Pak alleges sexual harassment and discrimination at Game Studio Activision Blizzard: NPR

A lawsuit filed by the state of California on Wednesday alleges sexual harassment, gender discrimination and violations of the state’s equal pay law at video game giant Activision Blizzard.

Rich Polk/Getty Images for Activision

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Rich Polk/Getty Images for Activision

A lawsuit filed by the state of California on Wednesday alleges sexual harassment, gender discrimination and violations of the state’s equal pay law at video game giant Activision Blizzard.

Rich Polk/Getty Images for Activision

The video game studio behind the hit franchises Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush is facing a civil lawsuit in California over charges of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and possible violations of the state’s equal pay law.

A complaint, filed by the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing on Wednesday, alleges that Activision Blizzard Inc. “promoted a sexist culture” in which women were paid less than men and subjected to continuous sexual harassment, including groping. (Activision and Blizzard Entertainment merged in 2008.)

Officials at the gaming company were aware of the harassment and not only managed to stop it but also retaliated against women who expressed themselves, the complaint also alleges.

Years after the online harassment campaign known as Gamergate, which targeted women in the video game world, the California lawsuit portrays an industry that may still be unwelcome and even hostile to female employees.

“All employers must ensure that their employees are paid equally and take all steps to avoid discrimination, harassment and retaliation,” said DFEH Director Kevin Kish. “This is especially important for employers in male-dominated industries, such as technology and gaming.”

In a statement to NPR, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson said the company had been working to improve its corporate culture in recent years, accusing the DFEH of failing to adequately resolve the claims against the company before resorting to a lawsuit. court case.

“The DFEH contains distorted and in many cases false descriptions of Blizzard’s past,” the statement said. “The picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today.”

Female workers were paid less and assigned lower-level jobs, the complaint said

The lawsuit alleges that Activision Blizzard’s female employees who spoke to investigators “almost universally affirmed” that their time at the company was “comparable to working in a college dorm.”

Male employees drank on the job and came to work with a hangover, the lawsuit said. The alleged sexual harassment ranged from comments about women’s bodies and jokes about rape to the unwanted touching of female employees by their male colleagues.

The complaint, which was the result of a two-year investigation by DFEH, alleges that the unequal treatment of women went beyond corporate culture and the more formal parts of their jobs.

Women were reportedly paid less than men, both when hired and during their employment. They were also assigned to lower positions and passed over for promotions, despite in some cases doing more work than their male colleagues, according to the lawsuit. One woman said her manager had told her she would not be promoted because “she might get pregnant and be too happy to be a mother.”

The gender discrimination was even worse for women of color, the suit claims. At least two African American women reported being singled out and micromanaged.

Some of the women who came forward with complaints of discrimination or harassment faced involuntary transfers, were selected for layoffs, or were denied certain opportunities, the suit said.

Activision Blizzard Says It Won’t Tolerate Sexual Misconduct

Activision Blizzard said in its statement it did not tolerate sexual misconduct or harassment and noted that all claims were being investigated, adding that it made it easier for employees to report violations.

The company also said it aims to pay its employees “fairly for equal or substantially comparable work” and to ensure that pay is determined by “non-discriminatory factors” such as performance.

“We are confident in our ability to showcase our practices as an equal opportunity employer that promotes a supportive, diverse and inclusive workplace for our people, and we are committed to continuing this effort for years to come,” the spokesperson said. “It’s a shame the DFEH didn’t want to talk to us about what they thought they saw in their investigation.”

But several former employees took to social media on Wednesday after the lawsuit was filed to confirm some of the allegations.

“Blizzard has claimed that the DFEH report is false/misleading/irresponsible,” said former Blizzard Entertainment employee Cher Scarlett. tweeted. “I can tell you that I knew what would be in this report before I read it, because during my stay there – just a YEAR – I experienced ALL THESE THINGS.”