Trigger warning: descriptions of sexual harassment and sexism. In the fallout of the damning allegations made towards Activision Blizzard, both current and former employees are speaking out. The lawsuit filed by the state of California two days ago pointed to a "pervasive frat boy workplace culture", where male employees would – among other things – drink alcohol at work, and sexually harass coworkers. While the company has so far tried to distance itself from these claims, around 33 current and former employees are publicly supporting the lawsuit.
On Twitter, those who have worked with Activision Blizzard for anything between two to thirteen years are echoing the allegations in the lawsuit, and going further. These statements paint a picture of normalized sexism, sexual assault, peer pressure into taking drugs, and the victim’s careers being cut short as a result of speaking out.
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"During my time at Blizzard, I experienced sexual harassment from multiple male leads. Explicit descriptions of sex acts they wanted to perform on me, propositioning my wife and I for sex, back rubs. It goes on”, alleges Brad Crusco, who was with the company for three years. “Going to HR wasn't an option. You only went to HR if you wanted your story immediately shared throughout the entire studio."
Also throwing support behind the lawsuit is Cher Scarlett, who was with Blizzard for a year. Scarlett alleges: "I would be hard-pressed to find someone that wasn't witness to sex in the game lounges, coke in the bathrooms during a cube crawl, or a woman who wasn't sexually harassed at least once."
This sort of behaviour dates back some time, as Stephanie Krutsick explains how she was harassed at BlizzCon in 2013. This allegedly took the form of a senior member of staff drinking at work events, and then trying to kiss female colleagues, as well as call them derogatory names. The lawsuit claims that he was verbally reprimanded by Blizzard president J. Allen Brack on multiple occasions, but was “permitted” to act like this with “little to no repercussions.”
These employees don’t just speak about sexual harassment, but also the seemingly normalised sexism. Alex Ackerman says she cut her time with Blizzard short after the stress resulted in her hair falling out. This was due to her boss claiming she was underperforming, while she says she had evidence of the contrary. "I HATED leaving. Blizzard was my dream job[…]But the amount of people who STILL REMAIN in [management] positions even after multiple accusations kept me away."
This is echoed by Shaynuh Chanel, who says: "I witnessed my female colleagues being demoted for pregnancies”. She also claims that she overheard management stating a woman only had her job because of her appearance, and that male employees were paid more regardless of performance.
These allegations are supported by Kevin Meier, who spoke about the abuse he experienced and witnessed when he worked as a personnel manager in 2012. Several people still in the company have also expressed support, with Blizzard’s Christie Golden stating: “I stand in solidarity with my sisters”.
Activision Blizzard has strongly denied the allegations put forward in the lawsuit. The company claims that the allegations are “distorted and false”, and state that it has been “extremely cooperative” with the investigation.
Source: Reddit
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