Activision Blizzard fans wonder how best to support developers

On July 20, California filed a lawsuit against Call of Duty and World of warcraft manufacturer Activision Blizzard alleging widespread workplace issues over the years including sexual harassment and gender pay discrimination. A week after employees formed a group of workers to lobby for better working conditions, management still has not acknowledged their demands, and now fans are trying to find the best way to support developers in their struggle. keep on going.

While Activision Blizzard employees carried out a walkout on July 28 calling for things like more diverse hiring and pay transparency and for supporters to show solidarity by donating to various charities, gamers and content creators of various games were conveying additional messages. “Don’t cross the virtual picket line! read a widely distributed screenshot. He called on gamers not to log into Activision Blizzard games while the walkout is in progress, something a number of high profile streamers have said. like Foyer‘s David “Dogdog” Caero is also committed to doing so.

“The men who broadcast WoW and ignore the walkout are not allies,” wrote Warcraft Third Artifact Twitch Broadcaster on Twriter. “Remember them and where they decided to stand during this important time.”

Others on social media called on players to to give up all of the company’s games. Some supporters have called it a symbolic way to force Activision Blizzard to pay attention. Others have expressed concern that a prolonged boycott could just as easily result in some games being shut down, potentially leading to layoffs affecting the very employees this action is intended to support.

These debates continued this week following Activision Blizzard’s latest earnings call. Despite a much more contrite and conciliatory tone in the meeting, the company still did not respond to calls for an audit led by a group of workers or the replacement of a third party investigator and sometimes the anti-union law firm WilmerHale.

While some have reiterated their calls to boycott all Activision Blizzard products, it is far from clear whether this is something the company’s developers, including the women most abused by it, even support. Kotaku has reached out to a number of current and former Activision Blizzard developers for their thoughts on the best way fans can try to make change within the company. Some did not respond. Others did not want their comments to distract from the current ABK Workers Alliance list of demands.

“We are incredibly happy to see our community come together to support our cause,” said a representative of the group. Kotaku. “All of our voices are needed to ensure that meaningful change occurs. We encourage our community to speak up and continue to fight to end abuse in games. Our communities and workspaces should be welcoming spaces for women and other marginalized genders.

Apart from outright boycotts, some fans and streamers have contented themselves with simply trying to raise awareness of the ongoing union struggle on social media and Stakes. World of warcraft content creator DragonsAfterDark is one of the few people to air Activision Blizzard’s revenue call under the Warcraft category on Twitch.

“Personally, I chose to stay captioned, but I also think the boycott is a valid response,” they said. Kotaku by email. “A combination of the two sides working together is what will grab the attention of executives and shareholders. They mentioned concerns raised during the call to investors about potential drops in the number of monthly active users and major influencers leaving the community, a sign that gamers have caught Activision Blizzard’s attention.

“However, we also can’t expect things to get better if everyone is washing their hands of the company,” they said. “For me, the answer is to support employees by staying and to keep the pressure on to try to improve things.”

Regardless of the strategy debate, many Activision Blizzard players face a more fundamental question of whether they personally wish to continue spending their time in game worlds now tarnished by the company’s reported track record of gambling. mistreatment and abuse.

“It’s hard to continue playing with a clear conscience,” Xantia, a former Warcraft player and fan of the now famous panel of BlizzCon 2010, Recount Kotaku in a phone call. “I mean, I feel torn on both sides. On the one hand, there are still women who work for Blizzard and who are part of the World of warcraft team and who do a job they are proud of. And you want to support that. But at the same time, how well can you support a company that has just swept this kind of behavior under the rug to the point where it took a California state lawsuit to call it, and it doesn’t seem like much. likely that the company will actually enact significant changes? “

Like many players, Xantia has said that she has taken a step back from the game and reassessed the progress of her relationship with him. Like the ABK Workers Alliance’s struggle to transform Activision Blizzard’s work culture, it’s a complex problem with no easy solutions.

“Despite all this, there are [World of Warcraft] communities and there are guilds headed by women, ”she said. “Are you turning your back on something like that?” If you leave space, does that mean the dudebros – the ones who make things toxic to women in the first place – are winning? “

Update – 5:58 p.m. ET, 8/5/21: Asked about Activision Blizzard’s response to current employee inquiries, a company spokesperson said Kotaku the following by e-mail:

Management of Activision Blizzard is aware of letters from employees. Management continues to be committed to improving workplace culture and safety, listening to employee feedback, and approaching change holistically, which takes time. As usual, we will communicate with the employees on the measures to be taken.