Base Pack Skin Colors

I use Minecraft as a learning reward while tutoring elementary students. It’s a huge hit with parents and kids alike. But today was mortifying. When my student wanted to pick a character that looked like her, I realized there were almost no options for Black women in the free Base Pack skins.

After checking every free pack, I found maybe two characters that remotely fit that description and neither looked anything like the fun, cute, or stylish options easily available for white characters. I’ve never had this problem with white students. They can always find someone who looks like them.

I understand that custom skin creation exists, but it’s time-consuming, and I shouldn’t have to spend 30 minutes of unpaid time designing a character just so a young Black girl can see herself represented in the same way others can by default. To make matters worse, Minecraft doesn’t allow color editing of pre-made Base Pack characters so I can't quickly modify the endless options of white characters to be Black.

Representation shouldn’t be an afterthought. The fact that a game as massive and beloved as Minecraft still offers so few inclusive, free character options is disappointing. Kids deserve to see themselves, especially in a game built on creativity and inclusion. As a lifelong player (since the word Minecraft floated above the sky), it will be hard to continue advocating for Minecraft in educational settings without changes as a teacher and tutor.