head of Third-Party Production, Oculus VR
- Excellency in Artistry Award
Lauren A. Brown, Associate Art Director at Zynga on Words With Friends 2
- Image Award
Stanley Pierre-Louis, President & CEO of Entertainment Software Association
- Performance Award
Eli Harris, Actor, Voice Artist and Director, current voice of LFA/UFC fight pass
- Social and Economic Initiative
Trinidad Hermida, Founder & CEO of The Hermida Company LLC and Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Niantic, Inc.
- Indie Developer Award
Neil Jones, Senior UX & Games Designer at Unity Technologies, and Indie Developer/Game Creator at Aerial Knight LLC
This year’s sponsors include Sony Interactive Entertainment, Niantic, Brass Lion Entertainment, and ESA (Entertainment Software Association). For more information on Black In Gaming, please visit www.thebigfoundation.org and Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, and Twitter.
For more information regarding Black In Gaming, contact Anthony McCrary via email info@blackingaming.com.
For press inquiries, interviews, or coverage requests, contact Leslie Gay of Leslie Gay & Associates at 909-754-7622 or email lesliegaypr@gmail.com.
