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In the past, an embittered ex-boyfriend of a game developer shared a spiteful rant accusing her of exchanging sex for positive reviews of her independent game. This post gained attention from the unsavory online community, 4chan, in 2014, and sparked a campaign of harassment targeting not only the developer, but also women in the gaming industry, the LGBTQ+ community in the industry, and the gaming press. Taking advantage of the controversy, “alt-right” provocateurs on YouTube and Steve Bannon’s Breitbart joined in, taking control of the situation. This scandal, known as Gamergate, quickly evolved into one of the first battlegrounds of the modern culture wars, fueled by social media, hate towards women, and the weaponization of discontent among young men. Many of the tactics used during Gamergate later became part of the playbook for Trump’s election.

Recently, a team of 16 creative individuals has become the center of a conspiracy theory. It claims that the team, known as Sweet Baby Inc, is responsible for pushing a “woke” agenda in modern video games. This group, which consists of over 200,000 followers on Steam and thousands on Discord, believes that the studio is secretly controlling game developers to change the appearance and identities of video game characters to fit their supposed ideology. They also believe that Sweet Baby has had a major influence on popular games over the past five years, excluding straight white men. This theory aligns with a broader trend of far-right concern over diversity and inclusion, which has led to proposed regressive legislation targeting women and “woke” ideologies in the US and other countries. As Trump resumes his campaign, this panic continues to grow.

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The mentioned organization has not taken any such action. It operates as a storytelling development company, similar to script editors in the video game industry, collaborating with game developers to ensure their plots are coherent and their characters are not outdated. Their goal is to improve games by making them more immersive, enjoyable, impactful, and inclusive. However, they do not have the authority to demand that developers include, for instance, black female protagonists in their games. They do not possess any controlling abilities. Despite this, their workers are facing backlash and harassment from an online group. They are being publicly exposed, intimidated, and mistreated.

The target of attacks in the gaming industry has shifted from female journalists and critics to narrative designers over the past decade. However, the underlying sentiment of those who oppose diversity in games remains unchanged. If you identify as a woman, queer, or person of color within this field, you should prepare for negative treatment.

Nathan Grayson, a writer for Aftermath, and Alyssa Mercante, from Kotaku, have both looked into the origins and widespread nature of the Sweet Baby conspiracy theory. Those who support this theory make ridiculous connections between the consultancy and BlackRock, as well as the financial struggles faced by the gaming industry as a whole. This is not the first instance of harassment since Gamergate, unfortunately. It has become all too common for game developers to face organized abuse, especially when they make bold moves like including pride flags in Spider-Man’s Manhattan or taking their time with mod support for Baldur’s Gate 3. In fact, a survey conducted by the Game Developers Conference last year revealed that 91% of developers have experienced harassment from players, with 42% considering it a very serious issue.

During the time of Gamergate, there was a lack of response from many in the video game industry. Instead of speaking up for the individuals being targeted, most of those not directly affected by Gamergate chose to ignore the situation. Media outlets, game developers, and publishers may have been motivated by a fear of exacerbating the issue or losing a portion of their audience, leading them to remain silent instead of defending women. The most popular games website at the time, IGN, even published a weak and impartial piece that failed to mention Gamergate by name.

The games industry’s inaction did not ease the tension. Doing nothing did not discourage the angry crowd. It only left individuals, some of whom were being harassed in their own homes and workplaces, feeling isolated, angry, and fearful. In the past, the main victims were female developers, journalists, and critics. Now, it is a group of storytelling advisors.

Rewritten: Over the past decade since Gamergate, the conflicts that originated in gamer communities have now permeated into all aspects of our society, causing harm. This realization has shown us that those who hold intolerant views will not easily disappear. They may continue to oppose the inclusion of women and minorities in video games, Star Wars, and positions of influence, viewing it as a threat caused by “woke mind virus”.

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However, it has been discovered that disregarding these issues does not provide a solution. In fact, it only exacerbates the situation. The employees of Sweet Baby should not be forced to suffer due to the actions of the studios they are employed by. Modern developers are more courageous when it comes to speaking out on social media, with the director of Alan Wake 2 publicly refuting conspiracy theories about Sweet Baby coercing changes to a character’s race, and Mary Kenney, associate narrative director at Insomniac Games, also using Twitter to strongly deny any allegations. However, it is crucial for companies themselves to do the same. Publishers and developers, such as Warner Bros Games and PlayStation’s Santa Monica Studio, who have collaborated with Sweet Baby Inc, need to release statements of support. Will they publicly defend their collaborators from baseless claims, or allow online trolls to dictate the narrative?

There is no one forcing diversity into video games. Instead, diversity is occurring organically as both players and developers become more diverse. The presence of women in video games has not been scared away by Gamergate 10 years ago, and it will not intimidate us now. The games industry recognizes that having a wider range of content, including diverse characters and contributions from a diverse group of people, is beneficial for both creativity and business, despite any objections from upset gamers. It is crucial for the industry to openly and unambiguously demonstrate its support for diversity.

Source: theguardian.com