A canvas of community narratives

The art of symbolism and the act of play are two of the most enduring ways we express our identities and form communities. On ancient cave walls, paintings of bison, bulls, and human hands remain some of the earliest proof of our existence. Through dots, lines, zigzags, and overlapping silhouettes, we covered physical surfaces with our emotions, dreams, and experiences. One of the most common experiences—then and now—is play. In today’s world, digital surfaces are the new cave walls and one of the most thriving community of gamers worldwide is Xbox. Here, we believe that gaming is for everyone and the beauty of it lies in the diversity of people who love to play.

That diversity, however, is often overlooked. That’s why we invest in programs that welcome and encourage diversity in gaming. Art can be a beacon, inviting people in by signaling something out, and today we’re excited to introduce eight new wallpapers for your Xbox console. Each background signifies one of the many communities that make the Xbox sphere the ultimate glyph in gaming. The wallpapers are meant to reflect the players. “People want to see themselves and feel represented,” said Jenn Panattoni, Head of Xbox Social Impact. Jenn, who has Karuk heritage, said the new dynamic backgrounds are intended to inspire pride, and a sense belonging, but with respect.

“Nothing about us without us. That’s our rallying cry,” Jenn said over Teams. In partnership with the Brand Studio, she leads the Xbox Social Impact team that collaborates with artists, empowering them to re-imagine the iconic Xbox sphere as a surface to cover with their unique stories and lived experiences. Every background represents the artists’ beliefs, values, and culture that they hand-crafted and rendered in a gamer-centric world, built for their community. The design then gets shared to millions of gamers across the globe. The Microsoft team worked with Palette Group to find artists and collaborate with them to create each scene. Microsoft then brought the still images to O0 Design to animate and bring the dynamic backgrounds to life. One interesting aspect about the project was landing on the “right” design because, “No one person and no one community is a monolith. Each image is a reflection of our shared creative strategy visualized through the artist’s personal experiences” said Microsoft Brand Manager Kaity Butcher. Our goal is to expose the true value of gaming, which isn’t about graphics or sound design, but bringing more people together and sparking conversation.

Below, check out the backstory of each dynamic wallpaper.

The dawn of a new day