Let me begin by stating I’m not accusing gamers for a lack of empathy to social issues; however, the question asked in today’s banter should spark a healthy discussion. Why? Issues ranging from racism, sexism, and harassment run rampant in mainstream media. The dark underbelly of corporations and Hollywood are revealed and draw an uproar to the public. While we are far from expunging social issues I’ve mentioned, it appears that any of the like in the video game industry generally gets overlooked…until the Activision Blizzard scandal blew up. It actually made headlines at non-gaming focused news arenas such as CNN and The Washington Post.
Toxic work environments and inequality in the video game industry exist and rarely make it to mainstream media, and sometimes the indifference is felt in the gaming community (or “mainstream” gaming community). The few outspoken voices tend to be swallowed in the black hole of social media. Here are two examples:
The first was when I wrote an editorial about LGBTQ+ representation in video games. I pushed no agenda but rather looked at representation of the community over the years. When sharing it with fellow gamers online, there was an immediate backlash over this. Someone even DM’ed me to go f*** myself. Representation of all communities is a social cause I care about, and diversity should apply to all facets of life.
Another example comes from news that Toge Productions and Mojiken Studios recently cited that a publisher exploited them in order to receive diversity funding. These two developers are from Indonesia and stated that their publisher, PQube, withheld information about a diversity grant and did not share those dollars with the devs–which was the purpose of the grant in the first place. Sadly, I didn’t see this story gain much traction outside the gaming website bubble (e.g. Kotaku, Polygon, IGN etc), nor in several online gaming communities I’m a part of.
I don’t have a good answer as to why we rarely hear or discuss the outrageous acts in the video game industry, and the answers to rid these issues are muddy. What I do know is that the more eyes and ears on these issues, the better. We can all do better. Be better.
How often do you see news on toxic work environments, racism, sexism, harassment, and/or exploitation in the gaming industry? Do you belong in a community that discusses them? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
The Boss Rush Podcast – Fridays at 7AM ET
The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, LeRon, Stephanie, Edward, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk their week in games, entertainment, and more while also bringing topics for conversation, answer listener and community questions, and cover major news and events happening in the video game industry. Watch The Boss Rush Podcast live on Wednesday Nights on Twitch at 8:30PM ET / 5:30PM PT or on Friday mornings at 7AM ET on YouTube and podcast services everywhere. Thanks for listening! You can also get this episode one week early on Patreon.
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Sources: Kotaku
Image Source: Esports.gg
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