BAME in Games is a new professional network, which has been launched in the UK to encourage more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups to work in the industry.
The advocacy group aims to encourage more diverse talent to work in the games and wider entertainment industry. The group will also manage a professional network to encourage discussion and collaboration on diversity and make available speakers for conferences and events.
BAME in Games uses research figures from Creative Skillset’s Employment Census 2015 to highlight the lack of diversity in games and other Creative Media sectors. It shows that in 2015, just 4.0% of the workforce was black, Asian or minority ethnic. This is down from 4.7% in 2012. In contrast, the UK average for BAME employment across all industries is 30% in London and 10% nationally.
David Smith, Founder of Women in Games and now BAME in Games, explained, “We would like to provide some focus on the talent that the games industry is failing to attract. Games and the wider entertainment industry should attract the very best from all backgrounds. We want to nurture more talent from minority groups. We can also do more to promote the benefits of a diverse workforce.”
The first Chair of the group is Kish Hirani who has worked at the BBC, THQ, Microsoft and most recently, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. He is supported by two vice chairs, Tanya Laird of Digital Jam and Adam Campbell of Hopster.
Hirani adds, “Diversity brings so many advantages. It makes creative sense. It makes business sense. And games creators can truly represent the diversity of those who play games.
“Help us build a network that makes the games industry a place that attracts talented people from all walks of life. We want everyone in games to join us in any capacity they feel comfortable, starting with simply joining our professional network on LinkedIn.”
The network is free to join and open to everyone interested in the entertainment sector at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/BAME-in-Games-8459302/about .