Wish I could think of a better title for this, because it comes across as pretentious and implies that I am some sort of expert about writing on people of color, when I’m literally going to spend my time explaining why I am not. I am a white, non-Latinx person. I am by no means an expert on writing characters of color, nor could I ever hope to authentically and honestly replicate the experience of a person of color. I can only, at best, provide an imitation of that. I wanted to formally acknowledge that here.
When making this game, I knew I wanted to have characters of different backgrounds. It would be boring to have all white characters. On top of that, it would be wholly inaccurate to have all white characters-- not just to the comic it's based on, but on demographics in reality. I could have created only a FEW characters, but then I would've played into tokenism, and that's… gross, to put it simply. So I set off to create characters all different from one another. They would have not only different backgrounds, genders, and sexualities; but hobbies, interests, and professions. I didn't want anyone to be a stereotype, or just a generic background character. I wanted these people to replicate those that you would meet in real life.
When writing these characters, I did my best to do my research. For example, when writing Carmen, I researched Puerto Rican customs and culture. I also made Spanish an important part of the story and incorporated Spanish dialogue into many of the scenes. My friend Christian Castro Romero was there to double check for grammatical errors and in some ways also served as a sensitivity reader and helped me rewrite portions that are problematic. Some of that was weird for me. I consider myself as someone who is aware of what behaviors and actions are racist or problematic, but that just reinforces my previous point: I'm not an expert nor should I claim to be. During these situations it's best for me to listen, be receptive, and make the appropriate corrections. If you claim to be a writer, you have to be!
In other instances, like when Candace is talking about Becky's racist comments, I borrowed from stories I had read about, or heard about either via the news or from a friend. One thing that I wish I had done, in retrospect, was hire and consult with more sensitivity readers. While this wouldn't have perfected the writing, it would have double checked and eliminated any problematic elements. In future projects, I hope to make better use of my time and resources so that I can utilize them appropriately.
No one has publicly (to my knowledge) brought up these criticisms as of yet, but I still wanted to address it. My hope is that Grunge didn't offend or hurt anyone in it's portrayal of a certain heritage or race. I hope it didn't eroticize, fetishize, or demean anyone. I did my best with what resources I had and with what time limitations that I had.
If you thought Grunge misrepresented anyone, I just want to say: this is why it's so important to support creators of color. And it's not hard to do that! Play their game, make a recommendation online or to a friend; contribute a dollar to their Patreon or Ko-fi account!
Below are just SOME devs and organizations out there that are really making a difference in the gaming world:
Gensuta is one extremely talented dev. They are making Skate and Date, which is a rhythm game AND visual novel. Probably one of the coolest concepts that I’ve seen this year.
The Game Devs Of Color Expo is an annual event dedicated to showcasing the many talented devs of color who work in the industry!
Aubrey Scott is a Native American game developer focusing on engineering and design. Sbe is known for her work on NASCAR games.
Christina Zero is a game designer, level designer, and games scholar who has completed a lot of research in the video games industry.
Shawn Alexander Allen is an activist and game developer who is currently working on the upcoming Beatdown City.
Black Game Developers focuses on highlighting and celebrating black game developers. They recently hosted a game jam showcasing the work of devs from all across the industry.
Black Girl Gamers is an organization that focuses on “heightening Black Women’s voices in gaming” through creating a safe environment to discuss and enjoy games, as well as advocating for diversity within the industry.
POC in Play is an organization that focuses on “Creating initiatives & events to amplify the visibility & inclusion of People of Colour in the UK video games industry.”
And there are countless more in the industry that have been doing this work better than I can, and for far longer than I have!
If you are a dev or if you know of a dev whose work you’d like to share, please comment below. :-)