I know we tend to like keeping things positive and chill here, but this is really important news that I think ought to be shared. Some women have come forward to share their stories of abuse and trauma they’ve endured in the games industry. [cw for sexual abuse/assault]
Horrifying stories. Grateful for social media to be able to give these victims a voice. It’s hard reading them tbh. I hate reading the threads about Zoe where some people discredit her… as a woman and victim of molestation as a child I can’t help but believe them all. It takes SUCH courage to come out and say someone did something like that to you. I’ve told people close to me, but never reached out to make sure they were reprimanded ect. The things your brain tells you like “they didn’t mean it” “don’t want to make a big deal now since it’s been so long” and on top of all of that if they were a big name that could hurt your career? I can’t imagine. That’s why I believe them though.
Also how do you feel about the games they created? That’s where it’s hard for me to separate the creations from the creators, should we? I love Night in the Woods… not sure how to think about it now.
It’s awful, and unimaginable for anyone who has not gone through something like this. And the world makes it very hard for victims of abuse in general. There are ideological and social structures in place that make it hard for victims to even process abuse on a personal level, never mind outwardly or on a public level. It’s terrible.
It’s difficult. On the one hand there’s a lot of media that we can turn to instead, but on the other there are other people who worked on games like that and it’s as much theirs as that of the person in question. So maybe not quite a separation of art from artist but an acceptance that art like a game is never just one person’s creation. Regardless, opting out of a game or any media is a fair choice.
Sorry to hear you had to go through that as a child, I hope things are a lot better for you now.
It is honestly so tiring to see jerks victim blaming these people; it’s even more incredible that Zoe Quinn has shared her story again after dealing with the GamerGate crap a few years ago.
I’m not too sure myself yet. I’ve had NITW on my wishlist for ages and I still want to play it. Alec co-founded the studio that created the game, and while I don’t want to give him any money… I also don’t want to discredit the hard work of all the other folks who contributed to the game either, they deserve their fair share… Honestly, if someone chose to play or not to play it because of this, I wouldn’t be mad.
If it’s any comfort, the other co-creater of NITW, Scott Benson has claimed they didn’t know about Alec’s history but that they believe Zoe. Twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/bombsfall/status/1166225430434725889?s=20
BTW, if anyone knows which studios Natalie Lawhead was referring to in her blog post, please DM me. I’ve no idea who they might be, and while I understand that she didn’t publicize their names for her own reasons, I would like to know.
I don’t want to accidentally support a company with toxic management and workspace (as someone who has been through some of that shit myself).
Thanks for sharing updates here! I’m glad to see that the NITW studio is genuinely taking the issue seriously and taking Alec off the team. Can’t speak for creations from others accused, but I think this clears up some guilt anyone might have had about enjoying NITW.
Update post: [CW again for sexual harassment/assault]
First off, some of the people I’ve mentioned are actually non-binary. I didn’t know (not everyone has their pronouns listed in their Twitter bio), so I’m sorry about that. Didn’t want or mean to erase our non binary folks.
Zoe Quinn has had to delete her Twitter account due to the increased amount of Internet hate after the news broke, and Alec’s sister had to private her Twitter due to people sending her awful messages about her brother.
But maybe this painful episode can turn into something better someday:
While I praise Alec’s work, consider this- people left the industry because of what he did. People gave up their dreams, the art they wanted to make. People, drawn by the promise of working with a well known indie developer, found themselves caught between giving up their dreams and financial stability and getting away from him. People spent years with him as a destructive presence in their lives. People developed PTSD. People spent hours and money on therapy. People felt trapped by him. It’s hard for me to see how one man’s work is worth what he did to so many others.
Wow, thanks for sharing. Sad to hear how much Scott and Bethany struggled with all this
