Mike Morhaime Response to Blizzard Lawsuit

[Soon-TM]

I think that they(Bliz employees) are aware of what standard operating procedure is for companies accused of wrong doing but what they are saying is that that's not good enough. Many of them are likely women who have already experienced it or know someone who has and that sort of reply just doesn't cut it for them. It comes off as basically saying all of those people are lying about what they've experienced while working at Blizzard and Blizzard wanting to minimize their own culpability which means lack of acknowledging that there is a problem.

It isn't even "minimising" in some cases. For example, that Townsend lady's letter... I can't tell if it's more disgusting than it is ridiculous, or the other way around. It basically reads as "Nothing like that can happen here because I am a woman and it hasn't happened to me! Actually, we're so perfect that nothing bad can even happen here! Now moving along!" - all of that while trying to drive the crowd away, desperately hoping that no one will notice the carfire just behind her.

[thilicen]

It isn't even "minimising" in some cases. For example, that Townsend lady's letter... I can't tell if it's more disgusting than it is ridiculous, or the other way around. It basically reads as "Nothing like that can happen here because I am a woman and it hasn't happened to me! Actually, we're so perfect that nothing bad can even happen here! Now moving along!" - all of that while trying to drive the crowd away, desperately hoping that no one will notice the carfire just behind her.

Even more hysterical / disgusting when it comes from a woman in an executive position with the power to fire people who would have even tried, and who has only been with the company for 4 months. Acti/Blizz leadership is comic-book-level.

[Berndorf]

Meh. Yes it's bad that women had to deal with this. And blizzard should rightfully be sued.

But this, "let's cancel everything" culture isn't good for anyone. It doesn't matter whether the transgression is great or minor everyones out for blood. Ya'll are just as bad as those you're cancelling. It's hilarious you don't realize it.

Even funnier, that you've absolutely adopted a guilty until proven innocent mindset have no ability to perceive that you've done so, and will be absolutely fine with this until it turns on you.

This is not an example of cancel culture. I am totally against cancel culture. Which is essentially censoring people who express opinions we don't like and trying to force them out of public view. What we are talking about here is a company which completely misran itself and allowed people with very toxic and harmful forms of behavior to run rampant through their company over a long period of time. To the point that their own former employees are admitting it and their current employees are calling Bliz out on their responses and attempts at trying to act as though this is a frivilous lawsuit. Their own company is revolting. We as consumers are perfectly within our rights to stop supporting such a company. This isn't cancel culture. This is simply standing up for your own principles if you choose to stop giving them money. This isn't a single person that people dislike and want to censor from their reality(which I don't agree with). This is telling a large corporation to get its **** together and acknowledge how badly they ran their company.

[prwraith]

This is not an example of cancel culture. I am totally against cancel culture. Which is essentially censoring people who express opinions we don't like and trying to force them out of public view. What we are talking about here is a company which completely misran itself and allowed people with very toxic and harmful forms of behavior to run rampant through their company over a long period of time. To the point that their own former employees are admitting it and their current employees are calling Bliz out on their responses and attempts at trying to act as though this is a frivilous lawsuit. Their own company is revolting. We as consumers are perfectly within our rights to stop supporting such a company. This isn't cancel culture. This is simply standing up for your own principles if you choose to stop giving them money. This isn't a single person that people dislike and want to censor from their reality(which I don't agree with). This is telling a large corporation to get its **** together and acknowledge how badly they ran their company.

Just as bad - because you have no way of knowing who enabled this in leadership and rank and file. Now, ALL of blizzard is being painted as a demon, when in reality it was like upper/middle management exclusively.

Painting with a broad brush, without all of the facts, is just as bad as painting with a small brush. Granted we will have the facts after the case when evidence is presented, but until then it's absolutely speculation and hearsay.

[Kellorion]

https://www.change.org/p/activision-...ard/u/29386687

This madness needs to stop, send a message

[Berndorf]

Just as bad - because you have no way of knowing who enabled this in leadership and rank and file. Now, ALL of blizzard is being painted as a demon, when in reality it was like upper/middle management exclusively.

Painting with a broad brush, without all of the facts, is just as bad as painting with a small brush. Granted we will have the facts after the case when evidence is presented, but until then it's absolutely speculation and hearsay.

Hardly. I'm not telling anyone to not buy what they make. I'm saying do your own research and decide for yourself. At this point I don't feel its up for debate. So if you think I'm judging them as guilty too soon big ****ing deal. I'm allowed to think for myself and decide for myself. You do you. No one is saying 'shut down Bliz, they are the devil' that I know of. They are free to implement changes and try to win the trust of their customers back. I want to see concrete changes before I buy any more of their games.

[Makabreska]

https://www.change.org/p/activision-...ard/u/29386687

This madness needs to stop, send a message

You really expect this to work in ANY way? Please.

[MoanaLisa]

You really expect this to work in ANY way? Please.

Well, the link is bad so there's that.

[Mumba]

I worked in the gaming industry and I am quite sure I will not going back. It was smaller level than a Blizz one, but the toxicity is rampant everywhere.

Don't get so high up with devs being evil now. You, the gamerbase has as much toxicity and harm as them. I knew a girl who was driven to suicide by another guy's action. We even have to hide our gender just to not get harassed, insulted, threatened with harm or rape, followed irl, and all those shit. Not only eggplant pics, but I got selfharm pics and such, just because I helped someone out in a quest and he got to know from a guildie that I'm a woman and he got obsessed. Could go on multiple experiences over the years.

Regardless the immense amount of poison both layers, we are here for the dev situation atm. I had guys not doing what I asked them as a higher up, bc my gender, harassment, accusing being emotional when I called them out on their bullcrap. Rape jokes, subtle threats, touching, insults, everything.

But here's the thing. A lot of times these harrassers:

1. They will say they didn't do anything, bc in their eyes their rape jokes, touching, hugging woman (only the ones they are attracted to though...), asking more than one times for a date, getting around to talk to them, ignoring their discomfort, all of this and more is nothing to them. So they will tell their friends and family, that they were fired for nothing, and sjws, cancel culture, me too. Bring up the trendy words what ruined your career, never you.

2. They will act normal and friendly with other guys or higher ups. They will never know how scummy is he, and if they are friends and "Jeff is always nice to me, bros before...", you will never get the support, no one will believe you. Just read the comments about women coming forward in a harassment case. The names they are called, they get threats, etc. False accusations are pulled up although it's so little in percentage, especially would be little if every single case would have been reported. Yes it's bad but good gods, really have to mention and trying to dismiss every case? Do you sleep better if you dismiss everything? Nevermind, tangent. The thing is that, yes a lot of others are oblivious to this. Morhaime got one letter about it, as a boss, I'm not sure how many he reads. My company had an assistant to the boss who did weeding out in the mails, but a lot of mails got ignored too.

The harassers hide their shit well, and good actors. It's not just Blizzard, the entire industry is this shit. Oh girls don't go to stem and "man" jobs? My gods, what do you think why is that? I got denied of joining a chess club as a kid, bc "boys would be distracted", if I failed at math it was because I'm a girl, I excelled at physics, a guy must have been tutoring me, pats on the shoulder, hid my gaming hobby, I hid everything what could be taken feminine online, just to have peace.

Do freaking better BOTH sides. You, the gamerbase, ignore everything and we need to suck it up, block them, oh you get harassment too? Haha, CoD lobby amirite. Man, you have no idea how harsher girls get, irl and online. Get a grip. I block them, they will come back with new accounts. They are not shunned or punished, not excluded, they always find groups to do this with. Report systems are horsepoop, no harsh punishment. I see the comments over girls being harassed, like we are fragile and too sensitive. Overreacting. It's dismissed everywhere.

So get down from your high horse. You don't do better either. There's no industry where you don't find this, unless it's conventionally "feminine" job.

Bleed out the bad blood, there are good people with them too, with genuinely no clue about it. Not an excuse, but this is now an opportunity to bleed them out and start anew.

Had to bump your post since there's so much truth in there and that this problem is much bigger than just ActiBlizz and it exists in the whole gaming/tech sphere itself. I'm a guy myself so I don't experience this first hand, but whenever I play with my female friends they often don't want to join public voice chat because they know from experience what they might have to endure.