Source:
Insomniac
Games
/
PlayStation
/
Dove
Black
and
Brown
video
game
characters
are
constantly
plagued
with
awful-looking
generic
hairstyles.
Dove
and
Open
Source
Afro
Source
Hair
Library
to
fix
that
glaring
issue.
Did
you
know
that
85%
of
Black
gamers
do
not
feel
video
games
are
coming
up
painfully
regarding
the
representation
of
Black
characters?
Did
you
also
know
that
74%
of
game
developers
really
want
to
actively
promote
better
representation?
Dove
and
Open
Afro
Source
Hair
Library
are
on
a
mission
to
fix
the
Black
hair
issue
in
video
games
with
the
launch
of
“Code
My
Crown,”
the
first
complete
and
free
guide
about
coding
textured
hair
and
protective
styles
specifically
for
video
games.
Code
My
Crown
aims
to
eliminate
the
tired
excuse
that
Black
hair
is
hard
to
emulate
in
games
by
providing
coders
and
developers
with
an
instructional
guide
allowing
them
to
code
more
diverse
and
“true
to
life”
hairstyles
in
3D
games.
As
mentioned
above,
the
guide
is
free
to
download
at
Dove.com/CodemyCrown.
This
site was
also
created
to
help
increase
diversity
in
the
video
game
world.
Speaking
on
the
lack
of
texture
hairstyles
in
games,
Isaac
Olander,
lead
Code
My
Crown
developer
3D
Artist,
said
in
a
press
release,
“Out
of
hundreds
of
possible
hairstyles
to
choose
from
in
the
video
games
I
play
most
often,
only
a
handful
are
textured
hairstyles,”
Olander
added,
“I
am
personally
grateful
to
the
many
talented
artists
that
have
selflessly
shared
their
knowledge
before
me.
Their
generosity
has
shaped
my
artistic
journey,
and
it
feels
incredibly
rewarding
to
give
back
to
our
artistic
community
with
this
guide.”
What
Is
The
Open
Source
Afro
Hair
Library?
Open
Source
Afro
Hair
Library
features
a
bunch
of
Black
creators,
developers,
and
natural
hair
experts
who
point
out
the
top
textured
and
protective
hairstyles
that
are
always
absent
in
video
games.
Code
My
Crown
also
features
15
original
hair
sculpts
created
by
international
Black
3D
artists,
animators,
programmers,
and
academics
to
help
give
developers
a
foundation
to
create
better
virtual
hairstyles
for
Black
characters.
Each
sculpt
has
360-degree
image
mapping,
step-by-step
instructions,
and
cultural
context
to
help
them
create
Black
hairstyles
in
the
game.
“In
the
real
world,
there
is
an
incredible
variety
of
Black
hairstyles.
But
this
is
rarely
reflected
in
the
gaming
world,”
A.M.
Darke,
founder
and
lead
Code
My
Crown
contributor,
said
in
the
release.
“When
Black
hair
is
absent
from
the
games
we
play
or
are
consistently
low-quality,
it
communicates
that
Black
players
and
our
culture
are
an
afterthought,
that
our
stories
aren’t
worth
telling.”
Black
Hair
In
Video
Games
Has
Been
A
Hot
Topic
Issue
In
March,
Kinda
Funny’s
Blessing
Adeoye
Jr.
released
a
fantastic
video
highlighting
the
need
for
immediate
fixes
to Black
hairstyles
in
video
games.
The
video
notes
there
have
been
some
strides.
For
example,
see
Miles
Morales’
crispy
ceaser
haircut
in
the
above
photo
from
Marvel’s
Spider-Man:
Miles
Morales
or
his
latest
hairstyle
in
Marvel’s
Spider-Man
2,
but
the
issue
in
gaming
is
still
glaring.
We
can
still
find
some
recently
released
games
that
provide
users
with
subpar
cornrows,
afros,
and
other
hair
options
that
only
Tyler
Perry
would
use
in
his
television
shows
or
films.
However,
we
applauded
Dove,
the
Open
Source
Afro
Hair
Library,
the
developers,
and
Blessing
for
bringing
attention
to
this
important
issue.
Representation
will
always
matter.
¯
Photo:
Insomniac
Games
/
PlayStation
