In a social environment where the movement of black people is produced through constant surveillance, Curry’s inability to be accurately transformed into a digital version is a powerful critique.

Game studios are now purposefully designing bad systems and mechanics, hoping that people will be willing to pay to get past the poorly-made parts of the service: when microtransactions are the sole source of income, we start to build our entire product around that model.

Marginalized developers suffer from an industry-wide epidemic that withholds basic income from hard-working artists for the dubious privilege of exposure. But despite popular belief, we are not in dire need of exposure, petty consolations, or a tent on the outskirts of a major industry event.

Organizations run by primarily white, cis, straight founders train the majority of their focus on alleviating alienation for white cis women in cis male-centric spaces, but do little to dig deeper into other marginalized identities and access needs.

DDR didn’t teach me to work myself into oblivion, propelled by shame and chalky smoothies. DDR taught me to get some water, sit down, talk to a friend, send a text, lean on that rail. For DDR, exercise wasn’t some frantic tailspin toward some punishing end.

In a video games climate that has been decrying the prevalence of rehashed themes and narratives, perhaps the matter of racial inclusion can serve as one catalyst for greater change.

In a way, you were the dream: someone who delivered high-quality work - or even perfection - without staying at the company long enough to get paid.

Decades have passed and still accessibility remains on the fringes of technical change.

An interview with Mattie Brice on how play is challenging the status quo as a new tool for activism and expression.