Game Devs of Color 2019: Learning Social Anxieties, Frustrations, and Perspective in Catt Small’s SweetXHeart

As I arrived at the Game Devs of Color Expo, I enthusiastically accepted the event’s welcome package, including the booklet with every game and panel being showcased. While many visual novels were being showcased that day, one, in particular, caught my interest – Catt Small’s SweetXHeart (pronounced “sweetheart”). SweetXHeart is a short but meaningful game where players take on the role of Kara – a young, 19-year-old black woman from the Bronx. In the game’s description, it challenges players, asking “Can you get through a week in the life of a modern black woman?” It’s a question that made me think. Not just about my own interactions with and the stories I’ve heard from people like my wife, friends, colleagues, and other women of color. It also made think of the all too common occurrences and what can only be described as horror stories they’ve told me about the stuff they have to deal with on a daily basis. If a game could give me even the smallest bit of insight into how different my world is from that of a woman of color, why not try to see if I could get a better understanding? Playing As Kara My time playing as Kara was an experience filled with frustration, challenge, and anxiety. Catt Small’s description of the game touts it as a slice-of-life. This is normally a genre reserved for mediums that deal with the ordinary and mundane tasks of life. That can involve everything from hanging out with friends to simply going to work. While SweetXHeart is still true to the genr…