TW for sexual harrassment talk.
Yesterday a bunch of news dropped about a lawsuit being taken against Activision / Blizzard for their ‘frat boy’ culture. I doubt very much that it came as a surprise to anyone, but I went and read through the legal papers for it and the details were disgusting.
What was even more disgusting was the response from a spokesperson of Activision that said that the statements presented in the court document were “distorted and in many cases false” and this is where Activision crossed over an invisible line I have as far as supporting their games go.
We all have those invisible lines. Something that tells us “you know what, I just don’t want to support them any more”. Mine, I will admit, is pretty broad. I like video games, I enjoy supporting developers, and it’s ingrained into my entire life. I’ve played World of Warcraft since the start. I’ve weathered some pretty nasty storms with them – this time, I just can’t.
As a woman, my entire life I’ve been told that if I speak up about sexual harassment I was doing it for the attention. On two distinctive occasions I did the right thing and I talked to the right people and no one believed me. They told me I was trying to get attention. So on the third (and arguably biggest) occasion when I was raped in a washroom after work in a shopping mall I told no one except my boyfriend at the time. I did nothing. I never went to the police, what would be the point. I quietly quit my job, and never went back to that mall again.
It’s an enormous deal to me that so many women are standing up and being strong enough to share what has been going on or what has gone on in the past, and they are being told that their statements are distorted and false. There is nothing as heartbreaking for a victim than to be told that they are lying – when they are not. It is one of many reasons that women just don’t feel comfortable to speak up and talk about this sort of thing to begin with. There is almost always some sort of punishment. Whether it’s burning bridges, missed job opportunities, or something else. There is zero incentive for victims to come forward, and so much to lose.
So yes, Activision has crossed a line. I’m not willing to continue to support a company that can’t support female co-workers, or even ex co-workers. I’ve cancelled my account, and I can only hope that the victims are able to get some sort of closure from all of this.
Thanks for sharing your experience and story. You’re heard. I never really supported too many games by Activision/Blizzard. I wanted to get back into Starcraft 2 soon but frankly, after I read their response, I was disgusted and I’m not sure how I feel about ever playing the games I bought of theirs or how I feel about potentially writing about it. Sadly, every woman has a story and many times they get shrugged off or they’re told that they’re seeking attention. I hate it. Similarly, there are people stalking, harassing and doxing streamers and journalists alike but unless something happens, the police often don’t take any action. When something happens, the damage is already done though, so I really hate that whole mindset of not believing people that are seeking out help. It’s frustrating to hear about stuff like Riot Games or Activision/Blizzard again and again. You’d think we’d moved on from all of that stuff. We’d think that times have gotten better in the 21st century or in 2021 but it just happens way too many times and it’s sadly always the same things. You’d think that companies would learn from these reports and try their best to not be the next company in the spotlight but sadly, it’s always the toxic masculinity, sexism, fratboy-“culture” as well as favourism, racism, and just the horrible treatment of mothers at work that shows up. It’s the same things everywhere but for whatever reason companies don’t learn and they don’t do better.
But then again, I’m rambling. I’m sorry that you had to go through all three of those instances of sexual harassment/assault.
[…] Stargrace – My Invisible Line […]
[…] So yeah. What will it take? What will it take to convince people- no, convince me to put Blizzard behind me. Not just now, while I’m not interested in any of their games anyway. But always. Even when Diablo 4 comes out. To maintain the stance beyond the point of inconvenience or conflicting desire. Syp has already made this call. Stargrace has, too. […]
You are the first person I know of who has actually taken action after these revelations. I’ve read lots of people talking about it, but precious few doing anything. Thanks for your strength and your words. And I’m very sorry for what happened to you. It’s easy for people to just not make waves, but waves make change.