MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Hundreds of Swedish game developers have leant their support to a new petition to embrace diversity in games across all areas.
The petition calls for equality and states the industry “will never accept threats, hate, violence or sexism in the name of games”.
“Hatred and all kinds of prejudice is nothing we as a collective industry support,” reads a statement on the website. “All those who claim to do so in the name of games are doing so with their own personal agenda. Not in the name of games.”
People to sign the petition include developers from EA Dice, Machine Games, Massive Entertainment, Ludei and King. Numerous companies such as Avalanche Studios, Paradox Interactive and Coffee Stain Studios have also added their logos to the campaign.
Though started in Sweden, developers from around the world have also signed up from Germany, UK and Canada.
The campaign was started by Swedish organisation Diversi and is using the hashtag #gamediversity to promote the petition and “denounce current destructive movements and all forms of prejudice within the game industry”.
Though specific cases aren’t mentioned, the petition is likely in reaction the a recent spate of abuse and threats directed toward women in games and the GamerGate Twitter campaign
Giant Spacekat co-founder Brianna Wu was recently forced to leave her home after receiving threats on Twitter. The developer has also received abuse from pro-GamerGate site 8chan after speaking out against the campaign.
Tropes vs Women critic Anita Sarkeesian was recently forced to cancel a planned talk at the Utah State University’s Center for Women and Gender after the university received threats of a “massacre” if she was allowed to speak. The university was then unable to provide assurances that no guns would be on the premises due to local gun laws. Sarkeesian tweeted that one of the threats was linked to GamerGate.
