Episodes of abuse and sexism shake the foundations of Activision Blizzard, now in the midst of a media storm and a momentous cause
It is certainly not the videogame news that we would have liked to deal with, but one cause addressed to Activision Blizzard has brought to light the apparent episodes of sexism and abuse. The harassment was verbal but not limited to, according to the California Department of Equal Opportunities. Apparently, there is a “student office culture” in the company’s offices that in-depth investigations are still trying to lay bare. What has emerged so far, according to the testimonies, consists of discrimination, wage differences and preferences as to who is eligible for promotion.
Storm on Blizzard due to sexism: Activision women
The foreign press is dealing with this case on multiple newspapers, but hazing and sexism at the Activision Blizzard headquarters were also the cause of suicide for one of the people involved. Any complaints addressed to human resources and directors such as J. Allen Brack proved ineffective, as they were not treated “with seriousness and confidentiality” according to the testimonies that emerged. The reprisals wages and contracts have made women complaining targets for transfers and redundancies. Those of color, then, in one case had to “summarize in a page” how they wanted to use the requested holidays (the opposite of Rockstar, therefore).
On the other hand, less skilled male employees were allegedly put on a fast track according to the indictment. The lack of professionalism has seen a supervisor “delegate his responsibilities to play Call of Duty to employees,” which is why in the absence of other solutions, the plaintiffs demand compensation for back pay and moral damages. There answer Activision was not long in coming: this description is “false and distorted”, with an “inappropriate” and “disrespectful” involvement of suicidal employees against a company that “in recent years has been able to change its corporate culture for the better”. We’ll see who the court will agree with.
Now it’s up to you to tell us yours: what do you think of what has emerged in these hours? Let us know below, and as always don’t forget to stay on TechGameWorld.com for all the most important news for gamers and more. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming.