The lack of diversity in video games has been a longstanding issue in the industry. Black gamers play for fun, community, and self-expression. However, the depiction of textured hair and protective styles remains limited. Black characters are often highly stereotypical and not representative of their real-world counterparts.
Dove and Open Source Afro Hair Library launched Code My Crown – the world’s first complete and free guide for coding textured hair and protective styles in video games to combat the issue of representation.
Code My Crown is an instructional guide for coders and developers to code more diverse, true-to-life depictions of Black hairstyles. The 3D designs ensure more representation in the virtual world of gaming.
“Often, if Black artists are asked to create something representative of their culture, they are not given the autonomy and agency to create something authentic and representative. They’re asked to recreate someone else’s idea of Blackness,” said A.M. Drake, owner of Open Source Afro Hair Library and lead contributor for Code My Crown.
