Hazel · @HazelNuttyGames
22nd Jul 2021 from TwitLonger
on the Blizzard lawsuit news
The details in the lawsuit filing are sickening and all too familiar to women who have spent time in and around tech industries. The full document is available here (be aware that it’s a very heavy read). https://aboutblaw.com/YJw
Especially disturbing are the reports of the culture that enabled this, including retaliatory action against those who spoke up. Blizzard has clearly failed at creating a safe workplace environment and the damage of that is carried by the women and particularly women of color who work there.
It is understandable and normal to feel anger, disgust, betrayal at this news. Uninstallling/unsubbing is a completely reasonable course of action.
I do believe, (and this does not excuse anything), that this kind of thing spreads far beyond Blizzard. If everyone who does not accept this leaves the Warcraft community, what you are left with is another space where this behavior is overlooked and tolerated. I believe it’s possible to stay in the WoW community while also demanding accountability. Gaming spaces are safe havens to escape to for many marginalized people and shaming them away does more harm than good.
As fans and creators, we can be vigilant in our own groups and communities. We can pay attention to the way people are treated around us, and we can refuse to tolerate harassment and discrimination. This has to be supported by mods, officers and leaders.
It’s incredibly sad to hear that Blizzard protected abusers and failed their employees to this extent. I hope the lawsuit is fully pursued and achieves substantial changes in terms of compensation and removing as many people as necessary. Beyond that, I hope that those in power either learn to recognize the value of keeping their female employees safe, or are replaced by people who do.