You Can’t Sit on the Fence Forever
I was recently reading a post published on Massively Overpowered about Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick. The majority of comments were not well disposed towards the man, especially in light of the fact that previous allegations made against him regarding harassment and intimidation have been settled out of court. However, there were one or two comments that flew in the face of the overall opprobrium. That’s not to say that they were supportive of Mr Kotick. They were from people who wanted to “just play games” and effectively not have to be exposed to any discussion or judgement upon the iniquities of the video games industry. It’s a common refrain from some gamers. They wish to keep the realities of the world out of the games that they play. To treat an MMO, FPS shooter or strategy games as a form of leisure devoid of any socio-political implications. Something they can immerse themselves in for a while to “escape the stress of real life”. It’s a concept that seems fair enough in principle but when considered in practical terms is abstract and unworkable.
I was recently reading a post published on Massively Overpowered about Activision Blizzard CEO, Bobby Kotick. The majority of comments were not well disposed towards the man, especially in light of the fact that previous allegations made against him regarding harassment and intimidation have been settled out of court. However, there were one or two comments that flew in the face of the overall opprobrium. That’s not to say that they were supportive of Mr Kotick. They were from people who wanted to “just play games” and effectively not have to be exposed to any discussion or judgement upon the iniquities of the video games industry. It’s a common refrain from some gamers. They wish to keep the realities of the world out of the games that they play. To treat an MMO, FPS shooter or strategy games as a form of leisure devoid of any socio-political implications. Something they can immerse themselves in for a while to “escape the stress of real life”. It’s a concept that seems fair enough in principle but when considered in practical terms is abstract and unworkable.
Take a good hard look at the world around you. It is built upon free market capitalism and consumerism. Video games are a microcosm of such ideologies. An amusing diversion that you pay to access. That is why millions of dollars are spent developing them. Because a game that blends the right amount of psychological manipulation with user engagement, can hit the jackpot and yield a handsome return on investment. Some gamers are so invested in their game of choice, especially the MMO community, they lose sight of the fact that they’re consumers paying for a product. They see it as some sort of commensurate relationship between artist and patron and the video game industry is happy to perpetuate this fallacy. Sadly, video games are not inviolate, existing in their own ethically and politically neutral separate reality. They are made by people, working within a corporate hierarchy and as such are entwined with the inherent problems of such a system.
Video games are not any different from electronics, clothes and many other consumer items we buy on a regular basis. Those manufacturing them are poorly paid and have little or no benefits, while the prodigious profits that are generated are funnelled to the top of the corporate structure. Sadly, video games are far from free from the taint of modern business practises. And as consumers, we are contributing to these problems, irrespective of whether we are ideologically supportive of the system that causes them or not. You can as a gamer “just play games” if that is what you want to do but willful ignorance does not negate the iniquities of the triple A video games industry. Nor does it absolve you, or indeed any of us, of the fact that we’re supporting a business model that is discriminatory to people not too dissimilar to ourselves.
Now there is a rather tedious and ill conceived argument that usually gets trotted out in such situations. The one that states that you can’t voice any sort of criticism regarding exploitative business practises, while still using the services they provide. IE “best give up your mobile phone, cheap clothes and consumer goods and go live in a cave”. The notion being that there is an element of hypocrisy or at least cognitive dissonance to such a stance. All that is notionally correct, that does not invalidate the rectitude of the argument against bad corporate practises. Furthermore, one doesn’t have to wait for a consensus of universal moral perfection before seeking societal change. Change is made from within the imperfect system. Take a look at Western history over the last and current century. Civil rights and equality were fought for despite a substantial percentage of the population thinking that it wasn’t their problem. Perhaps they just “wanted to play games” or whatever the equivalent soundbite was at the time?
Maintaining a civilised, fair and equitable society is hard work. It requires rules and regulations to ensure that an acceptable standard of life exists for all. It also needs citizens to “give a shit”. Now I don’t expect everyone to be an activist 24/7. But there is a price for living in an orderly society. Jury service, voting and on occasion realising that helping and supporting others with their struggles is beneficial for our collective good. If you are content to live in a world where the prevailing mantra is “fuck it, it’s not my problem”, don’t be surprised if sooner or later someone will try and take something away from you. You can’t sit on the fence forever. Let us not forget the wise words of Martin Niemöller. So returning to the original point of discussion, I hope that ongoing pressure from both the public and staff results in meaningful change at Activision Blizzard. It’s in everyone’s best interests that it does.
More Iniquities of the Video Games Industry
People often say that one of the reasons they play video games is to escape from the harsh realities of life. It’s a perfectly understandable aspiration; seeking to find a brief respite from the rigours, injustices and trauma of the real world in a potentially more tranquil environment. Yet it is ironic that the very industry that provides these virtual havens is steeped in all the failings and iniquities that stem from big business. Adding to the general shittiness of day to day life that so many wish to avoid. Which presents many gamers with an ethical dilemma, as they may well be supporting a company that indulges in morally abhorrent business practises. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the iniquities of the video game industry and it certainly won’t be the last. Here are just some further examples of the sort of shenanigans that regularly occur among “Triple A” publishers
People often say that one of the reasons they play video games is to escape from the harsh realities of life. It’s a perfectly understandable aspiration; seeking to find a brief respite from the rigours, injustices and trauma of the real world in a potentially more tranquil environment. Yet it is ironic that the very industry that provides these virtual havens is steeped in all the failings and iniquities that stem from big business. Adding to the general shittiness of day to day life that so many wish to avoid. Which presents many gamers with an ethical dilemma, as they may well be supporting a company that indulges in morally abhorrent business practises. This isn’t the first time I’ve written about the iniquities of the video game industry and it certainly won’t be the last. Here are just some further examples of the sort of shenanigans that regularly occur among “Triple A” publishers.
An investment group representing some Activision Blizzard shareholders recently filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission an enquiry as to how CEO Bobby Kotick “finds multiple ways to unnecessarily enrich” himself. CtW Investment Group has stated in its mission statement that it functions to hold “directors accountable for irresponsible and unethical corporate behavior and excessive executive pay”. The group handles several union-sponsored pension funds that own “substantial” shares in Activision Blizzard. They’re concerned due to “multiple, overlapping award provisions” in Kotick’s employment agreement with Activision Blizzard, the CEO is allowed multiple bites at the apple. Kotick has received over $20 million in stock options every year for the last four years in addition to his base salary, as well as a bonus that is more than the total pay of his fellow CEOs in the games industry. The cumulative total of Kotick’s stock awards alone in the last four years is $96.5 million, which doesn’t include his salary.
All of this has occurred over a period of time when Activision Blizzard employees are facing ongoing job insecurity, following layoffs of 800 employees in 2019. Staff typically earn less than 1/3 of 1% of the CEO’s earnings, with some employees, such as Junior Developers, making less than $40,000 a year while living in high-cost areas such as southern California. Activision defended Kotick’s bonuses in a statement to GameSpot, citing increases in the company’s “market capitalization” and share price performance during his tenure as the reason for these financial rewards. “He has delivered exceptional value for Activision Blizzard’s stockholders”, according to their PR department. But for many gamers, this is yet another example of the immorality of corporate culture, especially in light of the current economic situation where many workers are currently furloughed and more than likely facing unemployment in the not too distant future. All while their employers make record profits.
And here’s another “fun” example of life in the video games industry. According to a report on Bloomberg, publisher Take-Two is alleged to have withdrawn Kerbal Space Program 2 development from studio Star Theory and then subsequently poached most of its staff, eventually leading to the company’s collapse and closure. Star Theory’s development staff apparently received an unsolicited LinkedIn message last December, in which a Take-Two revealed it was creating a new studio to complete the game Star Theory had been developing. Take-Two was seeking to hire all of Star Theory’s staff in order to “ease transition”. “This was an incredibly difficult decision for us to make, but it became necessary when we felt business circumstances might compromise the development, execution and integrity of the game”, Take-Two executive Michael Cook is alleged to have said. “To that end, we encourage you to apply for a position with us”.
Star Theory founders Bob Berry and Jonathan appear to have been in discussions with Take-Two about selling their company but were dissatisfied with the terms. However, pleas to staff to stay at the company and secure a new project failed, as more than half of the development team eventually joined Take-Two’s new studio Intercept Games according to Bloomberg. Whether their terms and condition of employment are comparable, remains to be seen. Such business practises are often seen as standard procedure within the video games industry but for those working at the “coalface” this is just corporate asset stripping and playing with the livelihood of staff. Again as gamers, do we wish to be associated with such dubious activities? I am reminded of a quote by Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle. “If you get offended by any jokes, by the way, feel free to Tweet your outrage on a mobile phone made by a ten year old in China”.
