Doritos has signed on as the exclusive sponsor of original YouTube series Gaming While Black, created by entertainment studio 3BLACKDOT.
The partnership is part of Doritos’ Solid Black initiative, advocating for the Black community as an extension of its Amplify Black Voices campaign from last year.
Gaming While Black (GWB) brings together Black gamers and creators to celebrate and represent themselves in the gaming world, in response to the lack of representation in the gaming industry. The 8-show series includes over 80 YouTube videos as well as videos on TikTok and other social media.
Episodes feature mashups between Black gaming influencers, such as @BasicallyIDoWrk and @Grizzy, who talk about their creative process or play each other head-to-head in a game. Creators including gameplay influencer @Azerrz, hip-hop artist and avid gamer @TeeGrizzly and anime fan and gamer @SeeReax are also featured in the series.
“We're trying to solve a discoverability issue [of Black talent], but in order to solve the issue we need to discover,” said Reginald Cash, CEO at 3BLACKDOT. “Over the next 20 weeks of this we want to welcome as much talent as we possibly can.”
Series include “Gaming While Black,” where Black gamers share personal insights into their experiences; “Reacts,” in which gamers react to a variety of clips from gaming culture; “Otaku Talk,” where Black anime enthusiasts discuss their favorite shows and games, and more. Episodes drop several times a week.
Doritos will sponsor 10 episodes of original content across each show. All content development has been led by an all-Black production team.
“As a person who grew up snacking on Doritos, I didn’t recall a time when they said, ‘we stand for this, and we care about that.’ So for them to look at Gaming While Black as the first opportunity to start repositioning Doritos, and give it a little bit more depth and meaning, is very important,” Cash said.