Events
BLACK IN GAMING AWARDS SHOW (BIG) SPARKS ENTHUSIASM AS EVENT COMES TO A CLOSE – HIGHLIGHT CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK DEVELOPERS IN THE GAMING INDUSTRY
Black in Gaming Awards Show Returns to Honor Gaming Executives for their 25+ years of service Gordon Durity, Electronic Arts; Josiane Valverde, Ubisoft and more!
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 29, 2023 – At the intersection of Black culture and gaming is the 6th Annual Black in Gaming Award show hosted by the Black In Gaming Foundation, returning in full force to recognize and celebrate the contributions of ‘hidden figures’ in gaming. The highly anticipated event took place in San Francisco at the iconic War Memorial & Performing Arts Center. Jam-packed with the industry’s most elite content creators, developers, and gamers, the event featured several attendees, including; Cheryl Hurd (former NBC News Reporter,) Amir Rahimi (VP of Game Studios at Netflix,) John Vignocchi (Head of 3rd Party Portfolio Management at Nintendo,) past honorees Marcus Montgomery (Xbox,) Damon Packwood (GameHeads,) and Gordon Bellamy (USC,) along with many more distinguished guests. In hopes of advocating for industry-wide reform, the awards show honored industry professionals and allies who have played pivotal roles in shaping this space. The event unveiled honorees in ten categories celebrating the accomplishments of people of color this past year across the fields of social influence, artistry, education, and legacy. “Black gaming innovators are reshaping the narrative by creating more ownership and opportunities for others to thrive in the industry. The Black In Gaming Foundation is utilizing its platform to honor unsung black pioneers – and I could not be honored to produce this year’s show,” said Laura Teclemariam, Black in Gaming Foundation’s Chairwoman of the Board and Executive Producer of the awards show. Honorees included: Josiane Valverde, Head of Special Projects, Diversity & Inclusion at Ubisoft Jerry Lawson Lifetime Achievement Award; Michael Lee, Industry Champion Award; Dr. Kishonna Gray, Director of the Critical Gaming Lab Education Award; Shawn Alexander Allen, founder of games and culture company NuChallenger Excellency in Artistry Award, 2023 BIG Honoree and BIG Foundation Board Member Carl Varnado and more. |
Full list of 2022 winners: |
Jerry Lawson Lifetime Achievement AwardJosiane Valverde, Head of Special Projects, Diversity & Inclusion at Ubisoft Legacy AwardGordon Durity, Executive Audio Director at Electronic Arts Champion AwardMichael Lee, Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition at Electronic Arts Social Impact and Economic Change AwardCarl Varnado Education Award Dr. Kishonna Gray, Associate Professor and Author at University of Kentucky Excellence in MediaJeffery Rousseau, Writer at Gamesindustry.biz Excellence in ProgrammingScott Anderson, Senior Graphics Engineer at Unity Technologies Excellence in Design AwardShawn Alexander Allen, Founder of NuChallenger Industry Spotlight AwardPlayStation Studio QA, Sony Interactive Entertainment Indie Developer AwardGlow Up Studio ABOUT BLACK IN GAMING FOUNDATION The Black in Gaming (BIG) Foundation, a 501(c) organization, is a volunteer community dedicated to cultivating, supporting, and promoting Black professionals in the video game industry. By actively working on creating opportunities for Black people in the video game industry, BIG also develops action plans to combat systemic institutionalized racism that manifests itself in unsafe spaces, microaggressions, and hidden discrimination in the workplace. For more information on Black In Gaming, please visit www.thebigfoundation.org |