MOD EDIT:
With the approval of the OP we're adding articles and changing the title so that people will be able to catch up on and discuss the Guild Wars 2 firings and ArenaNet controversy. Previous threads on the subject have not gone well, so if this thread is going to last, it will need to be more tightly moderated. Please read and very carefully adhere to the following reminders and guidelines. Penalties in this thread may be tougher than usual for the sake of keeping the discussion civil.
1. Do not dismiss, downplay, or attempt to justify the ongoing harassment by hate movements or its role in the backlash.
2. Do not derail the thread with broad generalizations about journalism or specific media outlets.
3. Do not level inflammatory accusations, insults, or hostility at other users.
For more information on the controversy that spawned this article, check the links below:
Original OP:
i thought this piece was funny and biting satire:
http://www.pointandclickbait.com/2018/07/arenanet-mike-obrien-official-statement/
Edit by hydrophilic attack: Below is the statement released two days ago by game workers unite about this incident (bolded emphasis mine)
With the approval of the OP we're adding articles and changing the title so that people will be able to catch up on and discuss the Guild Wars 2 firings and ArenaNet controversy. Previous threads on the subject have not gone well, so if this thread is going to last, it will need to be more tightly moderated. Please read and very carefully adhere to the following reminders and guidelines. Penalties in this thread may be tougher than usual for the sake of keeping the discussion civil.
1. Do not dismiss, downplay, or attempt to justify the ongoing harassment by hate movements or its role in the backlash.
2. Do not derail the thread with broad generalizations about journalism or specific media outlets.
3. Do not level inflammatory accusations, insults, or hostility at other users.
For more information on the controversy that spawned this article, check the links below:
Additional background information:EuroGamer: ArenaNet fires two Guild Wars 2 writers over Twitter exchange with YouTuber
The Verge: Guild Wars studio fires two employees after clash with streamer
The Verge (July 12): ArenaNet firings cast a chilling shadow across the games industry
PC Gamer: Guild Wars 2 writers fired following heated Twitter exchange with streamer
Polygon: ArenaNet 'folded like a cheap card table,' says fired Guild Wars 2 writer
Kotaku: Guild Wars 2 Writers Fired For Calling Out Fan on Twitter
Rock, Paper, Shotgun: ArenaNet throw two Guild Wars 2 writers to the wolves
For the record Jessica Price has been a target of hate movements for at least a year before her recent comments and firing. Several sites and subreddits popular among hate movements like r/Kotakuinaction and Kiwifarms had threads or comments labeling her as a "notorious SJW" when she left the company she previously worked at before Arenanet. The thread on the GW2 subreddit about her joining ArenaNet was locked by moderators after it was derailed by negative comments about her and her "politics" – https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/6oplet/jessica_price_joins_arenanet_narrative_team/
It's simply not accurate to suggest that Jessica only became a target of harassment after she was already fired.
Original OP:
i thought this piece was funny and biting satire:
(more at the source)As the President of a large company, I'm under a lot of pressure to do my part for women in the workplace.
Speaking as a forward-thinking, progressive member of the executive board, it's not enough to simply say we want to close the gender gap – we have to take strong, positive steps that translate into real action.
Other companies simply pay lip service to equality, rather than genuinely delivering. But in the year 2018, isn't it reasonable to say that our women employees deserve the same access to company policies and services that our male employees receive?
That's why I'm so excited to announce that starting today, our policy of 'instantly and brutally sacking our workers for no reason' is now available to our women employees as well.
No longer will it be simply our men who are constantly looking over their shoulder, terrified that the slightest misstep – real or imagined! – could result in their summary termination and dismissal.
We are so proud to be able to finally say that our women employees now share in the same perpetual state of fear that our men do.
http://www.pointandclickbait.com/2018/07/arenanet-mike-obrien-official-statement/
Edit by hydrophilic attack: Below is the statement released two days ago by game workers unite about this incident (bolded emphasis mine)
there was also a statement by the international game developers association about what questions workers in the industry should ask their employers to make sure that expectations about employee social media use are clear, see the quote belowLast week, ArenaNet management fired two workers: one for responding defensively on Twitter to a non-industry community member who she perceived as explaining her job to her, and the other for defending her response.
It is important to understand the context in which women, people of color, and queer folks regularly exist while online, which is often a seemingly endless deluge of people commenting on, critiquing, and offering unsolicited advice on their craft. The game industry also has a well-documented history of predominantly women and marginalized workers being tormented into abandoning social media, driven out of their workplaces, and sometimes even forced to leave the industry altogether. Within this context it is grossly unfair to expect a veteran narrative designer like Jessica to be anything but defensive about these kinds of player and developer interactions.
Regardless of how one feels about Price's actions and regardless of where one draws the line between rudeness and exasperation in Price's tweets, the fact of the matter is that there is an entire spectrum of responses ArenaNet could have taken, but chose not to. The company could have done anything from pulling their employee aside and discussing their behavior, to giving them an internal reprimand and offered them additional training. Instead, ArenaNet, under the clearly inadequate leadership of Mike O'Brien, made the knee-jerk reaction to fire a member of their team. No dialogue, no nuance, no empathy.
Even more startling was the firing of Peter Fries, who simply offered a polite, measured, and well-reasoned defense of his coworker. ArenaNet management's firing of Fries was not for the benefit of company culture or Guild Wars 2, their goal was to send a message to a vocal minority of players and to make a public example out of an employee.
ArenaNet's actions contribute to normalizing a work environment in which employees' personal social media accounts are monitored, where they are expected to perform PR for their company outside of working hours (with no compensation whatsoever, regardless of whether or not it is part of their job description) and where they can be arbitrarily fired with no warning.
Game Workers Unite stands with Jessica Price and Peter Fries, and emphatically denounces the actions of ArenaNet management.
The unethical firings of Price and Fries, together with the reactions of toxic individuals inside and outside of the Guild Wars player community, have had a chilling effect across the industry. Countless workers have been harassed over social media and many are concerned about the implications of this event, some going so far as to delete their personal social media accounts in fear of similar retaliation from hostile players and bosses. ArenaNet has signaled to the entire industry that our job security can be, and almost certainly will be, imperiled by the most vitriolic and volatile players. This event carries echoes of Gamergate, and will only embolden harassers further.
If you are considering your online security in the aftermath of these events, we recommend consulting Crash Override's resource center for information on how to protect your social media activity.
We suggest everyone read this excellent Polygon interview with Jessica Price that goes into a great deal of depth on the situation from Jessica's perspective.
Game Workers Unite was founded out of a need to address the widespread unethical and unlawful workplace conditions in our industry. We are dedicated to building a better, safer industry for all of us. If you share our vision as well, consider joining Game Workers Unite.
In solidarity,
Game Workers Unite International
I would recommend also adding this statement from the International Game Developers Association which goes into more detail about the labor-related issues at play and questions employees need to ask about social media and protection from harassment.
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