Video games have long struggled with diversification and inclusivity, so it was no surprise when the Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley announced the Future Class programme in 2020. Its purpose was to highlight a cohort of individuals working in video games as the “bright, bold and inclusive future” of the industry.
"With the video game industry wrestling with another culture war over diversity, equity, and inclusivity initiatives (DEI), some members of the Future Class feel they were used for positive publicity, then cast aside when DEI was no longer in vogue."
"We were effectively props,” game producer Dianna Lora, who was inducted into the first Future Class in 2020, said over video call. “Once we got to the Game Awards (most people flew in from other countries, which was expensive), we showed up, and it felt like we were pushed to the side door … We found out later that Keighley had a party in another room with all the influencers and industry people. You know where Future Class met that day? At a Starbucks.”
“No one from official leadership even showed up until the meet-up was basically over,” Future Class member and Retcon Games creative director Jes Negrón said of that Starbucks meeting. “We were pretty bummed about just being cast aside.”
Elsewhere at that 2021 ceremony, Lora, community manager Natalie Checo, podcast host Kahlief Adams, and other Future Class inductees’ seats were behind one of the camera risers, completely obstructing their view.
Future Class inductees receive programme perks for the next 12 months: a ticket to the Game Awards (alumni were given discounts to buy tickets), and access to career advancement opportunities. Several people referred to the early career-focused events as chats with high-profile industry members such as former Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aimé and Xbox head Phil Spencer, rather than proper mentorship programmes.
“It felt like Keighley just called a bunch of his friends to do Zoom calls,” Lora said. “It was inspiring to have these conversations, but that’s really as far as it went.”