Around the middle of 2020, Bring Me The Horizon released an EP: “POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR.” It was a testament to how many of us were feeling during the early months of the pandemic. “Parasite Eve” in particular asks the question: “When we forget the infection, will we remember the lesson?”
It is one I find myself pondering in the new year. We have had a lot of lessons to learn in 2021, a year of continuous infections. Gamers and the gaming industry have faced a roller coaster of ups and downs. Taking a look back may help us not only remember where we’ve been, but also plan where we go from here.
2021- the year of numbers
Numbers play a big part in everything, and we have been oversaturated with stats over the last couple of years. From death and infection counts, to the number of people unemployed, or part of “The Great Resignation,” everyday there is some new percentage being tossed about. We pay attention because they all affect the decisions we must make, even whether or not we will be leaving our house that day.
The numbers often combine with bleak headlines. Pictures of grey surround us, or so it seems. It’s no wonder in the last few years, 3.24 billion people have turned to video games, and their bright, brilliant worlds as a way to escape. Even broken games like Cyberpunk 2077 in its dystopian universe are preferable to our own. The glorious landscapes of Disco Elysium and Hades tempted us into dark stories. Deathloop made us ask existential questions about death, life, and everything in between. Sonic Colors: Ultimate still feels like a blur of neon.
We are spending more money and time than ever dedicated to play. The industry had record profits over 2020-21, driven by the console wars and big studio releases. Final numbers won’t be released until Q1, however preliminary statics through November are out. Nintendo Switch sales alone hovered above $14.5 billion USD. Sony and Microsoft are still struggling to provide their newest gen consoles, they managed to amass over $252 billion USD combined.
Gaming for everyone
Part of the reason many of us game includes encouraging improvements in graphics and gameplay capabilities. During 2021, huge strides in player accessibility were made, with mainstream games Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Forza and Ghost of Tsushima leading much of the charge. Last week, Rebellion Studios, home of Zombie Army and Sniper Elite franchises announced it is looking for a Principal Designer for Accessibility, a first at the company.
There is so much more happening behind the scenes with smaller indie developers. We will definitely be talking about accessibility at a later time. With innovative technology and advancements in making gaming more accessible to all players, it’s likely we will continue to see record numbers for years to come.
The Titanic in the room
Unfortunately, current events in gaming have cast a dark shadow over the achievements we have made. The lessons have been ones of nightmares. I have written a lot about Activision Blizzard and the chaos within our gaming communities over this past year. The allegations are very clear- Activision Blizzard allowed gross misconduct, sexual harassment, and discrimination to happen for years inside their company, with the CEO having full knowledge, and at times even covering it up. In an industry where we build and play in fantastical worlds, the fact that many women and minorities had their dreams destroyed is inexcusable. The subsidiaries of Activision, including Raven Software, have contributed to its fall from grace through other means.
It hasn’t been just Activision, although they are in the forefront. Bungie faces allegations of discrimination and cover-ups of misconduct. In July, a French union filed a lawsuit against Ubisoft for sexual harassment within the company.
There are no resolutions yet, although the court cases involving Activision Blizzard begin soon.
Hiding in plain sight
It is obvious by now that we have problems, to the surprise of no woman within the community. We also have an issue with how to handle them. Last week, Kotaku reported on a Discord server “The Right Wing of Gaming” where people can go to, and (I use this word lightly) “discuss” the current changes at Activision Blizzard, including the work of ABetterABK.
Employed at the company as part of their web content team for over 23 years, Geoff Fraizer was allegedly part of the ongoing problems at Activision Blizzard. He apparently has no problem spewing hateful, discriminatory, and harassing messages on the server about disabled people, women, and other minorities. These messages started appearing in May, right before California filed its lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. He left the company in September. It’s incredibly telling, as are the reactions of those who believe such things should be allowed as “free speech.”
A company that persists in keeping its CEO who knew what was going on, and continues to have the support of the gaming community, posting the second highest sales over the holiday season with Call of Duty: Vanguard in the U.K. , ranked as the highest selling game in November, sends a loud, ugly message: Overall change isn’t coming anytime soon.
Steps in the right direction?
From an outside perspective, that might seem like every lesson is doom and gloom. I can relate. I have been following the stories of allegations from the beginning, back in July. At times, writing about it has felt overwhelming, heavy with heartbreak. It can seem like, as companies falling from grace, but still bring in the big bucks, we are moving backwards.
Change never happens overnight, with huge gestures of overhaul. It comes in small waves with little victories. And we have had several. The industry as a whole may not be to the point of shunning companies who foster an environment of harassment, assault and discrimination. However, individual companies are taking notice.
As we discussed before, The Game Awards took a stand, banning Activision Blizzard from having any part of the show. It was a bold move, but a step in the right direction. No tolerance was shown with the immediate termination of PlayStation’s VP after the discovery he was part of a pedophile ring.
Treyarch’s women speak out
Flying mostly under the radar, just before the Christmas holiday began, the women of Treyarch, Call of Duty developers, issued a statement on Twitter. Because “haters gonna hate,” Joanna Leung, Senior Game Designer, wanted everyone to understand that this was a “sincere and heartfelt statement,” not a PR stunt.
“I’m honor to have helped in contributing to this and thankful for the lady who drove this initiative. Without her and all the other women who helped contributed, this statement would not have been possible. This was truly a team effort,” Leung tweeted, accompanying Treyarch’s original post.
The statement reads in part: “Our culture has no room for sexism, harassment, racism, bigotry, discrimination or bullying. As we move forward, providing a safe, diverse, inclusive working environment so that all may thrive will be our highest priority. […] Everyone at Treyarch is drawn to game development because we possess a deep love for the artistry of video games and the magic that can create moments that matter. This is a moment that matters and it starts by being better.”
Last but not least, Riot Games, in trouble since 2018 for systemic sexism and unfair employment practices, settled their lawsuit. Originally attempting to give $10 million for the approximately 2,300 employees affected, they agreed to pay $100 million on Tuesday. The settlement includes $80 million going to employees, $20 million in legal fees, and increased pay transparency with three years of third-party monitoring. Progress costs. A lot.
The hate and bigotry that overshadows us is a parasite, an infection within our communities. The lessons are there, if we choose to learn from them. Personally, I resolve to learn and help, in whatever ways I can, with the cleansing and healing of our communities. Let’s make 2022 a year for all gamers, regardless of sex, race or ability.
