Embassy Media Consultant managing director Scott Steinberg decided to canvas select members of certain "gaming minority" groups and ask them what they thought games needed to do in order to better appeal/represent them. As far as using the word minority, it's in the context of their representation in the current gaming market/industry, not necessarily in society as a whole. Anyways, they asked a senior, a woman, a Latino and an African American on their thoughts. The responses? Interesting.

Sal Falciglia (CEO and founder of Slingo, Inc) just wants people to take the elderly seriously as a gaming market. Kris Soumas (Vice President of Games for Lifetime Networks) says women will play games that are fun, not games that are made for women. Ralph Rivera (Vice President and General Manager of AOL Games) would like Latinos to be portrayed a little more positively.

But they saved the best for last, with Derek Smart, of nutty Battlecruiser fame. Maybe he's not so nutty after all. When asked what he thinks might help "get [the games industry's] heads out of the sand" with regards to marketing for African Americans, he says:

No. They're doing just fine. The more focus they place on developing good games, the less likely they are to get distracted and mired into that whole black vs. white non-issue when it comes to games. It's bad enough that we can't go online these days without seeing some idiot trying to connect real-world violence with video games. So no, let's not compound the problem by adding yet another catalyst. Next thing you know, we'll have Jesse [Jackson] and Al [Sharpton] breathing down our backs about more African Americans being in jail because we're developing crime- and violence-riddled games to them. Can you imagine what would happen if Jack Thompson were black?

Got ten minutes? Grab a cup 'o joe and check the full piece out, it's good readin'. Especially Derek Smart's bit. Derek, I take back...most of those mean things I said about you after I "played" Battlecruiser. Luke Plunkett

Marketing to Game Minorities [GameDaily.biz]