The DeanBeat: GDC 2018 shows the heartbreaking story of Muslims in gaming

Game developer and educator Osama Dorias let out some emotion and passion during his talk on “Muslim Representation in Games.” It was one of those rare moments at the Game Developers Conference this week that I’ll remember for a while.

As I witnessed Dorias cry on stage, I began to wonder if this GDC, perhaps for the first time ever in our new era of inclusiveness, was good for Muslims. It is wonderful to think that the 26,000-plus-person event was good for everyone, because of its inclusiveness, because it allowed someone like Dorias to express such suppressed emotion in public. But that’s a little wishful, on my part. Because the story about Muslims and the state of GDC is pretty heartbreaking.