I really like your posts Stoney and I do think the topic is much broader then the Witcher 3. For me there are a few key points that are important and I will use Witcher 3 as an example.
One of the big problems in all mass media entertainment, or communication, is design by committee. Every box needs to be ticked. This leads to works that don't feel authentic.
Witcher 3 is based on a series of books that as far as I know do not have any coloured people, the books has been written in specific time and place. They are real authentic works.
Why mess with someones art? Would sprinkling in coloured people make the game better? Or would it make it less authentic? Sapakowski didn't include these people in the books, so a new backstory would have to be written. Where do they come from? etc. etc. This all to check some box to be 'more inclusive' and 'money smart'.
Real diversity to me is being able to play games made in different cultures in which I can experience those cultures as well. Japanese developers have been trying to cater to Western tastes for a long while now and many of their games have suffered. For me a game like Persona is great experience. I get a glimpse of Japanese culture. The game feels authentic to me. No need to include a token gajin character.
Last of Us: Left Behind that I just finished last night is an American game where the two main characters are lesbian girls, one of which is Afro American. Everything is handled very mature and beautiful and is a real product of the great diversity of American society.
Another example is Never Alone, which although a mediocre game is a telling about the Innui and their legends. I didn't care much for the gameplay but it was nice to experience this.
I think the real problem is that there is no African software development to show us their stories to counterbalance ours. I would love to play a game based on African folklore, but alas we might have to wait longer on that.
TLDR: Let games be authentic, not design by committee.
