Activision Blizzard es the newest video game company targeted for allegedly promoting a culture of sexism. A lawsuit filed Wednesday by the California Department of Housing and Fair Employment alleges that Activision Blizzard employees experience rampant sexual harassment and discrimination. The structures and systems featured in the lawsuit are painfully similar to those discovered in recent years through lawsuits and revelations involving Riot Games and Ubisoft.
The calculation of workplace inequality by the gaming industry has been going on for years. Leading companies have been slow or even reluctant to respond for their supposedly discriminatory culture and, in some cases, have built fortresses of asylum around their most troubled employees and systems. Activision Blizzard has the option to choose a different shade. At the moment it seems unlikely.
The gaming industry is known to be male-dominated and has a long-standing reputation for being misogynistic. The 29-page DFEH complaint follows a two-year investigation by Activision Blizzard, the publisher of high-profile titles such as obligations, World of warcraft, Y Supervision̵
1; and it contains lurid allegations of misconduct, from harassment by top executives to so-called “cube steps” in which male employees are reportedly “drinking a lot” while “crawling” through various office cubicles. and they often show inappropriate behavior towards female employees ”. It describes a culture in which double standards prevented women from advancing and even remaining with the company; In general, women receive less wages than men for “essentially similar jobs”. The agency claims that female employees receive a lower starting salary than men and move up more slowly. Only 24 percent of Activision Blizzard’s nearly 10,000 employees are women, and the senior management level is almost entirely white and male.
In this “frat boy” culture, the lawsuit says, men came to work “proud” with a hangover, delegating responsibility to women while playing games like obligationsHe spoke openly about sexual encounters and even joked about rape. The lawsuit also alleges that employees and even executives have sexually harassed female employees without consequence. He claimed that an employee who may have suffered sexual harassment in the workplace, including a case in which her co-workers allegedly shared an intimate photo of her at a party, later committed suicide. (In a statement, Activision Blizzard says: “We are disgusted with the reprehensible behavior of the DFEH in including the tragic suicide of an employee whose death is unrelated to this case and regardless of her grieving family.”)
“We value diversity and strive to promote a workplace that is inclusive for all,” an Activision Blizzard spokesperson said in a statement. “In our company or our branch or in any branch there is no room for sexual misconduct or harassment of any kind. We take all reports seriously and investigate all reports. In cases of misconduct, steps have been taken to correct the problem ”. The company has made efforts in recent years to foster diversity by helping employees report violations, establishing a confidential hotline, and forming a team to investigate worker concerns. Activision Blizzard claims that the DFEH complaint contains “biased and, in many cases, incorrect descriptions of Blizzard’s past.”
The DFEH requires redress for punitive damages, unpaid wages, and legal fees. Citing the ongoing investigation, the department declined to respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
Activision Blizzard disclosures mirror those of Riot Games in 2018 and Ubisoft in 2020. Just as the culture of the game has been slow to adapt to women and minorities in general, game companies previously accused of promoting cultures of sexism have slowly evolved. .
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