SalamiAttack
All Star
A conversation about race and diversity in esports and gaming
The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25 set off a national conversation about systemic racism and the experience of Black people in the United States. The ripple effects included a greater public awareness of racism and prejudice in many aspects of everyday life and touched various industries across the country, including gaming and esports.
Since then, people in esports and gaming have taken to social media to speak up about incidents of racism and to voice their support of Black Lives Matter. ESPN Esports reached out to Ezra "Samsora" Morris (Super Smash Bros. pro), Erin Ashley Simon (host and journalist, VENN), Amanda Stevens (journalist and diversity and inclusion consultant) and Malik Forte (producer and host, formerly Overwatch League), who have all been outspoken in their support of Black Lives Matter, to learn more about the issues that affect Black people in the gaming industry, including the challenges Black players, content creators, hosts and casters face and what teams, organizations and streaming platforms can do to foster a more diverse community.
What are some of the issues, challenges or obstacles you have faced as a Black person in the gaming and esports community or that you have seen others face?
Ezra "Samsora" Morris: I haven't faced many challenges from my experiences. Of course, the occasional racist Black jokes may come around so often because people were spiteful of how well I was doing in Smash, but other than that, there haven't been noticeable challenges. Many of the top Smash players are minorities, including the best Smash player, Leonardo "MkLeo" Perez, who is Mexican.
The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis on May 25 set off a national conversation about systemic racism and the experience of Black people in the United States. The ripple effects included a greater public awareness of racism and prejudice in many aspects of everyday life and touched various industries across the country, including gaming and esports.
Since then, people in esports and gaming have taken to social media to speak up about incidents of racism and to voice their support of Black Lives Matter. ESPN Esports reached out to Ezra "Samsora" Morris (Super Smash Bros. pro), Erin Ashley Simon (host and journalist, VENN), Amanda Stevens (journalist and diversity and inclusion consultant) and Malik Forte (producer and host, formerly Overwatch League), who have all been outspoken in their support of Black Lives Matter, to learn more about the issues that affect Black people in the gaming industry, including the challenges Black players, content creators, hosts and casters face and what teams, organizations and streaming platforms can do to foster a more diverse community.
What are some of the issues, challenges or obstacles you have faced as a Black person in the gaming and esports community or that you have seen others face?
Ezra "Samsora" Morris: I haven't faced many challenges from my experiences. Of course, the occasional racist Black jokes may come around so often because people were spiteful of how well I was doing in Smash, but other than that, there haven't been noticeable challenges. Many of the top Smash players are minorities, including the best Smash player, Leonardo "MkLeo" Perez, who is Mexican.
