In the last few days, numerous people have come forward with accusations of sexual harassment, abuse, and assault allegations against people in the video game industry. The victims and the accused come from every corner of the industry, and the companies they work for or are associated with have issued statements or say they have opened investigations into abusive and inappropriate behavior.
My fond feelings of Chris Avelloneās previous work are always gonna exist
But fuck that fucking dude, those accounts of him acting like a washed up rockstar at conventions sound incredibly shitty. It makes me curious to revisit why he actually left Obsidian
Out with all abusers. These accounts have been horrifying to read and as always itās frustrating to see how common this is in the industry. My sympathies go out to all victims and I hope they get justice, but that isnāt enough. Becca Hallstedt says in this post that, āyour damage is exponential. it is not a simple wound. it is a toxin that spreads out of control and infects everyone within proximity.ā The rot has to be removed.
Hey, uh, remember that time chris avellone signed up to this very forum to be weird about an article about him? Maybe that was a sign he was a creep, huh.
The Avellone one has been the hardest for me. I canāt think of many happy moments in my life that werenāt at least bolstered by a game he wrote or worked on. That said, no room for predators in my life. Get fucked, Avellone. Iām going to go play something else by someone better.
Iām not gonna link to specific allegations because itās been a āyikesā kinda weekend, but there have been multiple, well-known names named at Ubisoft as well.
Just a quick word to my fellow dudes out there: thereās never been a better time to take inventory of your behavior and strive to be/do better.
Not sure what else to really add. Thought of writing a piece on my feelings of the Avellone situation in particular but then I remember this isnāt about me - itās about Avelloneās victims.
How I write about his old work is going to change in tone in the future, but thatās nothing compared to what he did to real people. As one angry yelling wolf once said, sacrifice the heads of your heroes at the alter for a better tomorrow.
I actually met Chris Avellone years ago when I was helping a youtuber friend of mine cover Dragon Con in Atlanta. You can probably guess who he isā¦ I was filming it for him.
He seemed like a lowkey dude, but then again neither of us were women in the industry. I do remember distinctly my friend, whoās an actual journalism major, seemed genuinely perplexed about the reporter/subject relationship in a space like Dragon Con, and he wondered towards Avellone aloud if their discussion while having drinks was ethical. Chris seemed like he had no idea himselfā¦ I remember him being like, āDang, I dunno.ā
I feel like there needs to be training for those in the game industry, no matter your level, how to represent yourself in these spaces. It canāt just be āworkplaceā training, because the workplace could also be outside the office in spaces that have a āparty-like atmosphereā like Dragon Con. I bet a number of men who work in the games space see conventions as a place to let loose, and that can lead to so many lines being crossed in professional environments.
But yeah, fuck that dude. Getting drinks after a panel was probably how he roped so many people in.
Itās good that weāre finally having this reckoning. If nothing else, it will get the information out there to people who might otherwise have been victims of this behaviour.)
(Re: Chris Avellone in particular, it makes me wonder who wrote all the Fisto! stuff. And the porn studio thing from FO2.)
Many, although not all, stories that have been told mirror alcohol being used to coerce the victim at cons and developer meetings. BTW, anyone remember when TwitchCon had an open bar with uncovered drinks, and that one woman got her drink spiked from it while some big-name streamer laughed at the thought of this being an issue?
Iām not in the games industry but Iāve been to large scientific conferences where free alcohol during networking sessions have been an element, and I know that sexual assault and harassment does occur at them. Meghna Jayanth posted this tweet about making safer networking spaces and alcohol being prohibited is on that list. As much as Iāve liked getting a free drink every now and then, safety is so much more important. Keep this out of professional gatherings.
I think people also need to recognize that industry conferences are work, and no different from working in the office when it comes to behavior standards. And that means no drinking*.
As I get older I have gotten increasingly skeptical of workplaces that allow or encourage drinking. If people need alcohol to get through the day I am extremely concerned about their judgement and competence. Stay sober when youāre working, be a goddamned responsible adult you man children.
*Note: I am not saying the presence of alcohol is the excuse for sexual assault, but rather that it induces an environment of looser professional standards that predators are all too happy to take advantage of.
This talk of alcohol abuse reminds me of that one Game Grumps episode of Super Mario World where Danny let it slip that one of Archerās executive producers, Matt Thompson, drunkenly assaulted him, and that it apparently happens a lot
The clip is here, but it cuts out the part where someone who works with Matt Thompson came up to Danny and was like āOh yeah, this happens all the time, give me your info and Iāll send you a care packageā
I have no data and I have no sources, but off the cuff Iām going to say this isnāt just a video game industry problem and that it happens in any industry you can name. Sexual harassment is an ongoing societal issue that everyone needs to more aware of and providing safe ways for victims to report incidents.
