After the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing levied a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard yesterday for allegedly mistreating women in the workplace, World of Warcraft players have participated in virtual sit-ins inside the game.
As reported by Polygon, players began gathering at the Idyllia Steps in Oribos to participate in a fundraising campaign for the non-profit organization Black Girls CODE, which is dedicated to teaching young girls about computer programming and digital technology.
“We as customers and members of this community protest the unethical treatment of employees at Activision-Blizzard, and demand that they make transparent lasting change to their company and associated IPs,” event organizer Fence Macabre wrote. “We stand with the victims and survivors of Blizzard’s racism and abuse.”
A large number of players sat together for more than seven hours, raising more than $6,000. Players participating opted to use “sub-locked” accounts in the spirit of not supporting the accused company. This means that the accounts in use were using pre-paid playtime to take up server space.
Some participants shared their support for the event via social media.
The lawsuit against Activision Blizzard follows a two-year investigation into the company by California’s top labor agency. The allegations included that the company has a “frat boy” workplace where female employees are routinely mistreated in ways ranging from sexual harassment to unequal pay and retaliation..
Right now, the sit-ins continue in World of Warcraft, and players who want to show their support can attend in-game or donate to the fundraising campaign here.
Published: Jul 22, 2021 07:25 pm