It’s been over a week since the Summer Game Fest dropped and kicked off a jam-packed week of gaming news, trailers, and reveals. It served as a kind of “flagship” for said week, and many were content or happy with what was shown at the event. Numerous games were revealed, including one set in a galaxy far, far away, and new information about titles like a certain web-headed sequel. But, as people looked back at the event, there was something that people noticed that felt odd. Mainly, Geoff Keighley brought multiple people on stage…and all of them were men.
While that might sound like a “small nitpick,” it’s fair to point out for various reasons. Women in gaming have dealt with various stereotypes over the years, including that they “don’t play games” or that when they play them, “they aren’t that good.” Women in the developmental side of video games have also had to deal with stereotypes about their abilities and harassment on every level, which is why Activision Blizzard is in such hot water right now.
Keighley has said that his shows and events are all about “appreciating developers” and the gaming space’s diversity, yet…fans couldn’t help but notice that no female developers were highlighted. In contrast, when the Ubisoft Forward and Xbox Games Showcase happened, multiple women were shown to talk about games and the events themselves.
Geoff Keighley interviewed with CBC and said there was a plan to have one of the female voice actors for Alan Wake 2 arrive to talk about her co-lead role in the title, but things didn’t work out. But he also noted that it was fair for fans to call him out on this:
“I think generally we do a pretty good job with diversity in our shows. That was something that’s a fair flag,” he said. “We also want to be authentic to the games that are being presented on the show and the developers that are making them. So yeah, I think we’re conscious of it.”
So this might just be a case of “bad timing” and nothing more, which would be good if so.
However, it should be noted that Keighley has had many controversies attached to him over the years. Such as whether he had a hand in the downfall of E3 or how at The Game Awards one year, he did a brief speech about workers’ rights and then immediately sent it off to a reveal trailer without pause for thought or reflection on the issue.
