Six Months At Riot Games by Meagan Marie (Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Rape Jokes)

[SweetNicole]

Meagan Marie, a former employee of Riot Games, recently detailed her own indepedent experiences at Riot Games in Dublin. She was not one of the sources interviewed in the recent Kotaku article on the company culture of sexism at Riot Games. This is a long, troubling account and it details behaviors not mentioned in the Kotaku article.

http://meagan-marie.tumblr.com/post/176788011970/six-months-at-riot-games

In 2014, I left a job I loved and colleagues I adored to take up a post at Riot Games in Dublin. One of their recruiters had reached out to me nearly a year prior, and while I was immensely happy at my current place of work, I had always wanted to work abroad at least once in my life. I was becoming addicted to League of Legends, Riot had a history of great community-centric initiatives, and I felt that if I turned down the opportunity, I would always ask myself, "What if?"

Click to shrink...

Before I detail some of what I experienced at Riot, first, let me state the obvious. The behavior below is NOT indicative of all Riot employees. The large majority of Riot employees I've met have been lovely, and as evidenced above, there are many people who weren't subject to sexist behavior and harassment. That being said, from my own experiences and that of many others speaking out this week, an unacceptable number of people – primarily, but not exclusively women – have been subject to inappropriate behavior at Riot for years. It is systemic to the company's culture and needs to be addressed as such.

Click to shrink...

At Riot, employees are encouraged to play League before/after work, or during lunch. My very first week at the Dublin office, I heard shouting from individuals playing together, calling each other "f*ggots" repeatedly. I was unnerved, but it was my first week and I didn't know if this was a common occurrence. I didn't say anything at that time. Eventually, the language would escalate to "n*gger". No one flinched, and I realized it was considered the norm. Nearly the same thing happened my first day of meetings at the Riot LA office, where two men were loudly calling each other "c*cksuckers" right outside the office of the CEOs

Click to shrink...

I felt out of place in my direct team as well. Our Jira sprints were named things like "thong." I was the only woman on that particular team, and so a senior staff member named us the "Bros and Ho". I immediately tried to shut that down, but it was used for weeks regardless.

Click to shrink...

Rape became a punchline to jokes quite frequently, including one instance where an employee went on for several hours about how he was going to rape his male colleague, who was his hotel roommate. He was graphic in exactly how he was going to rape his roommate, who was a new hire, and it was obvious that the individual in question was extremely uncomfortable.

Click to shrink...

During one event, a first-time cosplayer came to our booth crying because someone had commented negatively on her weight in relation to the character. Another coworker and I consoled her for nearly 30 minutes, and she left, feeling much better. After she left, a fellow Rioter called her a "fatass" and asked why she would try to cosplay the character she chose. I was in shock but told him how inappropriate that was to say about our fans, especially those passionate enough to make and wear costumes. Cosplayers have also been called "tr*nnies" and "attention whores" by Riot employees at events.

Click to shrink...

 

[Vic Damone Jr.]

Yea, it finally clicked why the game industry didn't push back against gamergate or the increasing hate, toxicity, homophobia, racism, and sexism. The executives and people who run the show are just as shitty as the gamers who spout that bullshit.

 

[VinFTW]

Wow, they don't deserve a job ever again.

what the fuck

 

[Asbsand]

Welp, I guess I can count the computer science campus I go to at the same level.

Lots of "those SJWs" and "autism jokez, LOL" there. Also Nazi humor embarrassing the school staff in front of genuine customers from overseas...

Sounds obnoxious but too often this is baggage with "gamer" mentality and often game developers are also gamers. Though, at a professional enivronment it is up to the leadership to be gatekeepers of acceptable tone at the workplace. They have done a bad job.

 

[Morrigan]

2014 was right around the time Gamergate exploded, too, wasn't it?

What happened to her and those women is fucking horrific.

 

[Springy]

Intolerant and intolerable. What a horrifyingly unpleasant workplace, and it must've been doubly disheartening after having emigrated specifically for that job.

 

[Tygre]

The well of scumminess gets ever deeper. Holy shit some of this stuff is beyond despicable.

Yea, it finally clicked why the game industry didn't push back against gamergate or the increasing hate, toxicity, homophobia, racism, and sexism. The executives and people who run the show are just as shitty as the gamers who spout that bullshit.

Click to shrink...

I mean, this shouldn't be a surprise, but somehow it still is.

This industry seems like it's simply rotten to the core.

 

[TheChungusAmongUs]

Christ at the cosplay thing.

I mean, if someone is going to take the effort to dress up as a character from your game I honestly can't imagine someone who works on the game has the gall to insult them and say "they shouldn't cosplay their character"

 

[BioDigital Jazzman]

Well now it's all up to Tencent to clean this up. Seems that this issue goes all the way up to the CEO.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I imagine at a company with thousands of employees, there will inevitably be pockets of this. It's much easier for this kind of thing to go unnoticed when staffing is that large.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

God, I've worked in some unprofessional places, and I can't even imagine some of this shit. Absolutely awful for her and all of the other people who have gone through experiences like this.

 

[Sou Da]

The bit about why she quit specifically is extra rough "if you don't share a room with a male employee, you're sexist" is a fucking dickhead argument.

 

[Guaraná]

Gamers and games executives are the same kind of people.

 

[Springy]

I imagine at a company with thousands of employees, there will inevitably be pockets of this. It's much easier for this kind of thing to go unnoticed when staffing is that large.

Click to shrink...

Corporate culture can definitely play a big part in this for larger companies. Efforts must actually be made to embed a set of values, however. Nothing about the revelations around Riot indicate it has had any desire to advance inclusivity. I would strongly argue it is not "inevitable."

 

[Morrigan]

Christ at the cosplay thing.

I mean, if someone is going to take the effort to dress up as a character from your game I honestly can't imagine someone who works on the game has the gall to insult them and say "they shouldn't cosplay their character"

Click to shrink...

But they're not perfectly skinny 10/10 models, how dare they? /s

I would not be surprised if a lot of those douchebags don't consider themselves sexist at all, and would make excuses about "they're just jokes", or would tell the women criticizing the sexualized designs in LoL that they're "prudes" who "hate boobs and body-shame large-breasted women" (all whilst they mock the cosplayers for being "fat", of course).

 

[Nirolak]

I imagine at a company with thousands of employees, there will inevitably be pockets of this. It's much easier for this kind of thing to go unnoticed when staffing is that large.

Click to shrink...

The reports make it sounds very widespread given the sheer volume (there were 28 separate employees for the Kotaku story, and 10-20+ afterward separately, many in very different departments).

 

[Syril]

Seems like that Brolaf video was really a documentary.

 

[Sexy Fish]

Seems like Riot Games reflects the shitty part of the playerbase of League well then.

Fucking disgusting.

 

[Servbot24]

Jesus Christ. Their HR department needs an extreme overhaul. I hate to call for people's jobs but that is beyond inexcusable.

Makes me feel better about my office. I've never heard anything close to that here.

 

[Ralemont]

"Bros and ho." Jesus Christ, that's what passes for humor there. This is really awful, and an excellent example of why diversity top to bottom can only be a good thing.

 

[Morrigan]

Corporate culture can definitely play a big part in this for larger companies. Efforts must actually be made to embed a set of values, however. Nothing about the revelations around Riot indicate it has had any desire to advance inclusivity. I would strongly argue it is not "inevitable."

Click to shrink...

They've responded, FWIW http://ca.ign.com/articles/2018/08/...of-sexist-culture-at-league-of-legends-studio

But I'm not fully convinced. Lots of words, but the actions remain to be seen. Their insistence at "hiring gamers" appears myopic and misguided since a lot of that bro-culture comes from there and their childish notion of what a "real gamer" is like.

 

[Pau]

There's a lot to unpack there but I have to laugh at how they create these highly sexualized designs and then demean the women who dare to wear them in real life.

 

[Francesco]

The large majority of Riot employees I've met have been lovely

Click to shrink...

How many are we talking about here?
5-10-50?

 

[Dufus]

The bit about why she quit specifically is extra rough "if you don't share a room with a male employee, you're sexist" is a fucking dickhead argument.

Click to shrink...

I read that part in disbelief.

How could anyone be that dumb? Just wow. What an imbecile.

 

[hibikase]

I can't possibly imagine tolerating to work in such a dipshit immature office culture. That's just embarrassing. I'd quit after a few days.

I'm glad that nobody at my workplace cares about video games (or if they do they mostly keep their shame to themselves like I do).

 

[OrangeNova]

They've responded, FWIW http://ca.ign.com/articles/2018/08/...of-sexist-culture-at-league-of-legends-studio

But I'm not fully convinced. Lots of words, but the actions remain to be seen. Their insistence at "hiring gamers" appears myopic and misguided since a lot of that bro-culture comes from there and their childish notion of what a "real gamer" is like.

Click to shrink...

I'm pretty sure that after that there was an internal memo that got leaked that essentially said "Wow you went to the press, if we find out anyone still here did that you lose your job."

 

[Nirolak]

They've responded, FWIW http://ca.ign.com/articles/2018/08/...of-sexist-culture-at-league-of-legends-studio

But I'm not fully convinced. Lots of words, but the actions remain to be seen. Their insistence at "hiring gamers" appears myopic and misguided since a lot of that bro-culture comes from there and their childish notion of what a "real gamer" is like.

Click to shrink...

I imagine the only thing that would actually force their hands is if they get an employee revolt. There have been quite a few prominent male employees (who are seemingly the only ones Riot cares about) that have been vocally upset about their place of employment after reading all this.

 

[Deleted member 4021]

What an utterly rotten company. Gamers were a mistake.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Based on my past experiences with League fans, this kind of feels like the developer echoing the absurdly toxic and hateful community they've fostered.

Obviously not everyone who plays League is as bad as these employees, but I've seen so much awful behavior by players in that game it just doesn't surprise me that the fans who would want to work for that developer would be cut from the same cloth.

 

[Syril]

There's a lot to unpack there but I have to laugh at how they create these highly sexualized designs and then demean the women who dare to wear them in real life.

Click to shrink...

Misogyny always finds a way.

 

[Pau]

But they're not perfectly skinny 10/10 models, how dare they? /s

I would not be surprised if a lot of those douchebags don't consider themselves sexist at all, and would make excuses about "they're just jokes", or would tell the women criticizing the sexualized designs in LoL that they're "prudes" who "hate boobs and body-shame large-breasted women" (all whilst they mock the cosplayers for being "fat", of course).

Click to shrink...

And even if they are what they consider attractive, apparently they're just whores doing it for attention. Jesus Christ.

 

[DanteMenethil]

They only want to hire "true" gamers who play League. Not surprising their behavior is a true reflection of their playerbase.

 

[Ralemont]

They've responded, FWIW http://ca.ign.com/articles/2018/08/...of-sexist-culture-at-league-of-legends-studio

But I'm not fully convinced. Lots of words, but the actions remain to be seen. Their insistence at "hiring gamers" appears myopic and misguided since a lot of that bro-culture comes from there and their childish notion of what a "real gamer" is like.

Click to shrink...

I'm also a little suspicious of the common sense idea that "gamers" would be the best population from which to develop a good game. We see all the time how expertise in one role (playing games) of the same setting does not necessarily translate to excellence at another role (making games) in something like sports, where players habitually make terrible coaches, or coaches make terrible general managers.

 

[Instro]

I imagine at a company with thousands of employees, there will inevitably be pockets of this. It's much easier for this kind of thing to go unnoticed when staffing is that large.

Click to shrink...

Sure, but I don't think that describes the situation being presented here at all.

 

[srtrestre]

Truly awful. Glad to say I don't support them.

 

[Deleted member 249]

Jesus fucking Christ. This is actually even worse than that Kotaku article.
Like... fuck.
I should have known from how toxic the League community is that the developers would be no different, toxicity begets toxicity after all.

I am glad I have never played League, and now I never will.

 

[Vire]

Sounds like the developers mirror their "amazing" community. Glad she was able to find a better job elsewhere.

 

[Barrel Cannon]

Sigh, how can a development team have such toxic behavior. I'm starting to feel more and more glad that I never tried to get into game development. I'd be angry on a constant basis if I had to deal with people like that at work constantly.

 

[Necron]

Deplorable behaviour.

 

[Deleted member 18021]

There's a loooot of that in the cosplay community, sadly. It just sucks extra hard when it's coming from the people who made the character you love.

 

[Mathieran]

I remember growing up as a nerd in my small rural high school (which didn't contain very many nerds) and thinking that all nerds were nice inclusive people. It's been really dismaying to see that is not true. Fuck these people.

 

[Zen]

I don't feel bad about not ever having given this studio money now

 

[Deleted member 17207]

Jesus. I guess I take for granted how "professional" my workplace is, or maybe what I would just call "civil" or "not a playground of incel weirdos".

 

[molnizzle]

Super shocked that the company that designed the female heroes in League of Legends is a sexist shithole.

oh wait

 

[Servbot24]

How many are we talking about here?
5-10-50?

Click to shrink...

Depending on her position probably at least 50. You have to work with a lot of different people in development and there's also a lot of people coming and going.

 

[Outrun]

This industry needs a fucking correction.

 

[saenima]

Yea, it finally clicked why the game industry didn't push back against gamergate or the increasing hate, toxicity, homophobia, racism, and sexism. The executives and people who run the show are just as shitty as the gamers who spout that bullshit.

Click to shrink...

And this is the root of it. This industry is full to the brim with manchildren bros who think this shit is all as it should be. From the gamers to the game makers and most of games media as well. The silence during goobergate was deafening and little has changed ever since.

 

[Springy]

They've responded, FWIW http://ca.ign.com/articles/2018/08/...of-sexist-culture-at-league-of-legends-studio

But I'm not fully convinced. Lots of words, but the actions remain to be seen. Their insistence at "hiring gamers" appears myopic and misguided since a lot of that bro-culture comes from there and their childish notion of what a "real gamer" is like.

Click to shrink...

Thanks, I got to their diversity and inclusion statement from there (the IGN article also says they put the page up after the recent Kotaku article was published).

We built a team dedicated to the goal of making sure Riot continues to be a welcoming, diverse, and empowering place for all Rioters and future Rioters.

Click to shrink...

Who's this team? The team is dedicated to its goal, but is it a dedicated team? Is there a D&I Manager or something similar, or is this a side project that some HR staff have had to take on? The paragraph also phrases it in the past tense: was it a single piece of work, now completed? [Fake edit:] Ah, yeah, I read down, there we go, a bunch of employees across departments who've been placed to work on this in addition to their regular duties. Let me know how that works out.

We want our organization to be empowered by diverse teams that challenge each other so that we are constantly improving what we deliver to players.

Click to shrink...

That's great! The heading before this says Riot is "Data Informed." What data do you have around this? What's the current make up of the work force? What policies can you institute on the back of that data? Nothing stated.

Leaders at Riot are the stewards of our culture. The D&I team is collaborating with an external consultant to educate leaders and managers about the impact of unconscious bias in the workplace and to provide tools for ensuring an inclusive environment.

Click to shrink...

Oooh, I am curious to know what an external consultant says. Probably near the top of the list would be to expand unconscious bias instruction to all employees.

Yeah, like you said, a lot of words, but next to nothing when it comes to actual information.

 

[Ferrs]

This shit makes me sick.

Yea, it finally clicked why the game industry didn't push back against gamergate or the increasing hate, toxicity, homophobia, racism, and sexism. The executives and people who run the show are just as shitty as the gamers who spout that bullshit.

Click to shrink...

It was clear as day when a lot of developers turned their eyes away from the issue. Turns out Gamergate was just a reflection of how (before the usual people appears as always: a big portion, inb4 #notallgamers) gaming culture is, from the players to the developers.

 

[Lant_War]

A whole company being run by LoL players sounds like a terrible idea. This proves it.