Activision Blizzard Sued Over 'Frat Boy' Culture, Harassment

[Sympthsical]

This is a very big deal, as it's one of the largest gaming companies in the country and around the world. They're the makers of World of Warcraft - the largest Massive-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) in the world and Starcraft, which is massive in Asian, particularly Korean e-sports.

Tech has long had a problem with sexism. The gaming industry doubly so. But even by those standards, what's laid out in this suit is horrifying.

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/activision-blizzard-sued-by-california-over-frat-boy-culture

Video game giant Activision Blizzard Inc., maker of games including World of Warcraft and Diablo, fosters a “frat boy” culture in which female employees are subjected to constant sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation, according to a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

A two-year investigation by the state agency found that the company discriminated against female employees in terms and conditions of employment, including compensation, assignment, promotion, and termination. Company leadership consistently failed to take steps to prevent discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, the agency said.

. . .

According to the complaint, filed Tuesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, female employees make up around 20% of the Activision workforce, and are subjected to a “pervasive frat boy workplace culture,” including “cube crawls,” in which male employees “drink copious amounts of alcohol as they crawl their way through various cubicles in the office and often engage in inappropriate behavior toward female employees.”

. . .

The suit also points to a female Activision employee who took her own life while on a company trip with her male supervisor. The employee had been subjected to intense sexual harassment prior to her death, including having nude photos passed around at a company holiday party, the complaint says.

I believe all of it. I dated someone who worked for one of the biggest mobile gaming companies in the world. I visited him at his office regularly. It had the usual kitchens full of food. But the kitchens also had special fridges for wine and beer. Many employees openly had hard liquor bottles on their desks. A laid-back atmosphere was encouraged. One time, after a company employee appreciation function full of alcohol, a bunch of us went back to the office for a drink. One guy puked at his desk, and we had to call him an Uber.

I believe everything in this suit.

[Champp]

1. Republican-style frat-boy assholery is

so damn low.

Sad.

[Sympthsical]

2. A lot of these people are Democrats. Seriously.

This is a male thing, not a political one. My ex's company is HQed in downtown San Francisco. Those people were all liberal or progressive.

I don't use this phrase too often, because it's often used for even the dumbest pet peeves about males. But in this situation, it feels far too inadequate.

Toxic Masculinity.

[Treefrog]

11. Yep.

There are posters even here who love to find a way to use the b-word in their posts. Saw it just the other day.

They think they’re being clever.

[Sympthsical]

14. All things in life are situational

The situation being that my behavior is forever justified.

Yours may or may not suck in some way, depending if it's related to some other thing I'm given to complaining about.

[Sympthsical]

3. I know the company/games aren't known or important to many here,

But in terms of sexism in the tech and gaming industry, this is a massive, massive story.

[crickets]

4. This has been going on openly for far too long.

Activision Blizzard is not the only sleazy company out there. (Looking at you, Ubisoft.) It's way past time something was done about it, so it's good to see some action taken, finally.

[Sympthsical]

5. RiotGames, too

The gaming industry is a total mess.

[obamanut2012]

21. I was going to mention RiotGames, too

So many of the gaming companies are terrible places for women to work.

[Sympthsical]

23. It's like the Harvey Weinstein situation

Something everyone in the industry clearly knew that was so obvious even the public knew.

But no one did anything about it.

If the silver lining here is that it brings a microscope onto the industry, good.

All I can think of is that poor woman's family.

And, as an HR person myself, reading how Blizzard basically had one that conspired with the offenders to justify doing nothing. Jesus. How? You had one job.

It's allllll coming out on Twitter now. Lots of past women employees spilling the tea.

[vercetti2021]

6. This doesn't shock me

Last edited Fri Jul 23, 2021, 11:25 AM - Edit history (1)

When it comes to women in the gaming industry. Whether its working at a company or being a gamer. They are completely harassed by these awful frat idiots. I remember Gamergate and how extremely toxic that whole debacle was. Most lady gamers I've played with were always, always done in badly by the frat attitude for as long as I can remember with online gaming. Especially in the roleplay side of games. Most men have such big ego's because of their power over the women. I remember this one guy use to tell people he was really Satan and portrayed him as such because of all these women he had as partners to do roleplay with. He was that kinda asshole frat moron that still lingers around and pokes me once in a while. Prob heard I was transitioning and well, that doesn't stop those kinda guys.

[obamanut2012]

22. Women, not females

Please edit your post to reflect the proper way to refer to humans. You keep saying "females," even when you say m,en in the same sentence. It is a REALLY sexist way to refer to women, and is rife in Incel and Alt-Right groups/ Let's all be better on here, okay? Thanks.

[vercetti2021]

24. My apologies

I would be referring myself as female too actually. Personally doesn't bother me. But I edited my post and fixed it to be more proper. But kinda curious about the take away you had besides my wording choices

[Progressive Jones]

7. Isn't the "gaming culture" somewhat

crawling with incels who live in their Mom's basements?

Just my observation.

[Sympthsical]

9. This is a very common misconception.

Most gamers are older.

https://techjury.net/blog/video-game-demographics/#gref

It's just the bad ones - especially the really bad ones - gain the most attention on social media.

In real life, it's just average folks. Me and nearly all of my friends are gamers (that's how I met a lot of them). 20- and 30-somethings with jobs, homes, kids, etc.

The basement-dwelling incel is just a lazy stereotype people use for their various purposes.

[Progressive Jones]

13. Well, then, I'm personally aware of numerous stereotypes.

They all have jobs. I'm their boss.

[Sympthsical]

15. Oh, I'm sure

I'm a fairly avid gamer, and I encounter them plenty.

The problem is, it's the loud assholes you notice. The people who are off just doing their thing, you'd probably never even know they go home and play Zelda for four hours.

[Progressive Jones]

17. I didn't mean to paint all gamers that way.

I'm just taking in this story, and I imagined all those dudes on my crew working there. It would probably be their dream job.

[Sympthsical]

19. I thought of those types as well

I've known those types for my entire gaming life.

Unsurprisingly, I only really ever encounter them in public first person shooter games. Seems to draw them out. That's when voice chat goes on mute.

[CrackityJones75]

12. Stereotypes aren't always very accurate

or helpful.

[hardluck]

8. And a VP of Employment Law just opened up there...

Coincidence? Hmmm. My kids thought it would be cool if I applied there.

https://careers.activisionblizzard.com/job/R007819/Vice-President-Employment-Law

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Hmmmm, Indeed!

That sure seems like more than coincidence.

[Sympthsical]

16. I play WoW and was telling a friend earlier

"If someone came to me with Blizzard HR on their resume', it would go straight into the trash."

I mean, did they even have an HR department? I cannot fathom any of this going on in my company.

And their PR people. Do they have those either? Their response reeks of the people at fault writing the thing. During a c-call with co-workers earlier, we were all talking about it. One of them who does some PR stuff for our company kept reading lines and going, "Wrong!" "Nope!" "Did they know this was going out to the public?!"

It was hilarious.

[miyazaki]

18. Never liked those fuckers, especially after abolishing Blizzard North. nt

[Sympthsical]

20. I have a buddy who was laid off in that

He works at Pixar now, so it kinda worked out for him.