Even though Reggie Fils-Aime retired from Nintendo of America almost two years ago, he certainly hasn’t stopped working. He helps out many companies and is still around to comment on gaming, often by participating in events or hosting roundtables with leaders in the gaming industry. As a veteran of the gaming industry, he also has some thoughts about representation in gaming.
Fils-Aime joined Danny “Godfree” Peña on his award-winning podcast, “Gamertag Radio,” for its 16th anniversary to discuss a variety of subjects. The two spoke about Fils-Aime growing up in New York City, the early days of gaming, and even how the success of the Nintendo Switch made it easier for Fils-Aime to retire. Towards the end, Peña asked Fils-Aime about how important representation in the gaming industry is to him, especially considering that Fils-Aime was the first person of color to be president of a major gaming company.
Starting off, Fils-Aime wanted to say that representation in gaming is “tremendously important,” and that he wanted to be as inclusive as possible when discussing it, saying that it’s needed in every industry. Throughout his entire career, Fils-Aime has made thinking about representation a core principle of his. He thought about it when he was a hiring manager at Procter & Gamble, and helped make it a priority of Nintendo’s when he was the president of Nintendo of America.
Fils-Aime continued to say that he believes representation in the gaming industry right now is “woefully inadequate.” In his eyes, even though video games are one of the biggest forms of entertainment, many of the studio heads and executives don’t reflect the diversity of the player base. Fils-Aime said that he is trying to diversify the industry in ways he can, and part of his work with the New York Videogame Critics Circle does just that while helping underserved populations. According to Fils-Aime, lack of representation and diversity in the industry needs to be addressed as a leadership issue.
Many people will resonate with Fils-Aime’s words. And as many people can see, the march towards greater representation in the gaming industry is still hitting roadblocks today. Inclusive hiring practices are described as “unworkable” by Activision, and companies such as Riot Games are still facing lawsuits for discriminatory practices.
However, there are some hopeful moments here and there. Sometimes those looking for progress will get good news, such as Niantic launching a Black Developers Initiative. All in all, Reggie Fils-Aime can always be looked to for his insightful thoughts, and with enough work, the gaming industry has a bright future in store.
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