Intel Shores Up 300 Million to Diversify Tech, Game Development

During their Keynote address at CES, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich made a heck of a surprise announcement: it would be investing 300 million dollars in supporting women and minority diversification in the world of technology and game development.

Kinda came out of left field?  It sure feels that way, but there’s actually a story behind this.   See, back in October of 2013 (the start of the now legendary #Gamergate scandal) Gamasutra’s Editor Leigh Alexander wrote and published an article that suggested the end of the term ‘gamer’. In response to that article, so many ‘gamers’ wrote letters of complaint to Intel that the company, very preemptively, decided to pull its ads from the website.  It wasn’t too long after that when Intel realized it had bet on the wrong horse and less than a month later it reversed its decision, re-instating the ads on the website and publicly stating they were not trying to take a stance on the gamergate issue.

Well, that assurance either didn’t convince the people they were trying to appease or didn’t seem sincere enough to themselves, because in announcing this 300 million investment, Brian Krzanich indirectly linked it with the Gamergate controversy, saying:

"A confluence of industry events has brought this issue to the center stage.  From the threats and harassment that characterize the debate in the gaming world to the publication of hiring data and diversity statistics in the tech industry, this is a highly relevant issue and one we all need to address."

Okay, but while 300 million is certainly and impressive number, what does it mean practically?  Well, Intel is teaming up with groups like The National Center for Women and Information Technology, The Anita Borg Institute, United Negro College Fund, Girls Who Code, Society of Women Engineers, the E-Sports League, the International Game Developers Association, and yes, Feminist Frequency to create scholarships and hiring initiatives to better diversify the fields of tech and gaming development.  The number of white males to literally any other race/gender combination in the world of gaming development is still extremely dis-proportioned, and one of the stated goals of this is simply to even up the numbers some.

A noble goal if there ever was one, even if it does seem like a case of overcompensation.  Then again, 300 million is a drop in the bucket for Intel, so we’ll have to see what sort of changes it can practically bring about before we make our judgments.  Here’s hoping for the best, though!