Activision-Blizzard Sued By California

[unfilteredJW]

Man this thread is collecting some really yikes takes.

[uuuhname]

just to be agreeable and nod.

what a martyr you are...

There's nothing purposefully confusing about what I said; some of the allegations are extremely serious, while others are outright ridiculous. The fact that there's a state lawsuit against them is enough to understand that something serious happened and in that context I don't feel like I have to continously reiterate how serious that is.

no, the fact that you think you're in a position to question these people's accounts of what happened is where you fucked up. no one is compelling you to participate in this discussion, NOR is anyone asking you to reinforce how serious those claims are. the mere fact you call them into question is where you need to start backing up what you're saying. otherwise your just being a myopic contrarian to get attention or something.

What I do wish to point out is how people willingly started working in an industry where grown men who love video games get drunk and make sex jokes while waving sex toys, only to be surprised that it is actually happening. This company was made what it is by these dudes and to be surprised that they're exercising an obnoxious pattern of behaviour, such as drinking at work and making inappropriate jokes, doesn't come as a surprise to me. What does come as a surprise is how someone can spend years and years working there.

only to be surprised with sexual assault and harassment...!? yeah wow I bet a lot of companies last long advertising that...

WOOOOOOW it's not like jobs are people's livelihoods and have bills to pay and will suffer the indignity at work to not be out on the fucking street. wooooooow who could possibly think of that being a thing people have to deal with...

[Magnagarde]

No, that's the way things "used to be", which is what's changing. Welcome to modern times, where developers are increasingly not putting up with the childish, awful antics of a bunch of manchildren who don't know how to behave in a professional environment.

I work in the gaming industry. My company is very chill and we can play things pretty fast and loose at times. But even a single incident of behavior like this would result in that employee being immediately fired, much less allowing for a pattern of this kind of behavior.

You can still have a chill, fun work environment that doesn't require you to be a stuffy, boring, suit-wearing professional without having a toxic environment where manchildren harass and abuse staff and create an unsafe and unproductive work environment as a result. Because people suffering under garbage management rarely do their best work, so it's literally in Blizzard's own interest to remove these people if they want the quality of work to improve.

Not to mention Blizzards apparently problems finding qualified candidates for positions since fewer talented folks are eager to take a job there in light of these extensive stories/reports that are largely corroborated.

I understand that it is worthy of being fired and I would warn and fire an employee for it too, but these weren't ordinary employees. These were apparently heads and leads of multiple franchises, the go-to men of the company who made the company great and they were all together. In many ways Blizzard was more of their living room couch than the couch that they had back at home. This is why I understand the lack of inaction in regards to sex toys, getting drunk and sex jokes. The one I can't understand is why sexual harassment wasn't taken seriously because that clearly transcends in-house managerial dominance.

[unfilteredJW]

I understand that it is worthy of being fired and I would warn and fire an employee for it too, but these weren't ordinary employees. These were apparently heads and leads of multiple franchises, the go-to men of the company who made the company great and they were all together. In many ways Blizzard was more of their living room couch than the couch that they had back at home. This is why I understand the lack of inaction in regards to sex toys, getting drunk and sex jokes. The one I can't understand is why sexual harassment wasn't taken seriously because that clearly transcends in-house managerial dominance.

Yeah, just big fucking yikes.

[Magnagarde]

no, the fact that you think you're in a position to question these people's accounts of what happened is where you fucked up. no one is compelling you to participate in this discussion, NOR is anyone asking you to reinforce how serious those claims are. the mere fact you call them into question is where you need to start backing up what you're saying. otherwise your just being a myopic contrarian to get attention or something.

I have every right to question accounts, but that isn't exactly what I did. I simply addressed what was posted about in the last page. This isn't Babylon. I don't need to be compelled, I just opened the thread hoping to see a closure to this due to the announced settlement. I didn't post to get attention, but it is you who is giving me the attention instead.

[Edge-]

I understand that it is worthy of being fired and I would warn and fire an employee for it too, but these weren't ordinary employees. These were apparently heads and leads of multiple franchises, the go-to men of the company who made the company great and they were all together.

Which highlights why the lawsuit exists - because these were people in positions of power who long engaged in this kind of behavior while being actively protected by HR and Blizzard leadership.

In many ways Blizzard was more of their living room couch than the couch that they had back at home. This is why I understand the lack of inaction in regards to sex toys, getting drunk and sex jokes.

No, it's simple power dynamics we see throughout every company faced with harassment scandals like this. People in positions of power often abuse that power and their workers, and are actively protected by the company they work for. This isn't unique to gaming or Blizzard, it's very standard shit.

The one I can't understand is why sexual harassment wasn't taken seriously because that clearly transcends in-house managerial dominance.

See above. Same reason why it has basically never been treated seriously. Most companies are very much still "boys clubs", and HR exists first and foremost to protect the company - i.e. "the boys club", not employees.

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I don't need to be compelled, I just opened the thread hoping to see a closure to this due to the announced settlement.

That's one settlement with EEOC - the federal settlement. There is still the state lawsuit from the CDFEH, plus multiple lawsuits from employees. Plus the unionization efforts within Raven.

There will not be "closure" for some time, especially as, at this point, it's very likely that they will continue to see new lawsuits.

[uuuhname]

I have every right to question accounts

and everyone else has the right to tell you to back up what you're saying or shut the fuck up.

and no, you keep making excuses for the abusers because it seems you have an easier time empathizing with them than you do their victims.
"you know that false accusations happen right????"
"what else are you expecting from this company?"
"why would anyone stick around if they were being treated so badly?"

it's not subtle dude.

[unfilteredJW]

I have every right to question accounts, but that isn't exactly what I did. I simply addressed what was posted about in the last page. This isn't Babylon. I don't need to be compelled, I just opened the thread hoping to see a closure to this due to the announced settlement. I didn't post to get attention, but it is you who is giving me the attention instead.

“I just want the women to shut up so I can play video games I like.” Just fucking say what you want to say, coward.

[Magnagarde]

only to be surprised with sexual assault and harassment...!? yeah wow I bet a lot of companies last long advertising that...

WOOOOOOW it's not like jobs are people's livelihoods and have bills to pay and will suffer the indignity at work to not be out on the fucking street. wooooooow who could possibly think of that being a thing people have to deal with...

I crossed swords with a lot of heads of department and one has to learn that untill you do that, you will be trampled on. That's the sad reality of life. The real issue aren't individual cases like this, which absolutely and clearly need to be addressed when it comes to the sexual harassment, but the lack of strict laws that protect workers in the US, which are notorious for such a thing.

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and everyone else has the right to tell you to back up what you're saying or shut the fuck up.

And I'm not asking you to "shut the fuck up". I'm above using such language.

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Which highlights why the lawsuit exists - because these were people in positions of power who long engaged in this kind of behavior while being actively protected by HR and Blizzard leadership.



No, it's simple power dynamics we see throughout every company faced with harassment scandals like this. People in positions of power often abuse that power and their workers, and are actively protected by the company they work for. This isn't unique to gaming or Blizzard, it's very standard shit.



See above. Same reason why it has basically never been treated seriously. Most companies are very much still "boys clubs", and HR exists first and foremost to protect the company - i.e. "the boys club", not employees.

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That's one settlement with EEOC - the federal settlement. There is still the state lawsuit from the CDFEH, plus multiple lawsuits from employees. Plus the unionization efforts within Raven.

There will not be "closure" for some time, especially as, at this point, it's very likely that they will continue to see new lawsuits.

I absolutely agree with the notion that the gaming industry had to change, which is why I support these changes(mainly in the direction of better position for the employees within the business in terms of their legal protection, better payment and healthcare). I simply believe that this drive needs to happen on a more fundamental level across the economy. I'm not from the US, but reading accounts of what happens to workers and what their rights are leaves me baffled. Everything that is described in the lawsuit is inconcievable to me professionally and I know for a fact that it would never cross someone's mind to do something similar wherever I studied/worked, but I've always understood the gaming industry as a grey zone that I personally wouldn't want to be a part of as it brings this grey zone with itself. Sort of like the internet of the late 2000s and early 2010s; a complete trainwreck that you learn to navigate. This is why sex jokes and drinking at work don't seem as big of a deal to me when it happens in this branch. Admittedly, to a certain degree I still see the gaming industry as this garage-turned-to-mall kind of industry, one I would personally stay away from. Given that it is one of the more profitable industries and arguably the most profitable entertainment industry, I understand the need for change.

[trapmaster]

18 MILLION DOLLARS? That's IT? THAT'S IT? HOLY FUCK The USA justice system is a fucking joke. HUGE WASTE OF TIME and bobby gonna point fingers to those victims and spit them and laugh the hardest he can.

[Magnagarde]

18 MILLION DOLLARS? That's IT? THAT'S IT? HOLY FUCK The USA justice system is a fucking joke. HUGE WASTE OF TIME and bobby gonna point fingers to those victims and spit them and laugh the hardest he can.

It can only mean that the allegations were exaggerated and that Blizzard isn't a sex dungeon full of perverts.

It was crystal clear that it's an exaggeration from day one, but what was obvious was also drowned in a tidal wave of visceral outrage.

[Elegiac]

It can only mean that the allegations were exaggerated

That is not remotely what it means.

[Edge-]

It can only mean that the allegations were exaggerated and that Blizzard isn't a sex dungeon full of perverts.

Jesus christ this isn't what it means at all, holy shit. Do you even settlement, bro?

[Magnagarde]

Jesus christ this isn't what it means at all, holy shit. Do you even settlement, bro?

How many victims are counted into the settlement and what did they endure for it to be this low then. You don't settle for this little if something serious is at hand.

[Edge-]

for it to be this low

Settlements like this area always "this low" because of the way our legal system is set up to favor corporations over people (ironic given that corporations are people, but that's for another day).

This is like crowing that a company that was fined didn't do something that bad because the fine was small, only to realize that our regulatory fines are a complete joke and that it's frequently more profitable to eat minor regulatory fines in pursuit of greater profits.

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You don't settle for this little if something serious is at hand.

Literally not hot settlements work in many cases, but ok.

[Magnagarde]

Settlements like this area always "this low" because of the way our legal system is set up to favor corporations over people (ironic given that corporations are people, but that's for another day).

This is like crowing that a company that was fined didn't do something that bad because the fine was small, only to realize that our regulatory fines are a complete joke and that it's frequently more profitable to eat minor regulatory fines in pursuit of greater profits.

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Literally not hot settlements work in many cases, but ok.

I'm talking about this particular case and this case revolved around widespread, management-level sexual harassment. It was alleged to have had a positively-reverberating circle back to the heads of the company, one that allegedly resulted in suicide of an employee, with various mental health issues for other victims aswell. Had all of this been true and had the number of employees affected been as high as everyone pretended that it was, the settlement would have been higher. That being said, I don't doubt that a settlement helps the company more than the victims; if nothing else, they can stop further negative PR.

[uuuhname]

this isn't even the only lawsuit by the government that's still going. but okay, let's just keep playing defense for sex pests, that's always a good look.

[Magnagarde]

this isn't even the only lawsuit by the government that's still going. but okay, let's just keep playing defense for sex pests, that's always a good look.

Nobody is a sex offender until they're convicted of being one. Anyone guilty will hopefully get their due. There's also no good or bad look in discussing this; if you always say what gives a "good look", then all you are doing is being an extension of someone else's perspectives.

[uuuhname]

what I mean by "not a good look" is that in spite of how much you think you're being impartial here, you're not. its clear you're siding with the sex pest company by insisting that just because one of the numerous lawsuits going on against Blizzard ( on top of, you know, your other yikes takes in this thread) means this was all an attempt at extortion by the victims. IDK dude, maybe just stop talking and save yourself further embarrassment.

[unfilteredJW]

Guess it’s “Time to defend harassment and pretend I’m just looking for due process for sex pests” o’clock.

Yeah, a quick romp through that posters posts paints the picture you’d expect.