Slay

Morris uses gaming as a motif for the theme of Navigating Physical and Digital Spaces Impacted by Racism and Exclusion. Dr. Abbott sums up the potential of online games for both good and ill: “Like any other video game, it can be an innocent learning tool, or it can be dangerous” (138). This tension exists because the virtual realms people play in can never be wholly disconnected from the real world; people carry themselves and aspects of their society into games, both positive and negative. As a result, real-world prejudices impact virtual spaces. The discrimination Black players experience in mainstream games takes a number of forms. Kiera and Dr. Abbott’s young nephews encounter overt racism and slurs from other players. In addition, people of color are often demeaned or overlooked entirely by developers. For example, the enormously popular Legacy of Planets has an offensively limited selection of skin tones: “The only way to play as a character with dark skin is to be a dwarf—an ugly, hog-nosed troll with big floppy ears and an underbite” (110). Experiences like these in the online gaming community propel Kiera to create SLAY. Her goal is to provide Black gamers a place of refuge from the racism and exclusion they face in other games as well as their day-to-day lives in the real world: “Nobody has to worry about real-life problems here.