mabdesaken

I really hope this gains some traction in here, because this is one of the few platforms where Riot actually reads and listens to us(the customers, subscribers, etc.). And if we're able to show them that we care about the environment within their offices, it might just help.

One point I think is important to emphasize was the "why should I care about the game industry, I have it the same way..." perspective. This is so stupid, just because other people are treated like shit doesn't mean we should accept that and let it follow over to this industry too.

So it's genuinely a bad idea to respond to these threads because rip my inbox by people who assume everything they read is correct and don't have the nuance of context within the company.

As an individual not speaking on behalf of Riot who has had experience working at many companies, Riot has been one of the most fantastic work places I've ever been at.

I've been at Riot for almost four years and I honestly feel like the company has been a good place to work. The way I think about it is that there were very likely issues in the history of Riot well before I joined and that some Rioters have had what seem to be pretty rough things happen to them, possibly even today. But my experience is radically and diametrically different.

One thing I will say is that Kotaku's article has been a wake-up call to many and really has helped to provide fuel to cultural and just professional improvements that had been slowly coming along in the years before it. There has been a lot of progress: https://www.riotgames.com/en/diversity-inclusion-and-culture

But the way this stuff is written and talked about it's like every day someone is farting in my face. It's actually possible an event that happened at Riot. Probably between two friends. Probably 8 years ago when there were probably 1/10th of the workforce and all friends. And it was definitely inappropriate then. But it's not like a regular thing today in 2019. Honestly fixating on that belittles the challenge of running a fair and inclusive workplace--which is something we care about.

GuGuMonster

I did read the Kotaku article at the time, not having heard of the publisher, and the writing definitely had an agenda it was pursuing beyond just reporting and it could have been written better but it didn't take away from the importance of the topic.

However, I seriously wouldn't minimise the incident of farting in someone's face in a work environment to "probably between two friends." Also, it is uncertifiable by the outside public to what extent the link is PR and what is genuine. So it's probably more important to convince peers in the industry, rather than the general public because if every professional can shut down that this behaviour is no longer an issue, it'll change public perception. That said, retaining the COO and him keeping his position will always loom over the company and create scepticism.

I really don't want to minimize the event. I think it wasn't OK. I also don't know what actually happened. All I know is that nothing even remotely like that has happened anywhere near me in the last 4 years.

TenTypesofBread

Yikes, I wouldn't trust your subjective experience on the subject if your first words about it are to minimize the reported harassment of others.

I definitely wouldn't trust you to deal with a situation where harassment is taking place, or someone is looking to confide.

Don't pretend you have any idea what is happening in your workplace when you close your eyes to the possibilities.

I don't know where I rejected the harassment of others. Please let me know where. I will apologize and retract that part immediately.

I am saying that my experience is different. I say it as a minority.

There's a lot of context. A lot. And the minimization of our genuine challenges and opportunities to lame fart jokes isn't it for me. It just doesn't cut it.

Neville_Lynwood

You've described very well why I hate modern journalism.

Everyone is out to make a big story. And if a big story doesn't exist, they will force it into existence. And half the time the story is being pushed to force an agenda.

Like sure, the Kotaku piece was based on some actual issues (though very few people know the actual facts), and it raised some genuine concerns and paved the way for improvements within the gaming industry. That's all good.

But I cannot tolerate that it was achieved by straight up shitting on Riot from every single angle and making it look like all the 4000 employees have a fart sandwich for breakfast and dick pics for lunch and every woman gets groped at the door.

It pisses me off that journalism is 90% over-exeggeration in order to push an agenda, and if that agenda is viewed in a generally positive light, all the collateral damage is just fine and dandy.

I hate how the modern western culture has devolved into something where nobody is innocent until proven guilty any more. Now it's everyone is guilty at the first accusation, and even if proven innocent, their reputation is forever fucked because half the people remain convinced the original accusations were correct.

Literally anyone can report sexual harassment at work and it's usually one word against another so it cannot be proven one way or the other. But the company will have to deal with it regardless and if reported to the news, they can have a forever tarnished reputation, which is such bullshit.

Be optimistic too: the article has helped us to come to term with some real challenges and has spurred some vital cultural changes and improvements. A lot of things have been improved.

I personally believe that reports of sexual harassment at work are treated seriously and that appropriate investigations and punishments are taking place. For all parties. More importantly I think the process for making that process continually better is in place too, because nothing is perfect.

TenTypesofBread

One person making one sad comment does not count as a response.

I hear you didn't like my post... Sorry, it's actually hard to write about the topic. What would count as a response for you?

mabdesaken

Hi dzareth, and thanks for responding so in-depth to my answer! I'm glad to hear you find Riot a great place to work! And I do believe that whenever I watch some of the behind the scenes videos of the music or artwork; For example the recently released BTS video of the pantheon rework. It is absolutely amazing to follow stuff like that.

However, keeping that in mind, the gaming industry is very young, these game companies have seen a great deal of success in a very short amount of time. And in this short interval of time they have to take in a lot of people. And I don't want to demonize all of Riot, and say that all they do is burn people out and fart in their faces (it is important to also try to remember that isn't at all the industry remains. Because of this rapid growth, it also means that if the people hired at Riot, Epic Games, etc. aren't unionised and can't defend themselves, some are bound to be screwed over by the company. And this doesn't even surprise me, this is a very common thing in the movie industry, where certain people are hired for a very specific purpose, where they just work 24/7 with low pay, and then are fired immiediately after, without anything remotely close to reasonable severances.

But I do know that this show, the patriot act, is also monetary so they need to get as many viewers as possible. So they might be noble and act as the guard dog for the smaller man, but they still need to gain viewers. This is done by dramatic statements and negative stories, and that definitely is very saturated, in terms of looking at Riot as a whole. But then again, it isn't their job to say "Hey Riot is a cool place, but sometimes you get farted in your face", but rather "WTF Riot get your shit together"

Yes, that monetary incentive of many groups should be why folks pause and consider the full picture. Honestly, I don't even mind the biased reporting... Riot has screwed up, and we get what we deserve as a company.

Just keep in mind that at Riot we don't really have crunch or temporary 24/7 then fired workforce. We have great employee benefits and healthcare. A great campus with great catering. Our salaries aren't quite as good as tech, but we're also working on our passions and have good work-life balance for the most part. There's great parental leave policies equal for birthing and non-birthing parents. We're responsible with the player money that we're investing--but we are looked after. It's not a perfect workplace. But, it is an open workplace where you can bring up issues and address them. It's because of all this that unionization is a complex topic... I'll just say I just don't think anyone has really made the case for it for me personally. I've heard a lot about it too. It's nuanced.