Weekend Discussion - February 26, 2022

It's time for a special edition of Weekend Discussion!

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Happy Saturday! It is the nearly the end of Black History Month and a massive week in gaming. Let's dive in to hefty Weekend Discussion!

Black Voices, Game Devs, & Content Creators need your support for the other 11 months as well.

Black History has always been world history and I believe that it is always important to look back while also looking forward. Jerry Lawson had a big impact on gaming and helped show what was possible with engineering in a constantly evolving space in the tech world. As we mentioned in the original Hall of Fame  induction commentary, "Lawson captained development of the Fairchild Channel F, a game console that ran on interchangeable game cartridges, making him a pioneer among pioneers in video game software and hardware."

Jerry Lawson is a member of the Shacknews Hall of Fame
Jerry Lawson is a member of the Shacknews Hall of Fame

Since we just spoke about the past briefly, I want to also bring up a man from the present. We recently spoke with Dinga Bakaba, Creative Director for Deathloop which was the Shacknews 2021 Game of the Year. I really enjoyed listening to how the team approached developing Colt and Juliana as fully realized characters and from a art style standpoint, made sure to keep their afro-centric features on full display.

You can read about why Deathloop took home Game of the Year here.

I want to also take a moment to speak up as a content creator on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms to say that Black history takes place all year round. Over the years I have been approached by companies to be the face of BHM activations while being completely ignored the other 11 months out of the year. There are changes that need to happen within the gaming space but there are also plenty of opportunities being made thanks to the people putting in the work. Will we see game studios and management companies with more Black faces behind the scenes?

Thankfully, some of that is happening already with amazing groups that are definitely worth your time. I want to highlight what Xmiramira and her team have been doing with The Noir Network, group of Black femme content creators across the gaming space who have been absolutely killing it with their content, streaming, and even esports competitive play. 

Mira also brings up some of what I've been talking about when it comes to some of these PR and brand activations.

Mira has been hosting Twitter Spaces every week to help folks trying to better themselves in the content creation space. You can catch a recording of today's session about supporting your peers below. 

Take some time to check out some of the amazing creators on that list and be vocal with your support!

In Case you missed it...

We have had plenty of awesomeness on display this week including some live stream content of the early days of Elden Ring from our staff Sam Chandler and TJ Denzer. 

You can check out the full video review for Elden Ring below as well. I am loving the game so far and it is shaping up to be an early Game of the Year contender and potentially an all-time great. 

We also reviewed the SteamDeck and felt that Valve definitely has some work to do to make this device more user-friendly. Check out Asif having a conversation about the new portable system on yesterday's episode of The Dump. 

And now...The Internet

It's still Black History Month and Spades is definitely part of the Black experience for plenty of us. This image is amazing. 

I have a soft spot for Wind Waker Link. 

Can't catch the OG slippin! 

Kanye as a NPC is something I want now in this game. 

The accuracy. 

The Spidey meme is part of the MCU now. 

Sonic Adventure 2 should get a remake not a remaster. I need my Chao racing fix. 

Mimi totally killed this KOF 15 cosplay! 

This was the most wholesome vid on the internet this week. Shout out to the Black mom's that never stop supporting their sons. I need to give mine a call. Happy Black History Month! 

Weekend Vibes

Denzel Curry dropped a banger with visuals that make me wish I was playin Ghost of Tsushima. Check it out.

The Weekend DawnFM special is now on Amazon Prime Video. 

Omretta is making waves right now telling folks that they ain't from Atlanta. Check out this new freestyle drop. 

Yves Tumor is bringinig the full 80's punk vibes to close out this week's list. there's so much style on display in this vid. Enjoy the ride.


I hope the rest of this week is amazing for you all and support Black creators across platforms and in the game industry in general. You can also support us with Shacknews Mercury.. Have a great weekend!

Community Manager

Denny is the current Social Media & Community Lead for Shacknews. He loves to be part of the conversation with readers and the gaming community as a whole. Denny is very passionate about making the game industry and associated media spaces more inclusive. He's also a huge fan of fighting games, hosting live tournament events with some fun color commentary. When he’s not gaming, you can find him diving into the discount comics bin or enjoying a horror movie with the lights off. He’s also been a content creator on Twitch since 2015 and has spoken live at Twitchcon, C2E2, and several other events along with providing D&I consulting for up and coming brands in gaming. 

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