So, let’s talk about Xalavier Nelson Jr., the man behind Strange Scaffold, and his recent antics at the Black In Gaming awards ceremony. Picture this: a grown man throwing a tantrum because his game, El Paso, Elsewhere, didn’t get the initial love he expected from big-name publishers. Cry me a river, Junior. And none other than our dear friends over at Kotaku, swooped in like the self-proclaimed heroes of the gaming world to latch onto Xalavier Nelson Jr.’s pity party like a tic to a dog. Because, of course, nothing gets the clicks flowing like a good ol’ tale of victim-hood in the gaming industry.
Sure, El Paso, Elsewhere might have been a big deal for Strange Scaffold, but let’s not kid ourselves—it wasn’t exactly breaking records like a Max Payne clone with a vampire twist. Who even heard of it until Junior started whining about it?
Xalavier Nelson Jr. took to the stage at the Black In Gaming awards ceremony, wielding his grievances like a blunt weapon. He ranted about the games industry’s “sudden silence” when it comes to uplifting Black voices. Spare us the melodrama, mate. Just because your game didn’t get a red-carpet rollout doesn’t mean there’s some grand conspiracy against Black devs.
According to Xalavier Nelson Jr., El Paso, Elsewhere was passed around like a hot potato by publishers before Strange Scaffold finally made something out of it. Cry me a river. Welcome to the world of game development, where rejection is as common as bugs in an alpha build.
Xalavier Nelson Jr. went on to whine about how the industry loves to cash in on Black aesthetics but conveniently forgets to support Black-owned games. Oh, the horror! Maybe if El Paso, Elsewhere had been as good as Junior thinks it is, it wouldn’t have faced so many rejections. But hey, who needs self-awareness when you’ve got a soapbox to stand on?
He thanked everyone for their support, but that wasn’t enough. Xalavier Nelson Jr. just had to keep poking the bear. He took a swipe at the industry for “rolling in profits” while devs struggled to make ends meet. Newsflash: that’s capitalism for you. It’s not a charity, it’s a business.
Then he had the audacity to urge Black developers to abandon ship and flee the sinking city of the games industry. Talk about melodramatic. Last time I checked, nobody forced anyone to work in this industry. If you don’t like it, there’s the door.
And just when you thought Xalavier Nelson Jr. had reached peak entitlement, he threw shade at gamers who dared to question the coordinated push for diversity in games. He cried over GamerGate 2.0, and apparently, any criticism of forced diversity initiatives is automatically a hate movement.
The spark to the fire was Sweet Baby Inc., the consultancy firm whose CEO advised employees to terrify companies if they don’t get what they want. The firm has had its fingers in some big-name flops like Alan Wake 2 and Suicide Squad.
So, what’s the moral of this story? Simple: Toughen up, Junior. The games industry isn’t a safe space for cry babies. If you want to succeed, you’ve got to earn it, not whine for it. And as for Kotaku and its so-called “hits,” well, let’s just say they’re about as relevant as a glitchy NPC in a Bethesda game.
What do you think of Kotaku and the Balck In Gaming Awards? Leave a comment and let us know.
What a Freaking Joke.