Photo: Duncan C/Flickr
#MeToo comes for the video game industry

Good morning! This Friday, California sues Activision Blizzard alleging harassment, Zuck has the metaverse on his mind, tech helps China with disasters and how to enjoy the Olympics from your phone.
(Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get Source Code every day.)
Activision Blizzard is among the largest video game makers in the world, responsible for Call of Duty and countless other multi-billion-dollar series. The California-based company is also now the subject of a lawsuit from the state's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges Activision Blizzard perpetuated a toxic workplace culture that involved serial sexual harassment of women and systemic pay discrimination.
The DFEH's findings come from a two-year investigation made public in a lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday. The lawsuit seeks an injunction forcing Activision's compliance with California workplace protections, in addition to unpaid and lost wages, back pay and benefits for female employees.
The lawsuit contains harrowing accusations of misconduct. Activision is accused of fostering a "frat boy" workplace culture that created a "breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women." In one horrific case, a female employee died by suicide on a work trip after enduring harassment from her male superior.
It's just the latest #MeToo reckoning for a major game industry player. Over the last few years, current and former employees at game studios have become much more vocal about a range of issues in the industry, from chronic unpaid overtime (known as "crunch") to toxic workplace cultures fostering sexism and harassment.
One common theme in all these cases is a lack of diversity. The video game industry is still overwhelmingly white and male, and much more so than its counterparts in Silicon Valley and Hollywood. Just 24% of game developers are women, and just 2% are Black, according to data collected last year by the International Game Developers Association.
Activision's official response doesn't outright deny any of the specific allegations. Instead, Activision says it's changed and that the DFEH's lawsuit includes "distorted" descriptions of "Blizzard's past."
The video game industry is notoriously litigious and secretive, relying on nondisclosure and nondisparagement agreements and arbitration clauses in developer contracts to muzzle employees and resist change.
But a growing pro-labor movement within the industry, combined with female game developers speaking out about misconduct, has begun to chip away at the game industry's pervasive and rotten workplace issues. This may be among the most high-profile challenges to one of gaming's biggest corporations, but it will surely not be the last.
— Nick Statt (email | twitter)
If you or a loved one needs help regarding sexual harassment or violence, call RAINN's sexual assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673. If you or a loved one needs help regarding thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
People are often surprised to learn that Alibaba has thousands of customers here in America, made up of U.S. brands, retailers, small businesses and even farmers. Last year, U.S. companies sold more than $54 billion worth of their high-quality products directly to Chinese consumers on our e-commerce platforms.
Mark Zuckerberg says the metaverse has always been on his mind:
He also hit back at Joe Biden for saying vaccine misinformation on Facebook is harmful:
There's a chip shortage now, but SVolt Energy Technology's Yang Hongxin says batteries are up next:
Faraday Future hit the public market, with the help of a SPAC that pumped $1 billion into the company. It's been a wild ride for Faraday, which is climbing out of debt.
Matterport is also getting SPAC'd. The 3D mapping startup is merging with Gores Holding in a deal valued at $2.9 billion.
Uber Freight bought Transplace, a transportation logistics company, for $2.25 billion.
HashiCorp's Mitchell Hashimoto resigned as co-CTO. He'll still stick with the company as a solo contributor.
Mark Stucky, Virgin Galactic's flight test director, is leaving the company. He said he left "not on my own timeline."
A group of lead developers at Gearbox are leaving. Scott Kester, Christopher Brock, Keith Schuler, Paul Sage, Chris Strasz and Kevin Penrod are all heading out to work on a separate project together, according to Axios.
TechNet's executive council has two new members: Coursera's Jeff Maggioncalda and General Motors' Craig Glidden. Coursera is now also a member of TechNet.
The Olympics are finally here. You might be able to catch some of the games on TV, but if you're on the go, there are other ways to make sure you stay in the loop.
Think of Alibaba as a massive digital mall. When a U.S. business opens a digital storefront on Alibaba's platform in China, they gain access to our 900 million active Chinese consumers. Alibaba provides all the tools to help U.S. businesses build their brands in China to serve local Chinese consumers.
Are you tired of explaining the tech news of the day to your co-workers every morning? Let us do the heavy lifting and refer them to Source Code.
Send them your referral link via Slack, text, email or carrier pigeon and we'll send you your very own Protocol mug after you refer five friends!
Your referral link:*|RH_REFLINK|*
Thoughts, questions, tips? Send them to sourcecode@protocol.com, or our tips line, tips@protocol.com. Enjoy your weekend, see you Sunday.
To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. If you continue browsing. you accept our use of cookies. You can review our privacy policy to find out more about the cookies we use.