WoW players stage virtual sit-in to protest Activision Blizzard

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Following the announcement that Activision Blizzard is being sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, for allegedly foster a “frat boy” corporate culture that subjects employees to unequal wages and sexual harassment, hundreds of World of Warcraft players have now staged a virtual protest sit-in in the MMO.

First reported by Polygon, the protest sit-in was organized by a role-playing guild called Fence Macabre. The group also uses the sit-in to to collect money for Black Girls Code, a non-profit organization that provides education in various forms of technology to young women of color, including game design.

Image Credit: @Skoll_Shorties on Twitter

Image Credit: @Skoll_Shorties on Twitter

“As customers and members of this community, we protest the unethical treatment of Activision Blizzard employees and demand that they make lasting and transparent changes to their businesses and associated IP addresses. ” Macabre fence said in a Twitter post. “We support the victims and survivors of Blizzard racism and abuse.”

The protest sit-in takes place at the Idyllia Steps of Oribos, the player hub for the recent expansion to Shadowlands.

“I especially saw a surge of support for the victims and survivors of this trial,” said Hinahina Gray, assistant to Fence Macabre and authenticity reader who provides insight into games, literature and other media. Hawaiians. “It’s incredibly encouraging and heartwarming to know that while various things may divide us about how each of us interacts with World of Warcraft, we are still bonded together in a community that believes in the common good.”

In the spirit of not financially supporting Activision Blizzard, many protesters showing up at the protest are “under-blocked,” meaning their World of Warcraft accounts still have prepaid playtime on their account.

“Using under-locked accounts to take up server space and demonstrate together is definitely something we know is the right decision to make,” added Hinahina. “We’re here, present and educating people who meet us in the game and we’ve raised almost $ 3800.00 for Black Girls CODE. We’re doing something tangible here, and that’s good.”

Many players and other guilds have expressed their support for the protest on Twitter.

Thursday afternoon, the demonstration raised $ 3,700 for Black Girls Code.

It’s likely that some WoW players, including Thursday’s protesters, will feel conflicted about continuing to play the popular MMO.

“It’s definitely bittersweet for a lot of us. Even though we have our support systems in real life, there really is something about having that connection through a shared and common interest,” Hinahina added. . “It’s tough, but our commitment will get us right. We’re all connected through it now, no matter where we go in life or if we wander away, we’ve organized this moment and it matters.”

You can read The IGN report on the Activision Blizzard trial here. The lawsuit alleges various testimonies of sexual harassment targeting female employees, including an incident involving an employee who committed suicide.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction that will compel Activision Blizzard to comply with workplace protections, pay unpaid wages, wage adjustments, wage arrears and lost wages and benefits for employees.

Activision Blizzard later released a lengthy statement denying the allegations, saying the lawsuit is the work of “irresponsible state bureaucrats.”

Joseph Knoop is a freelance reporter for the IGN.

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