After the news of the state of California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing filing a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard broke last week, many current and former employees of the company have taken to social media to share their stories of harassment. Most of the stories came from women, but not all were.
A report from Kotaku alleges that male employees were also subjected to sexual harassment within the walls of Activision Blizzard. One employee on Twitter (whose name was withheld for his protection) shared that he experienced unwanted shoulder-rubbing, sex proposals, and conversations about sex acts in front of colleagues who remained silent. He didn't take any issues to HR as he feared this would lead to gossip around the office. He also alleges that other employees he confided in brushed off the incidents.
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Another story comes from Cher Scarlett, a former engineer at Blizzard. She not only corroborates the frat-boy culture that the lawsuit claims is still happening, but mentions that senior managers would regularly engage in games where they would grope male colleagues' genitals. One such was called "gay chicken" and tasked managers with being "the first man to grab the others' junk." Scarlett says she knows of at least three men who reported Activision Blizzard to the DFEH, which resulted in the current lawsuit.
Lastly, Kevin Meier, a former personnel manager at Blizzard, shared a video on TikTok that corroborated the complaints listed in the lawsuit. As he states, "In [Activision Blizzard's] response, they said 'this does not represent who Blizzard is.' Yes, it does, and it has for a long time." In response to his video, many employees came forward stating that Meier also engaged in toxic behavior. Kotaku had reached out for a statement but has not received anything.
Many were shocked when the news broke last week as the reports were some of the most graphic and damning of the recent wave of allegations against CEOs and managers in the games industry.
Source: Kotaku
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