Children’s BBC host Jules Hardy called for a “final purge” of video game players after a boycott list was created for video game consultancy group Black Girl Gamers, who worked on the Square Enix failure Forspoken.
Jules Hardy via Jules Hardy YouTube
X user Becky8903740521 shared a screenshot to the social media platform of a Steam Group and curator list that was to inform gamers of all the games that Black Girl Gamers had worked on. The user wrote, “black girl gamers you wanted to defend sweet baby Inc. with all you could possible well here is your page because you wanted to finish sweet baby in when I know that you both work together on projects and forced DEI is nothing more than racism.”
Interestingly, the user was created in March and the Steam Group and curator list does not appear to exist anymore.
Becky8903740521 on X
Nevertheless, Black Girl Gamers responded to the post writing, “We really got you pressed by just existing LOL. We’ve never worked with sweet baby inc, you all saw ‘Black’ and ‘consulting’ and decided that we all work together. Sounds like racism. We’re not stopping so have fun.”
Black Girl Gamers on X
Hardy, who hosts the CBBC show Game on Grandparents and BBC’s Top Gear Gaming Show, reacted to Black Girl Gamers’ post writing, “can we a agree that for round two of ‘this’ it can be the final purge of these kinds of gamers?”
She added, “its 2024 I’ve been arguing about this for decades can we have a last full detox of these dude so we can get back to the positive gaming community we have been creating.”
Jules Hardy on X
In response to a query from YouTuber Melonie Mac, Hardy explained what she meant by “final purge.”
Mac wrote, “Aka you want to purge real gamers in favor of activists who can’t hang in a multiplayer lobby without having a meltdown, or who can’t navigate a single player game without yellow paint, shiny ledges, and the character telling them what to do.”
Hardy responded, “Nah I want to purge the hate and vitriol from gamers who refuse to allow gaming to evole [sic] and adapt as we humans are doing. I have no problem with opposing view points – but hate – violence and aggressive behaviour isn’t ok in any realm you live within.”
Jules Hardy on X
Ironically, Black Girl Gamers appeared to discriminate in their hiring practices just last month.
The organization posted to X, “Looking for Black Women Content Creators that make Dungeons & Dragons (DND) content for some potential brand work! Hit us up!”
Black Girl Gamers on X
Not only has Black Girl Gamers seemingly discriminated in its hiring practices, but the company’s founder Jay-Ann Lopez made it clear in an interview with GameRant in April 2023 that she’s annoyed by white characters in video games.
She was asked, “Were there any video games that made you wish that their character was a woman of color or a Black woman?”
Lopez responded, “I would flip the whole premise of a number of games, especially the ones that go into countries and get their relics. I would flip that on their head – that’s always been a dream of mine in general. But to be honest, no. I’m not averse to having White characters. I’m just annoyed at how prevalent they are.”
Jay-Ann Lopez via BuzzFeed UK YouTube
She would then claim she’s not interested in race replacing characters, but admitted “it works in some ways.”
Lopez said, “I wouldn’t want to change an existing character that I can think of at the moment. One of my favorite games, The Witcher 3, is predominantly based on a Polish novel. I have seen no need for me to change that main character. What I want is more stories that are authentic to Black, Brown, and Non-White people of color to be reflected in. I don’t want to necessarily have to ‘racebend’ an existing character for me. That’s not the epitome of representation. It works in some ways and other ways. I want some original content.”
A screenshot from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015), CD Projekt Red
Her animus against white characters in games also surfaced while discussing Apex Legends and Overwatch, “I see diverse, underrepresented characters in games like Apex, who have kind of covered a lot of bases. There are also games like Overwatch, which I had initially had a problem with – and they seem to be picking up their slack now – but still as a game that has a majority of White characters, I still don’t understand how you can call yourself a diverse game and have a majority of White characters. But a lot of them that do it right are games where you pick from a roster.”
She made it even more clear that she just wants to get rid of white characters when she was asked, “Has there been any video games that you’ve seen that have gone in the right direction in terms of diversity?”
Lopez said, “Apex is definitely one that’s done quite well. The intention is there, and the same with Overwatch.Overwatch didn’t have a Black female character for so long, and they had six White characters that were male, seven White characters that were female And I was like, “Where’s the Black women?” Out of the two, I would pick Apex because obviously, they represent me and that’s what I’m here for really and truly. Deathloop was also great and Ghost of Tshushima. I’m not Japanese, so I cannot speak to the cultural accuracy, but I really enjoyed that game. Again, Raji is another one as well.”
Jay-Ann Lopez via BuzzFeed UK YouTube
What do you make of Hardy calling for a “final purge” of gamers?
