2024 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

More than 2 in 5 gamers have experienced racism while playing online games, and more than 1 in 3 have experienced hate speech on gaming platforms. But despite ongoing efforts to fix bugs and enhance the gaming experience, the issue of racism remains largely unaddressed by game developers. This lack of accountability for the widespread hatred on gaming platforms creates a toxic environment, ultimately causing 7 out of 10 gamers to consider leaving the community altogether. Developers have done little more than pay lip-service to this issue, leaving the responsibility to combat racism to the gamers themselves.

Melanin Gamers, an organization committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity in the video game industry, wanted to draw attention to these issues and convince game developers to take real action.

Racist language is everywhere in online gaming, but even though over 80% of gamers face harassment, game developers haven’t done anything to stop it. Leaving it up to the community to fight the problem themselves.

They helped gamers do what developers wouldn’t. By turning Twitch’s built-in clip function into a weapon for gamers to fight racism themselves, they worked with the organization Melanin Gamers, and created The Watch — gaming’s
first community watch.

To join, you just had to clip racism when you heard it on Twitch and DM it to us on Twitter, where they used it to put pressure on developers to take real acNon, all while building a community of allies that continues to grow to this day.

Within 24 hours of launching, they recruited over 2 million potential members. The numbers continued to grow, proving their initiative was not just an innovative idea, but one that people were eager to support. In fact, within the first week, they received over 50 detailed and relevant clips of racist language in Call of Duty submitted by users.

Then, they took their message beyond social media by hacking TwitchCon in Amsterdam and displaying their message for everyone to see. At the conference, their panel discussions sparked conversations and raised attention from the media every step of the way.

Now, The Watch has seen millions of users showing their support and coming together to form an engaged community of allies. By empowering gamers to take on the fight themselves, they created a movement capable of holding game developers accountable for years to come and making gaming more inclusive for all.

Credits

Agency: Leo Burnett Toronto
Client: Melanin Gamers

Creative Agency: Leo Burnett, Toronto
President: Ben Tarr
Co-Chief Creative Officers: Lisa Greenberg, Steve Persico
Managing Director, Account Services: Natasha Dagenais
Chief Strategy Officer: Tahir Ahmad
VP Development & Communications: Richard Newman
Creative Director: Kohl Forsberg
Senior Art Director: Tyler McKissick
Senior Copywriter: Coleman Mallery
VP, Group Creative Director, Design: Man Wai Wong
Designer: Eric Espinosa Iracheta
Junior Designer: Tatjana Dudas
VP, Director of Creative Technology: Felix Wardene
VP, Post & Print Production: Gord Cathmoir
VP, Human Resources Director & Head of DE&I: Stephanie McRae
Producer/Account Director: Mike Spilchuk

Editing Company: Married to Giants
Editor: Ryan Hunt
Assistant Editor: Liam Crawford
Assistant Editor: Oliver Whitfield-Smith
Junior Producer: Devin Fields

Audio: Vapor Music
Executive Producer: Erin Scott
Director: Brendan Quinn
Producer: Kasey Brown

Audio: Grayson Music Group
Executive Producer: Kelly McCluskey
Director: Mark Domitric
Composer: Tyson Kuteyi
Senior Producer: Nicholas Shaw
Audio Engineer: Niki Thay

PR Company: Pomp & Circumstance
Creative Director/Partner: Lindsay Mattick
VP of Accounts & Operations: Ania Gilbert
Senior Account Specialist: Chenda Noun
Communications Specialist: Kevin Behar
Account Specialist: Alanna Fallis

Media: Starcom/Publicis Media/APEX Exchange
Group Account Director: Jeff Fearnall
Digital Director: Jade Mattinson
Account Manager: Dominique Shelepuk
Supervisor, Digital: Jennifer Lee
Manager, Digital: Maryori Lara Melle
Buyer, Digital: Kylie Thun
Programmatic Manager: Kenneth Fernandes