Hold On to Your Dreams – Voices of African-American Geeks and Creators

Pop Culture Uncovered

Writing an article about pop/geek culture and African-Americans is a difficult task for me. While I can certainly discuss academic knowledge, objective facts, or logical arguments, I find it far harder to write about the human and subjective side. As I have not lived these lives, how can I speak for others’ experiences?

Thus, I refuse to do so and will instead let people speak for themselves. What follows are the experiences of three PoC geeks and creators, discussing their pursuits and careers with their own voices. I hope readers find their words informative, enlightening, and inspiring, and carry that insight to others.

I would like to thank the following for joining me…

• Danielle Grace, author, and poet;
• Herman “Ninjasmacks” Brown, webcomic artist; and
• Holdt, vidder, and author

So, could you please tell me how each of you got started in the world of geekdom?

Danielle:…

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Sound of Silence – Overwatch’s Lack of Gamer Accessibility

Pop Culture Uncovered

Gaming and accessibility is an important topic that comes up all too often. The subject is big enough there was an entire panel on it at PlayStation Experience. The topic even came up recently here at PCU, when discussing some irritation at Pokémon Sun & Moon. While Nintendo received the brunt of criticism for that faux pas, they are not alone in their inconsideration.

More recently, some gamers among the Deaf communityhave shown their frustration with Blizzard and the ever-popular Overwatch. While they praised the game for its visuals, character design, and mechanics, they noted the use of audio prompts and voice communication make things more difficult for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing players. While this could be mostly annoying in Quick Play or Arcade Mode, this design can be downright dangerous in Competitive mode where everyone needs to be on point at all times.

The biggest barrier apparently is the…

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Gamer Accessibility – Has Nintendo Still Not Learned Its Lesson?

Pop Culture Uncovered

Gaming – you’d think it would be for everyone. After all, what’s your stereotypical gamer? Creative, open-minded, intellectual, geeky, outcast, “different,” etc. I’m not saying gaming hasn’t become mainstream or that everyone should be pigeon-holed, but like much of geek culture, the “gamer” cliché exists for a reason. Even in the face of some loud mouthed groups and Internet assholery, gamers (and geeks) are often an inclusive and supportive community.

Despite this, millions of gamers continue to struggle at their hobby even in the tech-savvy 21st century. People with disabilities or differences, who don’t move, see or hear the same as most discover obstacles when presented with regular games or controllers. This difficulty isn’t something new, as gamer accessibility has been a concern since the dawn of computer games. The fight for equal access continued throughout the end of the 20th century, with increased awareness of…

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