The video game industry has been working towards greater representation, but it’s been a slow-moving process for those looking for a greater diversity in experiences. Developer Glow Up is determined to create games that do just that, and their newest project is a mobile game based on the HBO series Insecure. While the series might seem like an unusual fit for a video game, it already sounds like an interesting experience for fans of the show. According to Glow Up, Insecure: The Come Up Game is a life sim, with rapping elements and moments meant to help the player unwind.
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For the uninitiated, Insecure is a dramedy following the characters Issa and Molly. The series explores the black experience from their perspectives, and the game will similarly reflect that. In an interview with Wired, Glow Up co-founder Mitu Khandaker discussed representation, and how the team is striving to provide women of color with an experience created for them.
“One of the reasons we were drawn to the Insecure universe is because one of the things the show does so well is show not only the struggles but also the joy of being a woman of color,” Khandaker told Wired. “We want to create opportunities for joy in people who don’t often get to see themselves represented in games.”
While there haven’t been a lot of successful games with rap elements, the team at Glow Up brought in rapper Sammus, also known as Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo. Sammus’ input should help the game’s rhymes feel truly authentic. She’s also passionate about gaming. Sammus’ name is a slight alteration on the name Samus Aran, the hero of the Metroid series; she even created a concept album based on the Nintendofranchise!
Glad we can finally share what we’ve been cooking up @GlowUpGames for the last year – a game based on @insecurehbo! Our friends @WIRED have the exclusive: https://t.co/6PAHFxD9H4
— Latoya Peterson (@LatoyaPeterson) March 27, 2020
What’s interesting about Insecure: The Come Up Game is the fact that it truly seems like a unique experience created by fans of the series. While licensed games have always been a bit of a mixed bag in terms of quality, fans of Insecure will be happy to know that the game seems to be in caring hands. Players can judge for themselves when the game drops near the end of the show’s fourth season.
Are you a fan of HBO’s Insecure? What do you think about the series being made into a mobile game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
