SOURCE: Intel
DESCRIPTION:
To understand and identify diversity and inclusion’s role in gaming activities, Intel partnered with Newzoo, a leading provider of games and esports analytics. The resulting report — “Diversity and Inclusion in Gaming” — reveals a diverse audience among gamers, spanning age, gender and ethnic and racial groups.
With more than 2.9 billion gamers in the world expected by the end of 2021,
Intel is constantly considering how to best serve this vast and diverse gaming community. Sharing these insights can result in better products industrywide and inform efforts to elevate gamers in underrepresented communities.
The report found that nearly three-quarters of Black and Hispanic/Latinx PC gamers are younger than 35 years old compared with just more than a half of white gamers. Among all players, the females represented 53% of Black gamers – the only racial group with more female players than male players.
The report’s data was collected around the United States from a sample of 1,824 individuals between the ages of 10 and 65 who self-identified as gamers.
Every piece of information helps Intel improve gaming-related programs and expand the product range and performance from Intel® Core™ i5 to i9 systems. This initiative will help bridge some gaps in gaming activities displayed in the survey.
“We are using this data to have conversations internally and with our partners, so that we can continue to learn from our customers and improve our products and programs, and further our mission to delight the almost one-and-a-half billion PC gamers in the world today,” says Marcus Kennedy, general manager of Intel’s Gaming and Esports Segment.
Key insights from the study include:
Diverse characters: A broad group of gamers, especially LGBTQIA+ and players with disabilities, expressed the importance and appeal that comes with including more diverse characters in games. Approximately 47% of gamers don’t play games they feel are not meant for them.
People of color are still underrepresented as characters in most games, and this has only improved slightly throughout the years.
Accessible hardware: There is a correlation between PC hardware accessibility with racial groups. Most nonwhite gamers have more access to laptops for gaming and other purposes than to desktops, where most high-level gamers play. This could suggest a cost barrier to entry for Black and Hispanic/Latinx gamers due to a historical and immigrant economic disparity.
To attract wider and more diverse audiences – especially those with limited access to certain systems – developers and software creators need to consider accessible and affordable hardware and game options for players.
Socially active companies: Gamers want companies to live by their values and take an active posture in societal issues. By authentically showcasing the power of diversity and inclusion, companies can increase engagement from these diverse audiences. For instance, Adidas and Nike have popularity among Black PC players for supporting Black athletes and standing up for social issues, inclusion and diversity.
Incorporating data into existing programs
Intel has a role with gaming communities that help improve diversity and inclusion.
“Gaming is continuously evolving – and we are looking forward to continuing working with our partners and seeing this data help guide efforts to make gaming experiences as diverse as gamers are,” Kennedy says.
Programs that Intel works with include:
- Intel Inspires provides opportunities to gamers through an esports recruiting event. This program helps participants gain exposure to colleges and universities that may lead to scholarships and relationships with industry professionals.
- Cavs Legion Esports and Intel currently work together on community engagement and Legion on the Go program to collaborate on summer camps, PC gaming clinics and virtual panels to engage youth with esports.
- Intel with Amplifying New Voices is a program that presented a workshop this year to help diverse talent of attendees in the gaming space develop and improve their professional skills and representation.
- Black Collegiate Gaming Association (BCGA) and Intel partnered on the Black College Con and Girls Got Game where Intel employees supported the mentoring and networking sessions, and moderated panels.
- Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Influencer program provides influencers a POWERGPU gaming PC to help them cover any tech gaps. In exchange, influencers create and share content with their audiences. This content will eventually be shared across Intel Gaming social channels for more exposure and promotion.
KEYWORDS: NASDAQ:INTC, Intel, Diversity in gaming
