Summer Game Festhost and organizer Geoff Keighley responded to the criticism that the 2023 edition of his show was lacking in diversity. His comments on the matter arrived days afterKeighley confirmed that Summer Game Fest will be returning in 2024.
Between dozens of new trailers and the fact that theCyberpunk 2077: Phantom LibertySGF demo confirmed a long-standing fan theory, this year’s iteration of the event did not disappoint in terms of actual game content. However, the opening showcase of the event also elicited widespread criticism over its lack of diversity; many fans and some prominent media figures took online to condemn the fact that the June 8 broadcast failed to feature a single woman on stage during its two-hour runtime.
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Keighley reflected on thecriticism over Summer Game Fest’s lack of representationin a subsequent interview with CBC, labeling it a “fair flag” by the online community. However, the Canadian journalist also insisted that the organizers always want to present an “authentic” picture of the developers making the games featured on the show. While Keighley failed to elaborate on that term, the implication that an “authentic” game development team only consists of men is inaccurate; according to a 2021 survey conducted by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), 30% of people in the game development industry are women, while another 8% identifies as non-binary.
More recent insights from market research company Circana also found that approximately half of all stateside gamers in 2023 are women, with that gender ratio holding true across PC, consoles, and mobile devices. The 2023Summer Game Fest’s failure to reflect the fact that modern games are both made and played by a diverse group of people was at the root of the criticism over the lack of representation permeating its opening broadcast. Keighley, for his part, opined that the SGF team generally does “a pretty good job with diversity,” suggesting that this latest iteration of the event was an anomaly. “I think we’re conscious [of the representation issues],” he concluded.
As an example of this stated awareness, Keighley revealed that the June 8 SGF 2023 showcase was originally planned to feature one woman on stage; however, British actress Melanie Liburd—who voices Saga Anderson, thenew playable character inAlan Wake 2—was ultimately unable to appear at the event due to scheduling conflicts.
Whether that anecdote proves that the SGF organizers are truly aware of the growing social responsibility to promote inclusivity that comes with the rising popularity of their annual event is debatable. But at least the actual games showcased at SGF 2023 featured significantly more diverse character casts compared to the on-stage presenters.
