The 57th NAACP Image Awards have introduced a new category for outstanding digital content creators in gaming and tech, with Gerard Williams, known as HipHopGamer, among the nominees. Williams expressed excitement about the recognition, crediting his late grandmother for sparking his interest in gaming. The virtual awards ceremony begins on February 23, 2026, at 8 p.m. on YouTube.
The NAACP Image Awards, in their 57th edition, are expanding into gaming for the first time with the Outstanding Digital Content Creator – Gaming/Tech category. Nominees include Berlin Edmond Jr., Cory Kenshin, Jay-Ann Lopez, Khleo Thomas, and Gerard Williams, better known as HipHopGamer. The virtual portion of the awards streams over three days starting Monday at 8 p.m. on YouTube.
Williams, a digital content creator focused on gaming journalism, shared his reaction in an interview with Variety. “So I personally spoke with Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP Image Awards, and he said it clear as day,” Williams said. He explained that the category aims to reach minorities and Black individuals in gaming and tech, emphasizing the need to meet them where they are and include them in conversations about AI and industry opportunities.
Williams' journey in gaming began in childhood in Brooklyn, introduced by his late grandmother, Margaret Williams. He hosts a weekly syndicated show with Hot97 and leads community initiatives like Playmakers, a partnership with Chase Bank to promote financial literacy through gaming in New York City schools. He also runs a Denzel Washington-backed rehabilitation program using gaming for inmates at Rikers Island.
Recently, Williams appeared as a character in the video game “Mutant Football League 2,” incorporating his likeness, music, and a team featuring students and former inmates from his programs. Reflecting on the nomination, he said, “Being nominated for the first time ever that this category even exists — just this moment alone, it makes me just go right back to grandma when I was four years old... I was jumping on the bed. It was crazy. It was very overwhelming.”
Looking ahead, Williams will host the Games Beat Summit at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in March. He aspires to contribute to Men's Health and become a gaming anchor on “Good Morning America.” Williams views the nomination as progress in acknowledging the Black community's role in gaming, recalling challenges like racism he faced at E3 in 2008. “The way it was 15-20 years ago... it was bad. One of the reasons why I learned business so much so fast within the gaming industry is because I was met with racism, too,” he noted. “But one thing about me, I don’t complain, I create. Period.”
