Xbox has launched a new initiative called Project Amplify. It's aimed at helping young Black professionals find their dream jobs in the gaming industry, and it'll consist of advice, insights, and highlights from Black Xbox employees across various different departments.
What is Xbox Project Amplify all about?
Per an official Xbox Wire blog post, Project Amplify is all about helping Black people to get into the gaming industry. As Xbox points out, only 2% of gaming industry employees are Black compared with 13% of the overall US population. As such, Project Amplify's main mission is to "[promote] pipelines for Black people and youth across the gaming industry".
In order to achieve this, Xbox has created a series of videos featuring fourteen Black employees from across different departments at Xbox. These employees will share advice for industry hopefuls, as well as insight into what they do at their current role and highlights from their careers.
Examples of Black professionals featured in the Project Amplify series include product manager Q Muhaimin, who says they "want more people to know that they have options". Senior business development manager James Lewis is also a key proponent of the project, and he says he hopes Project Amplify "inspires people to dream and take action" in order to fulfill their aspirations.
As well as the aforementioned videos, Project Amplify will also consist of a 2-day event involving "on-site industry panels and networking opportunities" with members of Xbox's Black communities. This will take place at the Revolt Summit this weekend. You'll also find a host of resources and extras to help you get started in the industry on the Xbox blog post announcing Project Amplify.
Project Amplify is one of a few Xbox diversity initiatives announced in recent months. In August, it was announced that the Xbox Gaming for Inclusion event, which aims to spotlight Special Olympics athletes, would return for another year. July's Power Her Dreams campaign also saw Xbox donating money to non-profit organizations in the name of influential women in sports. The gaming industry as a whole has a diversity problem, but hopefully, initiatives like this will help to address that problem. We'll bring you more on this as soon as we get it.
