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Cooperative Gaming provides context and practical advice regarding diversity in the games industry. The book begins with a deep dive into research literature and the history of diversity in the games industry to provide context around what diversity is and why it is a topic worth considering. The book looks at the different facets of diversity and games, exploring the issues and solutions within game development, studio management, event planning, and more. It provides people with practical advice around being a marginalized person in the games industry and how to be heard, how studios can support inclusive practices, and events can actively become more accessible to a diverse audience.

Representation is a key facet of the conversation around diversity and games. We use survey data around the importance of diversity in games as the foundation for this discussion, delving into the statistical data for how different social groups are represented in games. We talk about how these representations vary between AAA and indie games, and why these differences may occur, as well as highlighting some key representations as examples authentic and stereotypical depictions. This chapter has advice for creators on how to better represent diversity in games, and highlights the differences between AAA and indie facets of the industry and how the varied resources within these categories can impact representation. We also outline accessible game engines and tools that can be used to tell diverse stories more easily, discuss the benefits of accessible distribution methods, and explore the world of game jams.

Events are a major part of the games industry. Academic conferences disseminate knowledge, consumer events allow audiences to engage with the latest titles and the developers who created them, industry events let game developers network and learn new skills, and esports tournaments are attracting larger and larger audiences. For events to be inclusive and accessible, they need to actively consider their policies and practices early in the organization phase. This chapter explores actionable steps that event organizers can take, including writing and enforcing a code of conduct, accessing consultancy, improving online messaging, training staff and volunteers, preparing the venue to be physically accessible, and providing options to as many attendees as possible.

For the games industry to become more diverse, the workplace must be inclusive and accessible to marginalised people. In this chapter, we start by exploring statistics that demonstrate the positive impact improved diversity can have on a business, and then move into a number of actionable steps companies can take to improve their inclusive practices. We discuss varied hiring and promoting practices, explore options for internal policies and training initiatives, suggest communities and councils that can be created within workplaces, describe how mentoring can improve diversity and inclusion, describe how external messaging can improve or damage a workplace's reputation, give suggestions for assessment and reflection tools, and finally suggest ways to leverage financial and social capital to improve diversity industry-wide.

In many ways, the authors hope the future of diversity and games is a continuation of existing trends. Looking ahead, they imagine and see an increase in games featuring diverse characters and themes-as well as an increase in the people making that content, the game engines used to make it, and the game jams used to inspire it. The future of diversity in the games industry is reliant on ensuring managers and event organizers are prioritizing and working toward inclusion and accessibility, so that the ongoing push for better practices does not continue to fall on marginalized people fighting for themselves. The future of diversity in games will be driven by more allies speaking up against the vocal and violent minority, allowing marginalized people to feel safe within the industry and continue to share their stories. Sharing information and ensuring more people see the value of diversity-in game content, game studios, and games industry events-is vital.

Marginalisation causes groups to be relegated to the fringes of society or a community due to systematic discrimination, and the reduction of a group's power and privilege in social, legal, political, and other institutional situations (Zammit & Cole 2019b). This chapter examines what marginalisation looks like, and how it specifically impacts people who are working in the game industry or participating in games communities. As part of our analysis, we look at existing organisations that are designed to help marginalised communities, how they were created, and their overall goals for the games industry. This chapter also encourages allies to help marginalised communities in four key ways: by spending money, acting, speaking out, and listening and learning.