Momo Pixel

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.

Early life and education

Pixel is a native of Louisville, Kentucky. She holds a degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She has worked on ad campaigns for companies such as Nintendo, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Instagram.

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.

After moving to Portland, Oregon, Pixel encountered multiple strangers touching her hair, which was long and braided at the time. 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. The game allows the player to customize their player character, choosing from multiple hair styles and skin tones. The game was considered a viral success, and was covered by Vice and Newsweek. The game was also praised for demonstrating anti-racist resistance in popular culture.

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".

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".