The bar was set low for Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday after Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest 2023 presentation on Thursday was a all-male lineup of presenters and featured guests. Far be it from me to clap for a major brand for doing the bare minimum, but the difference between the two shows was immediately apparent to anyone with eyes and the ability to respect the reality that gaming is a very diverse hobby.
Sarah Bond, corporate VP for game creator experience and ecosystem at Xbox, was the show’s introductory host, opening with an overview of the three game trailers that kicked off the showcase – each of which featured a female protagonist. Shortly afterwards, the next presenter appeared: Melina Juergens, the actor who plays Senua Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017) and the next Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga.
Like SGF 2023, the full suite of games featured in the Xbox Showcase showcased the depth and breadth of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios projects and partners, including indie and triple-A games and everything in between. But unlike SGF, the showcase also managed to signal to the viewer that it’s not just men to make these games, as well as compiling and presenting them.
This shouldn’t even be something that stands out in these showcases, especially at this point in the history of the video game industry. Despite marketing in the ’90s portraying video games as a male hobby, influencing gamer culture and gamers themselves for decades to come, in 2023 it’s a well-documented reality that boys and men aren’t the only people interested in games. Not to mention the fact that gamers are also diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, social class, disability, sexuality, and so on.
“But Maddy,” you may be thinking, “these showcases should showcase people based on talent, not just meeting a diversity quota!” I totally agree. And there are plenty of extremely talented people working in the video game industry. Let’s celebrate them, shall we?