A guide to ensuring your outreach and activities are inclusive and welcoming to all
EDI outreach and activities are all about creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for your gaming community. This means reaching out to players from under-represented groups and providing opportunities for them to engage with your studio and your games. By prioritising EDI in your outreach and activities, you can help build a stronger connection with your audience and demonstrate that you care about creating a more inclusive games industry.
One key consideration for EDI outreach and activities is ensuring that they are accessible to all players (see also ‘Accessibility and Representation’). This means choosing venues and locations that are accessible to players with disabilities or impairments and ensuring that all activities are designed with accessibility in mind. For example, providing closed captioning or subtitles during panel discussions or making sure that all videos or presentations have a transcript available can help ensure that all players can fully participate in your outreach and activities.
Ensure that your EDI outreach and activities are representative of a broad range of experiences and perspectives. This means seeking out input and participation from players and stakeholders from under-represented groups and ensuring that their perspectives are reflected in the programming and activities. For example, featuring a diverse range of speakers and panellists, or creating networking opportunities specifically for under-represented groups, can help ensure that your outreach and activities are representative and welcoming to all players.
It’s also important to be mindful of how your outreach and activities intersect with broader societal issues. For example, if your outreach and activities include discussions or content related to sensitive topics, it’s important to ensure that these discussions are respectful and inclusive of all perspectives. This might mean creating content that addresses these issues directly, or working with community organisations to ensure that your messaging is sensitive to the concerns and experiences of under-represented groups. An example of this could be the toxicity and harassment of women and girls in online spaces and at in-person industry events. Addressing issues like these will show that your studio cares about all groups of individuals, but you should approach such topics with thoughtfulness and sensitivity – and it is always a good idea to invite community groups (for this example, an organisation like Women in Games) for input and collaboration.
Make sure that your activities and outreach are transparent and accountable. This means being clear about your studio’s EDI values and initiatives, and being willing to listen to feedback from players and stakeholders. Providing opportunities for players to provide feedback or participate in surveys can help ensure that your outreach and activities are aligned with the needs and perspectives of your audience.
Finally, it’s important to be proactive and intentional in your EDI outreach and activities. This means actively seeking out opportunities to engage with under-represented groups and creating programming and activities that specifically address their needs and interests. For example, hosting events or workshops focused on creating inclusive game design or providing mentorship opportunities for under-represented groups can help ensure that your initiatives create a positive impact in the games industry.
