Today we’d like to introduce you to Keisha Howard.
Entrepreneur, Futurist, Video Game/ Geek Culture enthusiast.
After discovering that a considerable part of the industry’s consumer and professional demographics were not being represented, Keisha created Sugar Gamers. It began as a women’s advocacy and networking group for consumers and professionals but eventually blossomed into an organization that advocated for all demographics who were underserved or not being represented.
While her work with Sugar Gamers has taken her all over the country, Keisha has never lost sight of home. Keisha uses the skills and the contacts she’s made through Sugar Gamers to empower the women, minorities and youth of Chicago as a mentor, influencer and public speaker.
As a lifelong gamer, I always had to play a character that was white and male for most of my favorite games. I grew up accepting that the status quo and I really didn’t notice or mind… Until during a series of experiences- I wanted to change that.
Representation matters. And I wanted to create a warm and comfortable community for the types of gamers that you don’t normally see in the mainstream. After all- those individuals that aren’t represented still are consumers. So Sugar Gamers was born. It began as female-focused but then grew to a community of people who wanted to highlight the voices that weren’t being heard. Turns out- for a gamer geek like myself- doing this is important for many people.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This hasn’t been a smooth road at all. To be honest- I thought I never wanted to be an entrepreneur. Every entrepreneur that I had met in the past seemed to be perpetually busy, burnt out, and poor.
I was working comfortably in real estate until the 2008 recession. Everything that I was building for my career in this space began to dissolve. Everything that I had learned about working your way up, being good in school, being good at your job, keeping your head down, working toward that next promotion didn’t matter anymore. I was left with a void.
During this time- I decided to just try out other industries. Sugar Gamers was supposed to be a small group of women that met up to play games and discuss our mutual interest. However, once I put out a craigslist ad looking for these women- I realized there was so much more to do in this space.
There were so many women, so many different interests that needed a community to share themselves with. And so I “accidentally” became a passionate entrepreneur in the process. The work we did felt right and purposeful and I always received encouragement along the way.
However- then there came the point and which I was paying for everything out of my own pocket, bootstrapping everything. I had to figure out how to monetize this business. I would get told it’s just a hobby unless it makes money. As a business- the only metric of success seemed to always be about the bottom line.
Figuring out how to make Sugar Gamer’s a successful organization in an industry with rapid technological growth that was both socially impactful and profitable is one of the most difficult challenges I’ve ever undertook.
The amount of personal sacrifice had been high, and constantly fighting off self-doubt and imposter syndrome is constant. It seems as if I have to learn a new skill or tool every week to keep up (which is absolutely exhausting). I burn out constantly. Even though I experience this, Every morning I wake up so excited to tackle the days challenged.
The Sugar Gamers Team is doing great work. and we will continue to work towards our goals. We are even undertaking the terrifying and expensive task of making a game. We are so excited about this project and can’t wait to show how our diverse and progressive team tells a great story through art and gaming.
Please tell us about Sugar Gamers.
Sugar Gamers is an organization that advocated for underserved demographics, particularly in tech, video games and geek culture. We are known for highlighting and supporting women and minorities in the video game and geek spaces. We do this through media, events, content creation, consulting, and speaking engagements.
What I am most proud of is the social impact we have. We have teenage girls that feel that Sugar Gamers represents them and gives them encouragement to get into the gaming space, We are able to give people a platform to express themselves that isn’t all about esports or competitive gaming.
We are the underdogs and we have remained relevant in this space for almost a decade doing work that’s part of the solution the racial and gender disparities in the tech and gaming space.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I loved playing games with my older and younger brothers, It was the way we bonded. My older brother even made me practice my reading skills by making me playing Final Fantasy 2 on Super Nintendo several times. I think I remember the story in the game by heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gokeisha.com (personal website) www.sugargamers.com (company website)
- Phone: 3128230022
- Email: ksugar@sugargamers.com
- Instagram: @sugargamers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SugarGamers/
- Twitter: @sugargamers
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keishahowardsg/ (personal linkedin)
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
