The Activision Blizzard lawsuit, explained

The Activision Blizzard gender discrimination lawsuit is a landmark case. Here's why.
Activision Blizzard executives gather in front of a portrait of Bill Cosby in the infamous 'Cosby suite'

TRIGGER WARNING This article or section, or pages it links to, contains information about sexual harassment and/or suicide which may be triggering to survivors.

In the last month, the games industry has made international headlines – for the worst reasons. On 20 July 2021, The State of California filed a lawsuit against the videogame company Activision Blizzard Inc. The suit alleges that women in the company face gender discrimination, unequal pay, and substantial sexual harassment, which the company has failed to act on. Furthermore, it alleges that people who spoke up about these issues faced repercussions in the workplace, while the perpetrators were shielded. It’s a landmark case that has international ramifications.

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Jini Maxwell is a writer and curator who lives in Naarm. They are an assistant curator at ACMI, where they also host the Women & Non-binary gamers club. They write about videogames and the people who make them. You can find them on Twitter @astroblob