inclusivity
Latest
'The Sims 4' players can now customize their characters' pronouns
EA and Maxis say it's a step toward making the game more inclusive.
Google open-sources skin tone research to improve inclusivity
Google is making its skin tone research widely available as part of its effort at creating more ”responsible AI.”
Pinterest launches hair pattern search with BIPOC users in mind
Pinterest has launched a new search feature that could make it easier for BIPOC users to find hair inspiration that would suit their hair types.
Google is building a more racially inclusive Android camera
Today at Google I/O, Android VP Sameer Samat revealed that Google is also working to make its Android camera more inclusive, with support for a variety of darker skin tones and different types of hair.
Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell launches a game studio
Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell has launched a multiplayer-focused game studio, Mountaintop, and hopes it'll avoid the pitfalls of rivals.
Google will roll out ambiguously gendered emoji to Android Q
The variety of emoji has skyrocketed from 176 since the initial release of the symbols back in 1999, to more than 3,000 today. During that time they've steadily become more inclusive, expanding to feature same sex couples, redheads, female scientists and people of every skin tone. Now, Google is adding 53 gender ambiguous characters, according to Fast Company.
Leaderboard: Can you co-exist with players who don't share your preferences?
Do you ever feel like the MMO genre has gotten too big for its britches? Take Eliot's soapbox series on raiding that we're publishing this week as an example. It's generated an enormous amount of conversation, but when you cut through the noise in the comments, you're left with two (or more) groups of people who can't seem to co-exist. They don't want the same things out of MMOs, they don't share the same MMO backgrounds or experiences, and in many cases the happiness of one group equals the unhappiness of another. Some people feel that MMOs should cater to as many different groups as possible, but can they? And should they really? Personally I don't enjoy going to Rush concerts with people who hate progressive rock, nor do I enjoy going to Georgia Tech football games with people who hate football and/or my Yellow Jackets. So why would I want to play MMOs with people who hate sandbox mechanics, crafting, or any of the other genre conventions that I prefer? What do you think, Leaderboard readers? Can you co-exist with MMO neighbors who don't like what you like? Vote after the cut!
Sony theory: From PlayStation to Wii and back again
SCEA marketing whiz Peter Dille has pitched the company's new game plan, and Wii's the bait, according to a recent interview with Gamasutra. Opting for more concession speech than victory declaration, Dille offers a "hats off" to Nintendo and its Wii for "doing something that hasn't been done" by expanding and diversifying the demographic of game console owners. Dille proposes that if this new class of gamers gets "hooked," then PS3 is in position to fulfill the next logical acquisition in their newfound "gaming habit." Dille suggests that the prospect of a "high-definition gaming experience" might drive a Wii family to invest in a PS3 as their living room "centerpiece," but doesn't specifically suggest why Sony's console might be favored over the other high-def game platform currently on the market. Still, Dille clearly understands the strength of the PlayStation brand, established by the ridiculously pervasive PS2 (which is still pervading in certain markets) and, likely, rightfully assumes that a significant chunk of Wii converts were once PS2 owners. Do you see the plan coming together now? "So we think that over time all those folks will migrate back to the PlayStation 3 -- when I say 'back,' that takes the view that they were PS2 gamers, went to the Wii, and then would come back."
