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Games with black leads and characters were compulsively mocked. Female characters who are considered unattractive or masculine “DEI chin.” Dragon Age: The Veilguardwas criticized by far-right trolls for its customization options, which allowed players to create characters with upper-body surgical scars or play with a non-binary companion. After the reviews were published, conspirators latched onto clichés or other language that studio BioWare taught reviewers to talk about their games.
Even titles that have yet to be released have bombed. Compulsion Games South of midnightAbout a young Black woman in the Deep South, it sparked outrage from the anti-DEI crowd on platforms like X. with photoshop character to make him seem less “disgusting” and spawned conspiracy theories about Sweet Baby’s influence on the game’s development.
But the pressure to remain apolitical—an interesting agenda for an entertainment form that combines the artistic merits of narrative and imaginary worlds, giving agency to the players who inhabit them—didn’t just come from a vocal minority. After its release Black Myth: Wukongwere some broadcasters instructions are given Avoiding talking about Covid-19 or “feminist propaganda”. The guidelines backfired, prompting broadcasters to lead with banned code words: a pushback against standards designed to actually censor players.
Looking ahead In 2025, Ball says, he generally hears more pessimism, but “it’s bad to think, let alone guess.” If there is one plus, he says, “there is more recruitment going on than is commonly believed. The downside is that it generally doesn’t compensate nearly as much, especially in India.
As 2024 draws to a close, the industry is operating from the outside with a business-as-usual mindset. In early December, developers gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate at The Game Awards. On stage, host Geoff Keighley made a small appearance between game announcements, praise and a performance by Snoop Dogg.
“The sad reality is that over the past few years, the gaming industry has experienced significant and unprecedented industry-wide cuts,” Keighley said. “They affect the games we play and, more importantly, the people who make the games we love. We can argue and certainly disagree about the reasons why, and honestly as a show we kind of struggle with how to deal with these topics in a constructive way.
Keighley used the segment to present the TGA’s first ‘game changer’ award, a nod to someone who has made a positive impact on the industry. The show then continued with headline announcements about major projects like Witcher 4 and the next title Our last developer Naughty Dog.
Amidst all this lies the dream of AI. There’s still little idea how much AI will continue to grow and how future games will use it, but it’s increased anxiety ordinary workers are being laid off. No one knows when or if the industry will bounce back with steady work and compensation. Yes, there will be games to be played. It’s harder to say how many people can do them.
