Momo Pixel
American video game designer and artist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Momo Pixel is a video game designer, art director, and advertiser. She is best known for her work focusing on Black women, including Hair Nah, a game dealing with issues of African-American hair.
Momo Pixel | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Savannah College of Art and Design |
| Occupation(s) | Video game designer, art director, advertiser |
| Known for | Creator of Hair Nah |
Early life and education
Pixel is a native of Louisville, Kentucky.[1] She holds a degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design.[1]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
Pixel was an art director for the advertising company Wieden+Kennedy.[2] She has worked on ad campaigns for companies such as Nintendo, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Instagram.[3][4]
In 2020, Pixel exhibited an interactive art installation at the MassArt Art Museum called Momoland LvL4. The exhibit consisted of a virtual reality game, her paintings, and a sculpture.[5][3] She also designed a mobile game in support of an album released by NLE Choppa.[6]
After moving to Portland, Oregon, Pixel encountered multiple strangers touching her hair, which was long and braided at the time.[7] Pixel created Hair Nah in response, a web-based game where players control a black woman who has to deflect hands trying to touch her hair.[8] The game allows the player to customize their player character, choosing from multiple hair styles and skin tones.[9] The game was considered a viral success, and was covered by Vice and Newsweek.[1]
Pixel received positive feedback from people around the world, "expressing gratitude for drawing attention to the daily forms of objectification that users experience".[9] Researcher and professor Kishonna Gray has cited Hair Nah in her classroom teaching, citing the ability to "swat away" unwelcome touching as giving power and agency that was "not afforded [to] Black women in traditional settings".[10] The game was also praised for demonstrating anti-racist resistance in popular culture.[11]
Pixel worked on an augmented reality game filter for Google Play which was "partly inspired by the obstacles young Black girls face in the gaming industry".[12]
Awards and honors
In 2024, Pixel received a Black Tech Achievement Gaming Award which honors "those who are making an impact and are championing diversity within the gaming sector".[13]
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.