Good. They need the book thrown at them.
Hopefully we get some good industry-wide regulation as a result of this.
Maybe 5-10 years from now, having cleared house and improved their culture, Activision-Blizzard can be a positive example for the industry rather the mess they are now.
We’re not morally obligated to buy a company’s products to give their employees jobs. It’s entirely reasonable for someone to choose not to associate with them based on what they’ve done previously, and it’s not our responsibility to ensure a corporation stays in business, nor that people we don’t know receive a paycheck for something unrelated to us.
Based on some recent questionable decisions on the OTHER end of the spectrum, I lean more toward they’ll go too far and be a mess in the other direction.
I’ve always said that one had to investigate within Activision as well, whose actions despite the Blizzard scandals are escalating thanks to the support of COD, in some way. especially when Kotick in 2019-2020 had an exaggerated salary in the face of tons of employee layoffs during Blizzard’s best shareholder period … and with rehiring. this was an investigation that had to be applied immediately.
without making fun of us but … even if it is true that Blizzard does its many stupid things autonomously, the management choice is Activision’s.
this is not the fault of the franchises but of those who count money before quality. I find it scandalous that OW2 could risk compromising its quality for a stupid esport show. sorry, true OWL fans, but even before being a show, OW must be a game that works … and for now it is stopped, no matter how spectacular the PotG of pro gamers is.
OW has undoubtedly been passionate about people but we were rightly disappointed in its constant decay. the IPs and the stories are not to blame (most of them, at least) but Blizzard should stop being “Blizzard”, otherwise … the surrender of its IPs to deserving studies. If Vicarious Visions does the miracle on D2 Resurrected despite these bombings, it will actually be proof that we don’t need bad magagers or stingy esport committees, but groups of workers who are really interested in enhancing historical IPs. something that sadly did not happen for W3 Reforged… or HotS (a very serious crime for those who have the nerve to propose a corporate event like blizzCon as a “union of their entire community”. thanks for killing the symbol of this union, actibliz managements)
I’m also not morally obligated to look past whether a game is good or not. If I like a game and it entertains me and lets me leave MY OWN PROBLEMS behind for a few hours, why should I care who makes it or how they make it?
It is a very serious situation that can lead to the indictment of multiple individuals and parties.
I would expect this to happen since Blizzard hasn’t handled in-game abuse reports very well either.
But I do…
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Not quite sure what you mean, but I don’t think there’s any danger of ‘overcorrecting’ here.
Uhh, I think I’m supposed to attack the individuals involved rather than attack the over arching system, right? It’s more… palatable that way.
Well if you haven’t heard, there have been several in-game image files censored within WoW. And one got fully replaced with a bowl of fruit.
Big shocker, the situation gets worse and worse. Is anyone surprised anymore
That’s nothing close to what I said, I said don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. While its true one should punish those that did crimes, choosing to not buy the product hurts everyone including those that shouldn’t be harmed.
They removed some images? Say it ain’t so!
If your worst-case-scenario for overcorrecting is that Blizzard games are no longer thirst-traps for sweaty gamerbros, I think that’s a pretty good price to pay for equality in the workplace for thousands of people in the gaming/tech industries.
It probably helps build a more positive attitude toward women for the next generation of gamers, too.
Big Oof.
Okay, we can all agree that ActiBlizz has a terrible work environment, but what exactly equates to “equality”? That’s kind of a loose concept that very rarely works for the most part. Just asking out of curiousity.
Looks at a certain Internet rule and what most newer gamers find appealing. I don’t think that’s much of a change, chief.
See my original post - I specifically mentioned industry-wide regulation to help prevent discrimination in the tech and gaming industries being one of the potential positive outcomes here.
Assuming you’re alluding to rule34. I never said anything about banning p0rn or about p0rn being bad - people can and will go elsewhere to get off. I said that Blizzard games don’t need to be thirst-traps. And as to your comments assuming what “most newer gamers find appealing”? You may be in an echo chamber.
No. Developers got their salaries already. If a product does not get it’s money, then the management and company image suffers from bad decisions, not the designers or developers which are innocent and obeyed what was given.
Designers might be thrown out while the bad apples in management remain, but again this is management’s fault for taking bad decisions within company, like the ones in this scandal, including SHREDDING DOCUMENTS to cover their backs.
A game designer can always find a job elsewhere. Consumption of internet has increased, especially during Covid times, but players must stand up with honor and conscience, to set an example for other companies who do work exploitation.
The world is changed little by little, while empires fall, and other empires rise.
I refuse to buy Overwatch 2. This is my protest against work exploitation and harassment of employees.
True, industry environment can be mitigated and regulated, but I highly doubt that discrimination will be absolved completely. All it would take is just another person of ill intentions to start muddling things up again, kind of like what’s happening to comics, but in a different way.
Unfortunately, there’s a reason why the phrase “sex sells” is still used rather frequently: humans tend to want more of “visually appealing designs” and corporations tend to prey on that for financial benefit.
You need to actually be in a community to be in an echo chamber, or at least, that’s the assumption.
So 4000 people all losing their job to set an example for a few bad apples is a noble cause? Lets be real, punish those that need to be punished and don’t think for a minute that 4000 people all losing their job will make the world a better place. You don’t blow up a country because they have a few terrorists, you realize that there will always be bad actors.