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[#MeToo] Comes To Gaming

AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
The Verge has just dropped a major story - several notable figures in the gaming industry are being publicly accused of sexual assault and rape:
hings started with a lengthy blog post from artist and game designer Nathalie Lawhead, bluntly titled “calling out my rapist.” In it, she accuses Jeremy Soule, a longtime game composer behind series like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and The Elder Scrolls, of rape while the two were working together at an unnamed games studio in Vancouver in 2008. The post also points to a severely degraded work environment following the assault, in which Lawhead was disrespected at work, had to fight for pay, and was ultimately let go from her job. These claims are backed up by extensive documentation in the form of dozens of emails.

“I share not expecting to be able to get through the backlash, the lying, the excuses, the gaslighting happening all over again, the fanbase that might come after me because that’s just what happens in games, or hearing more of ‘his side of the story,’” Lawhead’s post reads. “My side of the story was never given a chance. I’m willing to try. I’m sharing this hoping that there will be information about him out there so other women can be informed.”

Following Lawhead’s post, others started speaking up. Zoe Quinn — developer of games like Depression Quest, author of Crash Override, and a focal point of the misogynistic Gamergate movement — posted a harrowing account on Twitter, recounting alleged abuse from indie developer Alec Holowka, best known for his work on Aquaria and Night in the Woods. “I’ve been silent about this for almost my entire career and I can’t do it anymore,” Quinn wrote. The post includes disturbing accounts that include Quinn hiding in a bathroom to avoid an attack. It also notes that Quinn was inspired to come forward in part because of Lawhead’s post, which Quinn says “shook me to my core.”

In a statement on Twitter, Scott Benson, who worked with Holowka on Night in the Woods, wrote that “we believe Zoe’s account of Alec’s actions, we’re very sad and very angry.”

A third incident came to light when indie developer Adelaide Gardner wrote a lengthy Twitter thread accusing Luc Shelton, a programmer at British studio Splash Damage, of sustained psychological and physical abuse two years ago. “It’s been two years and every once in a while, like now, I realize I’m still terrified of him,” Gardner wrote. “He’s a country away and I will never see him again and he has no way of contacting me, and I’m just as scared of him as the day I left his flat for the last time.”

There have been further stories coming out in the wake of these initial revelations, but the prominence of the people accused - most notably Soule, known for his work an a number of soundtracks for Bethesda titles - makes this feel like it has more impact, along with the gate opening that this seems to have primed. In many ways, this feels like a sword that had been hovering over the industry's head finally dropping.

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Posts

  • MadicanMadican No face Registered User regular
    There can't even be an argument about separating the artist from their work in this instance, because he's explicitly said what inspires him to create that work and what pervades the entirety of it. When I listened to the Morrowind theme was I inadvertently listening to the product of Lawhead's suffering? What about Skyrim? Whose life was ruined for this music I once enjoyed?

    He's disgusting, and the fact he's gone undetected until now, profiting from the suffering he's inflicted on others, is rage inducing.

  • The_InfidelThe_Infidel Registered User regular
    Good.

  • Jebus314Jebus314 Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    I don't really have anything to add to the conversation at the moment, but I was reading through Quinn's history and dear god did they have a terrible time. Between the original assault, abuse by Holowka, and then gamer gate, I have no idea how Quinn is still functioning and working in the field.

    Edit - corrected for appopriate pronouns.

    Jebus314 on
    "The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it" - Dr Horrible
  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    Good.

    That it's out in the open at last, yes.

    Everything else...

  • Phoenix-DPhoenix-D Registered User regular
    Jebus314 wrote: »
    I don't really have anything to add to the conversation at the moment, but I was reading through Quinn's history and dear god did she have a terrible time. Between her original assault, then her abuse by Holowka, then gamer gate, I have no idea how she is still functioning and working in the field.

    I mean there's a reason one of Quinn's games is called Depression Quest.

    Also notable is that the incident related was the SECOND one. Jackass took advantage of her while she was recovering.

    (The first is unnamed because they've since made amends. Lo, it is possible! Just takes more humility than your usual assaulter has)

  • HefflingHeffling No Pic EverRegistered User regular
    It is no surprise that men in positions of power have abused their power in this manner. I am simultaneously happy that women are being empowered to come forward and address these issues, and sad that these issues exist in the first place.

  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    Alex Kennedy, the founder of the studio that made Fallen London, Sunless Seas, and Cult Simulator, has been accused of predatory behavior. It started with an anon account created extremely recently. A bunch of people then came out and said it was a known thing in the community and they know people he targeted because it is very rarely a one off thing.

    Various indie game people:





    He is now threatening legal action against them.


    Couscous on
  • EncEnc A Fool with Compassion Pronouns: He, Him, HisRegistered User regular
    I listen to Soule's works almost daily, this is really upsetting. That such beautiful music was made by someone so disgusting.

    Why are people so routinely shitty.

  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    Alex Kennedy, the founder of the studio that made Fallen London, Sunless Seas, and Cult Simulator, has been accused of predatory behavior. It started with an anon account created extremely recently. A bunch of people then came out and said it was a known thing in the community and they know people he targeted because it is very rarely a one off thing.

    God. Fucking. Fuck.

    I wish I could say more than this, but I don't really know what I could say about this.

  • KetBraKetBra Dressed Ridiculously Registered User regular
    Hopefully this is the first of many steps towards creating a healthy and inclusive industry

    Having said that, fuck those guys

    KGMvDLc.jpg?1
  • PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    KetBra wrote: »
    Hopefully this is the first of many steps towards creating a healthy and inclusive industry

    Having said that, fuck those guys

    The sad thing is that it felt like the scene around Failbetter was meant to be the healthy and inclusive corner of the industry.

    Phillishere on
  • WotanAnubisWotanAnubis Registered User regular
    KetBra wrote: »
    Hopefully this is the first of many steps towards creating a healthy and inclusive industry

    Having said that, fuck those guys

    The sad thing is that it felt like the scene around Failbetter was meant to be the health and inclusive corner of the industry.

    Now I'm starting to wonder if maybe this is why Alexis left Failbetter. But wondering is all I'll do unless Failbetter puts out a statement or something.

  • dispatch.odispatch.o Registered User regular
    Oddly enough, I felt like #MeToo lost momentum and stopped being as important as it should have been because the messages it came to encompass seemed more broad in scope and began lumping actual rape in with what seemed like regrettable dates and encounters.

    This sounds like sexual assault and outright rape. #MeToo has been memed into a softer accusation than it should be. Wrongly, I believe - but it has happened.

    I'm hopeful people continue to call these people out for what they are and who they've hurt. I'm not fond of hashtags, though. I also am not looking forward to the obvious MRA gamah gooblahs that are going to filter into communities trying to address this stuff.

  • ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    dispatch.o wrote: »
    I also am not looking forward to the obvious MRA gamah gooblahs that are going to filter into communities trying to address this stuff.

    Hell, there was one guy who randomly popped into D&D to drop some vague thread about the accusations against some YouTuber being refuted just the other day.

    I don't envy the mods here under the best of days, but yeah, this could definitely cause an influx of more than the usual bullshit.

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
  • HefflingHeffling No Pic EverRegistered User regular
    Forar wrote: »
    dispatch.o wrote: »
    I also am not looking forward to the obvious MRA gamah gooblahs that are going to filter into communities trying to address this stuff.

    Hell, there was one guy who randomly popped into D&D to drop some vague thread about the accusations against some YouTuber being refuted just the other day.

    I don't envy the mods here under the best of days, but yeah, this could definitely cause an influx of more than the usual bullshit.

    Tube has stated in the SE++ Youtube thread that he knows Holly Conrad and has no interest in rehasing the ProJared stuff here.

  • mRahmanimRahmani DetroitRegistered User regular
    Fuck, I was a big fan of both Soule and Holowka's work. I feel gross.

  • Stabbity StyleStabbity Style He/Him | Warning: Mothership Reporting Kennewick, WARegistered User regular
    Night in the Woods team cut ties with Holowka and cancelled the game they were working on.

    Stabbity_Style.png
  • MillMill Registered User regular
    Glad to see metoo is finally hitting the game industry. I don't know if it is just me, but it seems like ever since gamergate happened, the overall experience with games has gone down hill, where there seems to be more design that is just straight up trollish towards the player and geared towards driving people out. So not only do a ton of these sexual predators deserve to be outed and held accountable for being shit, but I see it be overall good for the industry, since abusive behavior rarely stays confined to one area.

  • milskimilski Poyo! Registered User regular
    A reckoning shall not be postponed indefinitely and all that, Mr. Kennedy.

    I ate an engineer
  • AistanAistan Tiny Bat Registered User regular
    Three people at the Yogscast, including their CEO, have been let go in the past month due to harassment allegations from community members.

  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    KetBra wrote: »
    Hopefully this is the first of many steps towards creating a healthy and inclusive industry

    Having said that, fuck those guys

    Given Gamergate, I would be completely unsurprised if a #MeToo movement in the video game industry turned up almost infinite amounts of shit.

  • tynictynic PICNIC BADASS Registered User, ClubPA regular
    I would be fucking astonished if any industry at all didn't have a nearly bottomless well of harassment, assault, and rape, but gaming is very likely to be particularly toxic for a whole bunch of reasons.

  • ArtereisArtereis Registered User regular
    Weird seeing a tiny game like Consortium be in the news for horrible, horrible reasons.

  • TryCatcherTryCatcher Registered User regular
    Artereis wrote: »
    Weird seeing a tiny game like Consortium be in the news for horrible, horrible reasons.

    Not that weird. The smaller the company, the less professionalism since there's less accountability. Hell, the big problem with Silicon Valley and, for this thread, Riot Games, is that they are fighting tooth and nail to be able to keep their lack of professionalism despite being large companies that people expect to take seriously. Corporate Peter Pan Syndrome.

    Which is why I'm not surprised that the indie industry (and all the "nerd" companies for that matter) are plagued with sexual harassment.

  • syndalissyndalis Getting Classy On the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Products regular
    Night in the Woods was a good game made by a lot of talented people.

    I don’t think should ruin the achievement of all the other skilled and committed folks who helped bring it to life.

    Morrowind and Skyrim and KOTOR also have fantastic sound design which includes music written by a goose, it seems. I’m still going to enjoy the product, while hoping that dude never gets the opportunity to work again.

    SW-4158-3990-6116
    Let's play Mario Kart or something...
  • milskimilski Poyo! Registered User regular
    TryCatcher wrote: »
    Artereis wrote: »
    Weird seeing a tiny game like Consortium be in the news for horrible, horrible reasons.

    Not that weird. The smaller the company, the less professionalism since there's less accountability. Hell, the big problem with Silicon Valley and, for this thread, Riot Games, is that they are fighting tooth and nail to be able to keep their lack of professionalism despite being large companies that people expect to take seriously. Corporate Peter Pan Syndrome.

    Which is why I'm not surprised that the indie industry (and all the "nerd" companies for that matter) are plagued with sexual harassment.

    Yeah, Meg Jayanth is saying pretty much exactly that:



    Since Alexis was head of the company and they had no actual HR, that made it basically impossible for anybody to document or hold him accountable for behavior that went over the line.

    I ate an engineer
  • Johnny ChopsockyJohnny Chopsocky Scootaloo! We have to cook! Grillin' HaysenburgersRegistered User regular
    edited August 2019
    syndalis wrote: »
    Night in the Woods was a good game made by a lot of talented people.

    I don’t think should ruin the achievement of all the other skilled and committed folks who helped bring it to life.

    Morrowind and Skyrim and KOTOR also have fantastic sound design which includes music written by a goose, it seems. I’m still going to enjoy the product, while hoping that dude never gets the opportunity to work again.

    Alec Holowka coded and also composed the music for NITW, which bums me it immensely because I listened to that soundtrack all the time while working and now I need to cut it out of my life.

    I'm glad all of my other favorite things about that game don't involve the rapey manipulative shithead. At least I still get to enjoy the story, characters, and dialog.

    It's horrifying how people like this get to operate seemingly without recourse for so long.

    Johnny Chopsocky on
    ygPIJ.gif
    Steam ID XBL: JohnnyChopsocky PSN:Stud_Beefpile WiiU:JohnnyChopsocky
  • wanderingwandering Russia state-affiliated media Registered User regular
    Game designer Emily Short with a thread about Alexis
    While none of these things happened to me, the stories I have heard chime with my own experiences of Alexis: at times sitting too close to me when I’d come to Failbetter to talk about freelance work / making a comment in front of my then-boss implying I was inviting him back to my hotel room; pushing boundaries in describing a sexual story arc he wanted me to write; remarking on my weight. All deniable; all things I did think must be my own misreading of the situation. / But I have worked in this industry for ten years and I have been the lone woman in a room many times, have had many business meetings with men, have had many friendships that grew beyond a work connection. Alexis was one of the few who has ever made me uncomfortable in this way. / When I started to hear about Alexis’ treatment of younger women, I thought of the times he’d invited me to stay over at his flat in London, or hinted he might welcome the offer or a place to stay at mine in the US. / And I thought about how, even though I thought of Alexis as a pretty good friend and even though I’ve accepted those sorts of offers from other male friends in the past, when I needed a place to stay for an expensive conference, I for some reason didn’t feel comfortable doing so. / Instinctively I felt the need to fence my interactions with him. And that didn’t come from nowhere. / Please note I am not saying “I want to pillory someone for occasionally making me uncomfortable.” / What I am saying: these accusations, which I would have believed in any case — especially given how widely I’ve heard them and from how many different people — carried an extra weight with me because I recognise the boundary-testing described here. / And when I did realize that, I was about as angry as I have ever been in my life. Because here was a man who knew how protective I feel about my community and junior writers, who had asked my help in meeting and recruiting women to work with Failbetter; / Who then regarded that as a series of opportunities for sexual conquest. Who used me to cause harm to exactly the people he knows I care about most. / At the request of those I heard from, I couldn’t tell the world. But I did what I could: I scrubbed his name off my blog, I declined opportunities to speak if he was also going to be on stage, and I locked him out of the London meet-up I run. / And the thing is, I'm pretty sure he does believe he's done nothing wrong. / The other thing: in addition to a lot of anger I also had a lot of grief, and if you're thinking right now "well shit, that's someone I admired" or "I met him a bunch of times and I liked him" -- yeah. this was someone I genuinely cared about and had gone out of my way for

  • MrMonroeMrMonroe passed out on the floor nowRegistered User regular
    Madican wrote: »
    There can't even be an argument about separating the artist from their work in this instance, because he's explicitly said what inspires him to create that work and what pervades the entirety of it. When I listened to the Morrowind theme was I inadvertently listening to the product of Lawhead's suffering? What about Skyrim? Whose life was ruined for this music I once enjoyed?

    He's disgusting, and the fact he's gone undetected until now, profiting from the suffering he's inflicted on others, is rage inducing.

    I've seen a few comments similar to this and I'd be very appreciative if anyone has examples. I'm not... sure what I get out of reading it directly, but I'm in the same "hey I connected with that soundtrack/ sound design and would like to more fully appreciate what I was an accessory to" club.

  • TastyfishTastyfish Registered User regular
    Night in the Woods team cut ties with Holowka and cancelled the game they were working on.


    Really don't know how I feel about this kind of thing. Drop him and an apology I get, you'd heard stuff but he seemed like a nice enough guy and it wasn't until you had your eyes opened that you realised who you'd hired and what that meant. Just drop him and nothing else, feels a bit like he's fired for the bad PR so best get ahead of it.

  • NotYouNotYou Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    Wasn't there already a gaming meToo moment a year ago where bunch of people were accused like this? Maybe I'm misremembering. I wonder if it'll become less like waves, and more constant.

    NotYou on
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Jesus I bought the Guild Wars 2 soundtrack because I loved it so much. I'm sure this is just the beginning of a deep dark hole, but I still hate where it started.
    Jebus314 wrote: »
    I don't really have anything to add to the conversation at the moment, but I was reading through Quinn's history and dear god did she have a terrible time. Between her original assault, then her abuse by Holowka, then gamer gate, I have no idea how she is still functioning and working in the field.

    Quick note that I actually didn't realize until today: Zoe Quinn uses they/them nowadays.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    Quinn came out as non-binary a bit ago but if you haven't been paying attention I suppose it'd be easy enough not to be aware of.

  • ErlkönigErlkönig Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited August 2019
    Tastyfish wrote: »
    Night in the Woods team cut ties with Holowka and cancelled the game they were working on.


    Really don't know how I feel about this kind of thing. Drop him and an apology I get, you'd heard stuff but he seemed like a nice enough guy and it wasn't until you had your eyes opened that you realised who you'd hired and what that meant. Just drop him and nothing else, feels a bit like he's fired for the bad PR so best get ahead of it.

    If I'm reading your post correctly, it might help to have the full tweet instead of the condensed "We've cut ties with him" snippet:



    EDIT - the relevant bit that's in that tweet chain:
    Allegations of past abuse have come to light this week regarding Alec Holowka, who we have worked with in the past. We take such allegations seriously, and applaud those speaking out about their experiences with abuse in the industry and elsewhere.

    As a result, we won't be working with Alec in the future. What this means for Night In The Woods going forward is something we will have to work out. These things take time, longer than a couple days at least.

    Night In The Woods is a very personal game for Bethany and I. Our parts of the game - the writing, world, characters, art, etc - are pulled from our own lives, sometimes very directly.

    We know it has connected with thousands of people in a very deep manner. And whatever your reaction is, that's valid. Know that we are just as heartbroken right now. We'll have more info in the future about how we're moving forward. Thanks.

    Erlkönig on
    | Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
  • ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    NotYou wrote: »
    Wasn't there already a gaming meToo moment a year ago where bunch of people were accused like this? Maybe I'm misremembering. I wonder if it'll become less like waves, and more constant.

    Maybe thinking of the #OneReasonWhy era of things?

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
  • MadicanMadican No face Registered User regular
    MrMonroe wrote: »
    Madican wrote: »
    There can't even be an argument about separating the artist from their work in this instance, because he's explicitly said what inspires him to create that work and what pervades the entirety of it. When I listened to the Morrowind theme was I inadvertently listening to the product of Lawhead's suffering? What about Skyrim? Whose life was ruined for this music I once enjoyed?

    He's disgusting, and the fact he's gone undetected until now, profiting from the suffering he's inflicted on others, is rage inducing.

    I've seen a few comments similar to this and I'd be very appreciative if anyone has examples. I'm not... sure what I get out of reading it directly, but I'm in the same "hey I connected with that soundtrack/ sound design and would like to more fully appreciate what I was an accessory to" club.

    Spoilered for content.
    "As things went on, he started to become more misogynistic and sexist.
    He talked about the mystical power women hold over men with sex. How men are helpless and they need sex. How he needs sex, and a relationship, so he can write his music.
    He talked about how composing is sexual, and how he will write about sex as inspiration in his music. He talked about how performing music is very sexual. He wrote songs about women that he had relationships with this way. What he does to women, is what inspires his music.
    The work he composed for video games is based on this. He “needs women to inspire him”… there was so much of this, very uncomfortable inappropriate stuff (inappropriate even for friends), and it kept getting darker and darker.
    He made advances on me and I explained that I didn’t want this and wanted a friendship. He was very threatening, and didn’t listen. He made it clear that it’s “him or bust”.
    He raped me.
    Throughout this time Jeremy acted like a victim, and blamed women he was in relationships with (or forced relationships on) for what he was doing."

    http://www.nathalielawhead.com/candybox/calling-out

  • dispatch.odispatch.o Registered User regular
    edited August 2019
    I don't buy that any developer group or publisher would be 'just finding out' about this shit.

    I worked with a guy who used to literally beat his girlfriend and say racist shit all the time. The employer 'didn't know' because they didn't want to know. Because knowing meant acknowledgement of the behavior and would require action. Wouldn't want silly ethics to get in the way of business or have to act morally and intervene.

    He was eventually fired. He kicked his dog, which bit him on the foot, which got infected and he died. Fuck that guy, but everyone knew.

    I'm not saying employers need to thoroughly intrude or investigate the lives of employees, but maybe look into a thing if your entire female talent pool has an issue rather than feign ignorance until you can tweet about it and score points for being woke.

    dispatch.o on
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