Black Girl Gamers 'Online Summit 2024' Exposes EXTREME Echo Chamber Hypocrisy...
This was pure pain to get through...
Recently, the 'Black Girl Gamers' (don't even get me started on that name...) online summit featured a panel with Kim Belair, co-founder of Sweet Baby Inc., Ash Parrish, a "reporter" from The Verge, and Jay-Ann Lopez, 'CEO' of Black Girl Gamers (BGG).
Their event was supposedly a platform for "authentic, real conversations about the industry"—but in reality, it was anything but. The panel, which pretended to invite discussion and dialogue, only served as a megaphone for participants to perpetuate their own biased narratives while continuing to stifle any dissenting voices.
The Farce of "Authentic Conversations"
Jay-Ann Lopez started the panel by saying,
"This is going to be a pivotal panel... in this panel we're going to use Gamergate as the backdrop and we'll discuss the realities of gaming culture."
Yet, from the outset, it was apparent that the discussion was going to be STRICTLY one-sided, ironically perpetuating the one thing they set out to discuss. Instead of fostering a meaningful exchange of ideas, Lopez, Parrish, and Belair chose to paint themselves as the continued targets of an unending onslaught from the evil, faceless mob they refer to as "Gamergate."
Ash Parrish, for example, positioned herself as a fearless truth-teller under siege.
"Whenever you write about those kinds of things, it really like kicks a hornet's nest over... you get all these kinds of negative attention,"
she claimed, lamenting how she’s been "targeted" (spare me...) by what she describes as a "second Gamergate." Yet, rather than consider that all-important reason why she might be receiving criticism, she automatically dismisses it as unjustified hate - because of course. The whole world is just randomly out to get you, Ash... The fact she
"embedded in their Discord and listened to the kinds of things that they were saying,"
then wrote a piece decrying their existence, shows her utter lack of interest in understanding the other side. It's easier to claim persecution than to face the reality that her own rhetoric might be fueling the backlash. She was literally looking for anything to justify her rationale. She knowingly and proactively attacked the gaming comunity for the sole outcome of getting people mad at her - just so she could cry about it and claim to be morally superior.
Kim Belair: From Consultant to Victim
Kim Belair, co-founder of Sweet Baby Inc., also played the victim card, painting her company as the epicenter of some sinister conspiracy. She stated,
"I think of us almost as like patient zero of this wave of Gamergate... they perceive like oh this woman's design is not quite as it used to be and I think it used to be hotter."
Here, Belair attempts to frame any criticism of her company's work as purely sexist or bigoted in nature. Rather than acknowledging that some gamers might have legitimate concerns about changes to beloved franchises, she simply dismisses all criticism as driven by racism, sexism, or homophobia.
Belair goes further, claiming her company is unfairly targeted for "woke-ifying" games, stating that
"the assumption was essentially made that our work on [games] had been to make a Black character exist in Alan Wake 2... and put Pride Flags in Spider-Man 2."
She then complains that her company has been turned into a:
"synonym for what they describe as 'woke-ifying' gaming."
But instead of addressing the genuine concerns of gamers about the impact of forced diversity on storytelling and game quality, she doubles down, framing her critics as bigots who simply can't handle change... It's the same old tired narrative that at one point unfortunately used to work, but doesn't anymore... They haven't noticed. Shocker, I know.
The Echo Chamber in Full Effect
The real problem with this summit is that it was nothing more than an echo chamber, where dissenting voices were excluded by design. Lopez, Parrish, and Belair continually reinforced each other's victim narratives, presenting their experiences as if they are universally representative of all marginalized voices in gaming.
They paint anyone who disagrees with them as part of some grand, nefarious plot to suppress diversity and inclusion in the gaming industry... When in reality, gamers know they are all contributing to the actual downfall of modern gaming, and are simply trying to voice their opinions, and why people with this mentality need to be gate-kept OUT of it.
One of the most revealing moments came when Ash Parrish asserted that
"your reliable sources are going to be like your big... Legacy Media kind of places... there's Polygon, there's IGN, there's GameSpot."
In other words, only the outlets that already support their views are deemed "reliable." Anything outside of this narrow band is dismissed outright, further proving that they have no real interest in diverse perspectives. They are not champions of open conversation—they're trying to be the gatekeepers of a very specific narrative, one that allows ZERO opposition.
Selective Outrage and the Perpetual Victimhood
What stands out most from all this is the blatant hypocrisy of its participants. They claim to want a dialogue but are quick to silence or dismiss anyone who challenges their perspective. They assert that they are being unfairly targeted, yet they fail to recognize that they are doing exactly what they accuse others of—engaging in exclusion, discrimination, and bad faith arguments.
Lopez, Parrish, and Belair claim to be pushing for change, but it's change on their terms only. They don’t want the industry to be more inclusive; they want it to conform to their specific ideological vision. They fail their attempt to disguise their narrow-mindedness as progressivism, while demonizing anyone who dares to disagree as regressive or bigoted.
They claimed to want a conversation from the community, but their words made it clear that they only wanted to hear opinions that matched their own. Instead of engaging in genuine dialogue, they took every single opportunity to shield themselves from criticism by playing the victim card. When challenged, rather than admitting that their positions often come from a place of intellectual dishonesty, they pretend everyone is out to get them. This tactic is a transparent attempt to avoid accountability and to dodge any real discussion about the substance of their views.
They'd probably consider the dislike button harassment because it's the only thing people can use to try and get through to them... and boy do they love falling back on that harassment thing. BGG has turned comments on 'Admin approval' mode, meaning that nothing anyone writes is shown for all to see. Proving even more that they don't care about hearing out the community and being better. As always, they only care about their own agenda, unable or unwilling to communicate with anyone who even slightly disagrees with their approach.
Take for example my harmless comment that they refuse to publish that was simply stating facts and trying to have an open dialogue. They have so many skeletons to hide that they couldn't possibly be bothered with the truth. Reality... Facts.
The only comment they've approved in two weeks that pushes their narrative is the one below... out of over 3,000 people who have watched the video. Only one comment supports them. Just wild...
The Real Conversation the Industry Needs
If the gaming industry truly wants to be "inclusive", it needs to open itself to a broader range of opinions and not just the loud voices from an echo chamber. It means recognizing that diverse perspectives include those of the many gamers who feel alienated by the constant political posturing of industry figures like Lopez, Parrish, and Belair. It means understanding that criticism is not hate and that disagreement is not always bigotry. But let's be honest, if they were to ever admit that any criticism was actually legitimate, they'd expose themselves... and destroy their own narrative in the process.
Until figures like these are willing to engage in a genuine dialogue—one that doesn't begin and end with the assumption that they are the sole arbiters of truth—then their claims of fostering "authentic conversations" will remain nothing more than hollow words... But I wouldn't hold my breath.
~Smash
