Shine a Light, a platform made up of organizations, companies, institutions, and individuals who are passionate about combating antisemitism and other forms of hate/discrimination in the U.S., and African-American-owned and operated gaming and esports-focused agency Gold Standard Gaming (GSG) announced Thursday that “Shine A Light on Gaming” will make a return during the upcoming holiday season.
The new Shine A Light on Gaming campaign will facilitate streams, panels, and community programming focusing on supporting and uniting “groups commonly attacked in the gaming space,” according to a release. Organizers say that the goal of this campaign is to spark “meaningful conversations that underline the importance of collective efforts in making the gaming space a more welcoming environment for people from all walks of life.”
Partners of the 2023 campaign include Voices of the Forgotten, Melanin Gamers, Citadel Esports Cafe, RADCL Esports, The Black In Gaming Foundation, and Lost Tribe, with more to be announced. Ambassadors include GrizzlyPuncher, HappyHappyGal, Klutchshot, and SteffyEvans—who have a combined following of 4.5M across social media and popular streaming and content platforms.
“Recognizing the interconnected nature of discrimination is crucial as we strive for a more inclusive gaming world and society at large. When one marginalized group faces intolerance, it’s often a sign of deeper-rooted issues affecting many. Antisemitism is indicative of wider societal prejudices and stereotypes that impact other communities in the gaming space,” said Sebastian Burton, CEO of GSG.
Burton is a former professional gamer, and former brand ambassador for such companies as ELEAGUE, Supercell, DreamHack, Capcom, and EA Sports, among others. Â
To get a better idea of what the goal of this campaign is about, the video below explains the crux of the message that Shine A Light on Gaming wants to deliver to gamers: