Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Electronic Arts (EA) Laura Miele recently called for the removal of gaming industry execs who have allowed the existence of toxic workplaces. She denounced their behavior in turning a blind eye to the mistreatment of women in the industry and shows her support for change in the gaming industry as a whole.
This comes as a result of the ongoing allegations surrounding Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, and other big game developers harboring a 'toxic' workplace where women especially were at a disadvantage. Since the original news broke, there has been a walkout staged by Blizzard employees for the CEO Bobby Kotick to be replaced, as well as multiple resignations and a lawsuit against the company.
During her DICE 2022 keynote, Miele called out the execs of big gaming industry companies that have allowed their companies to thrive as toxic workplaces. She didn't call out Blizzard, or any other company by name, but the allegations of harassment over Activision Blizzard's heads were ever prevalent. She also called out leaders who have been negligent of this toxic behavior and how they ended up benefiting from the "destructive behavior."
Miele's voice adds to a chorus that has been calling for a change in the industry during recent years. Women in the gaming industry have needed to go through a lot in order to be respected among their peers in a mostly male-dominated work environment. This issue expands past the industry and into the player base as well where women feel the need to hide their gender while gaming in order to avoid harassment online.
Seeing a fellow executive of a big gaming company calling out others of her rank and advocating for employees that have been overlooked and even demoted as an Activision Blizzard employee had been for reporting this type of behavior is a massive development. This issue has been going on in the gaming industry for a lot longer than most people have known about it.
Of course, Miele speaks as a fellow exec of a big game developer that has had its own share of issues over the years with recently leaked documents giving fuel to the FIFA lootbox controversy. That being said, Miele speaking as a high-level executive showing hers and her company's support for the victims of harassment from working in the gaming industry is a big step. Hopefully leading to more conscious monitoring of this type of behavior and giving more support to the victims and fellow employees who report this behavior
Source: IGN