ESA Foundation leader explains why diversity in games matters more than ever

Anastasia Staten isn’t able to auction off cool vacations to game industry executives at an in-person charity dinner this year due to the pandemic. But the executive director of the ESA Foundation, which uses the donations for grants to help kids, is still campaigning on behalf of the women and underrepresented minorities the game industry needs to fill its ranks.

Through online events such as the recent Red Bull virtual roundtable at the Latinx in Gaming’s Unidos Online event, Staten has carried the flag on diversity in games and stressed the importance of creating educational opportunities for children. After a spring and summer that gave rise to Black Lives Matter protests and #MeToo allegations of sexism and harassment in the gaming industry, I thought it would be a good time to catch up with Staten about the current opportunity for change and obstacles to greater diversity in gaming.