Black Girl Gamers (BGG) will launch its first ever Online Gaming Summit, comprised entirely of Black women gaming industry professionals, on Saturday, June 13 at 7:00pm GMT / 2:00pmEST / 4:00pm. am June AEST. There will be giveaways, panels, and various keynote speakers ready to dive into the world of voice, broadcast, building, and maintaining an in-game brand. BGG is a global, inclusive (and LGBTQIA+) multi-platform gaming community founded by British influencer and author Jay-Ann Lopez in response to her experience in the often hostile women's community. black. It started as a small Facebook group in 2015 and now has a growing community of over six thousand members. It was created to be a safe space for black gamers of all backgrounds and a platform for black women looking to break into the gaming and streaming industry. BGG hosts various events including fundraisers, community gatherings in the US and UK, and also features a weekly list of black streamers who stream as part of BGG's broadcast team on Twitch.
Innovate
Last year at Facebook HQ in London, BGG hosted Gamer Girls Night In, a celebration of all things gaming and beauty for women, and was the UK's first women-only gaming event. It featured keynote speakers and breakout discussions such as TV host and reporter Elle Osili-Wood, sportscaster Julia Hardy, and popular cosplayer Mimi The Nerd. The event was organized and co-produced by Jay-Ann Lopez (founder of Black Girl Gamers) and Nnesaga, a leading creator of games, comics, and anime content.
Black Girl Player Summit
This year's Black Girl Gamers Summit is in partnership with Twitch and will be featured on the front page of Twitch on June 13. Panelists include black voice actors like Cara Ricketts, the voice of Becky Bond in Titans and Xenia in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, who will discuss the world of voice-overs from the point of view of directors and actors in the industry. Xmiramira, a streamer and Sims-modder with 240,000 subscribers across various social networks, will join a panel of other successful black streamers to discuss her experiences and give tips on navigating the streaming community. There will also be esports commentators discussing the scene and what it takes to start your commentating journey. Riot Games' head of diversity and inclusion and head of diversity will also be in conversation, as well as a panel dedicated to making your mark in the industry, which will include Ubisoft's international product manager, Andrien Gbinigie. Most importantly, BGG's first inaugural Online Summit will be an opportunity for Black girls to gain valuable insight on how to approach gaming industries that they have difficulty accessing. Although Black Girl Gamers is an all-female group, the summit will be hosted on the front page of Twitch for anyone to connect with and will be a great way for others to learn something about the difficulties Black women face in the gaming community and to foster a better understanding between the different gambling subgroups. "BGG Summit Online has been one of my ideas since 2019, but the timing wasn't right," says Jay-Ann Lopez. "Their goal is to increase the visibility of Black streamers, voice actors, and industry professionals, with the main focus being Black women. Panels and in-game events happen all the time, but they rarely allow these women to people speak their truths or even be part of the conversation. At this summit, the speakers are the talk: they get the recognition they deserve, at least only from BGG."