The Gaming Industry Experiences #MeToo Moment
Gaming developers are starting to highlight sexual harassment in the industry after several people accused their peers of assault and abuse.
Several women in the gaming industry have come forward and shared their experiences online after a developer posted a blog claiming a colleague had raped her.
Some of the allegations cannot be detailed by identifying personalities for legal reasons at present.
However, the wave of the posts has since been compared to the #MeToo movement that exposed harassment in Hollywood by producers and senior actors.
Media Critic and writer Anita Sarkeesian claimed the video games have a #metoo movement. She added the toxicity from the fan community has been documented, though the abusive, predatory behavior between developers has been in whispers between trusted friends.
The allegations began on Monday when a developer posted a detailed account of rape and abusive behavior by a former colleague.
It was subsequently followed by several accounts of sexual assault from other developers. Several women then described being grabbed or groped at industry networking events.
Others then claimed men had attempted to lure them to hotel rooms with the promise of work and other collaborations on projects.
Some of these accounts detailed long periods of emotional manipulation and abuse by the senior colleagues.
This is not the first time alarms have been raised in the gaming industry.
It first happened five years ago when a man became furious after being dumped by his game developer girlfriend. He posted abusive material online attacking the woman, and it began a cascade of targeting women, and others who have advocated greater inclusion and diversity within the gaming industry.
It would seem like an intolerance movement where abusers felt safe to voice their opinions.
The effect created a counter-protest that has been women coming out with stories of assault and harassment within a rarely regulated industry.
In the case of the Gaming #Metoo movement, a lot of the ones who posted in support said they felt dehumanized by their personal experiences. These had a lasting effect on the mental health of victims.
The allegations were shortly made before the Pax west gaming conference that will see thousands of the indie game developers head towards Seattle, tomorrow.
The 'Times Up' campaign group that fights sexual harassment also called the actions described within the posts as disturbing at the least.
The group claimed this ought to be a moment of reckoning for the industry. The culture of gas-lighting, sexual harassment, and retaliation cannot go any further.