You will no doubt be aware that protests, marked by a violent police response, are ongoing in America. These protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, who was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck for almost 9 minutes. Today you will see many people, websites and individuals, participating in what is being called Blackout Tuesday. By not posting on social media, it clears the way for Black voices, particularly of the Black community in the US, to speak about the systemic racism and police brutality that they suffer.
We will be participating in this social media blackout for 24 hours from 2pm BST today, and have joined in a joint statement of solidarity from all the websites across our network. We’re going to spend the time playing and writing about games by BAME developers and creators, and those posts will appear in the next 24 hours and beyond.
We know we haven’t done nearly enough to amplify Black voices or help diverse people into this industry. We are working on things to change that. But now is not the time for a long and empty mea culpa. We encourage you to donate to organisations fighting racism and police violence. We encourage our white audience to take the time to listen and educate yourselves with resources like those provided by Black Lives Matter.