Like Hollywood, the games industry is facing a moment of self-reflection. For too long it has told the same stories, centring on the same white, male heroes. Game creators are finally examining the lack of diversity in their stories, but so far, representation of black people has been timid and predictable. With the number of women in the UK industry at just 14% and BAME representation at 4%, the narrative gatekeepers in games are primarily white men. If they are to find a broader range of stories, they need to rethink their representations of black people.

Lincoln Clay, the lead character in Mafia III, is a protagonist rarely featured by the gaming industry. Lincoln Clay, the lead character in Mafia III, is a protagonist rarely featured by the gaming industry. On the surface all looks tranquil as you drive through the bustling city in your red Pontiac, tapping your foot to Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang." But as you take a sharp left down a winding back alley, an alarming sight gives you pause. Behind you, trucks painted with the Confederate flag begin to appear, the white men behind the wheel angry and visceral as they shout racial slurs.

It turns out Mafia III is the game I worried it might be, just not in the ways I expected. It's hard to see at first, given how long it takes to unpack its slow pyramidal crime climb, or how well and powerfully told its mob-revenge story is. It has many charms, in other words. But as a game (for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One), it's mired in monotony, and more than a few play-futzing bugs. A stirring cinematic opening that's smartly delivered documentary-style from the vantage of people reflecting on what happened initially obscures this.

FILE - In this July 9, 2016 file photo, Ice Cube performs at the 2016 Festival d'ete de Quebec in downtown Quebec City, in Canada. Ice Cube's music is coming straight onto a video game. Cube and producer DJ Shadow created the original song "Nobody Wants to Die" for 2K's "Mafia III" launch trailer, which premieres Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016.

Crafting a story has always been tricky in the video game world. And it's only been getting harder. Many of gaming's biggest blockbusters have touted their "open world" environments -- worlds that let players run down roads less traveled with more side quests than you could shake a machine gun at. Yet while players have liked the feeling of having no limits, there's been some backlash, too. Gamers prefer having a plot.