Activision Blizzard sued by California Department of Fair Employment

Community General Discussion
152

You’d have a good point if it weren’t the case that Blizzard does this to other contractors, and that’s part of what this is about. The hypocrisy.

Blizzard are throwing stones in their glass house.

But I’m gonna give you a like anyway. I think you get it.

Most of the old Blizzard employees left and formed a couple handful of studios. A handful of them teamed up and formed Dreamhaven.

As for what happened to Blizzard… California and it’s sanctimonious far-left politics happened. Let’s not forget that politics is downstream from culture.

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153

Sadly I did not. And this not Blizzard specific. The whole gaming industry as a whole is a toxic tumor for workers. Honestly it may explain why games have gotten worse – like how can you expect someone to be creative and invested with all of that going on?

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154

Prolly nothing. I mean it is nothing new for company getting sued. Ubisoft got sued, Riot got sued, Bethesda got sued and how many actually know or remember the outcome? Yeah, prolly no one because it was just a smoke without fire.

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155

Good point actually. I didn’t think about it this way

156

Yeah the old guard left and I think it went from a case of “this is a passion project company” to becoming corporatised and everything that comes with it, including movement into different locales and immersion in their socialisation.

Not to say the old blizzard was perfect of all such, I can’t know that, but I think the thing for me is that if I’d heard this of the WC3 and early WoW team I would have been shocked. I read this report today, I’m disgusted at the contents but no part of me is going “I can’t believe this is possible for blizzard” and I think that speaks volumes.

I do enjoy the project but the ones behind it are something I largely endure as part of that process at this point.

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157

Indeed. They need to be proved guilty for media to drop the "allegedly.

158

Well in honesty, during SC1/WC3 there was next to no female employee and old-blizzard was a boy’s club, so same boyish culture but nobody to harass.

159

I haven’t looked into it that much, but someone said this goes back as far as 2004 which means the old guard is very involved in this and even set the tone for what kind of company they want to be.

161

The accusations go back to 2004, so this is very much rooted in old Blizzard.

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As said I can’t know for sure but I’m not claiming it was impossible either, what you say is likely the case. The report alludes to this going far back so actually it probably does extend as far.

Just all round disappointment tbh.

163

The word “allegedly” is ALWAYS used until something has been proven in court. Thats how it works mate.

It also prevents having to edit all posts after something went through court and had been disproven

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164

As a woman I find the reactions on this forum very interesting, as you can clearly see there is a shared “frat culture” between a part of the playerbase and the devs : predatory comments defending predatory practices.
This will be resolved in penal court and I hope the perpetrators go to jail.

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165

The old WoW dev team were a bunch of D&D and Warhammer nerds. They can be creepy as well for sure, but I think at work their focus was elsewhere than the opposite sex… just, in general xD

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166

If anything that’s my major disappointment, it sounds quite sad but my tiny fanboy mind was like ‘hah, Activision again!’, then you keep reading and realise this was the old Blizzard that’s under the microscope, that feels quite disappointing and hollow, from a tiny minded fan perspective.

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167

yes we nerds can be socially awkward, but please dont equate us to some rotten individuals

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168

Also love this part the most. Imagine your game going down the drain and yet 80% of your workforce is playing games while 20% actually works. Probably so that ion can somehow get out of his grey log hell.

The good old “nerds” would freeze in place the moment a female speaks to them. ITS THE LAW!

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169

From leading software developer we all looked up to to leading female employees into suicide. Way to go Blizzard, way to go.

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170

The old Blizzard was dead and buried 2 years ago. They were leaving, taking many women with them I might add.

But perhaps I should keep reading. I know you can’t mention all the names here so…

I said “can be”. I’m not referring to social awkwardness. In that case I’d be hella guilty myself lmao.

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171

At least its the state that is actually going ham at them. Thats going to hurt. A lot.

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172

Because when people are in the workplace they’re there to do work as am I, not serve as some kind of target for me to try and feel good about.

Got the hots for a co worker? How about taking it outside the workplace? Or at the very least make your interest known in a way that doesn’t involve objectifying them at the same time.

It is possible to flirt with someone and not be a complete letch. Contrary to what people thinking commenting on someone’s body or how bangable you think they are isn’t flirting. It’s simply expressing an opinion about something. Flirting usually implies a two way mutual interaction (or invites it) and saying “I’d bang you” doesn’t really do that.

If we do actually consider it flirting, it’s a very crude and clumsy form of it which people shouldn’t be surprised not everyone finds charming.

I think this is a problem beyond the workplace however. I have many female friends who are at varying points in the dating game. Looking at the way men try to introduce themselves to them or open a conversation is a combination of horror and hilarity. It’s perfectly plausible that several of these guys whom defend with “I flirt” are simply falling foul of their woeful lack of social suave honestly. They think about what they’d like to hear, but not what the other person might like to hear. That’s the issue.

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