The people who make our games would like us to play along more nicely.
Hundreds of developers have signed an open letter addressed to the gaming community. In it, employees from studios such as BioWare, Electronic Arts, Naughty Dog, Ubisoft, 343 Industries, and Infinity Ward ask the gaming community to take a stand against Internet harassment.
“We believe that everyone, no matter what gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion has the right to play games, criticize games, and make games without getting harassed or threatened,” the open letter states. “It is the diversity of our community that allows games to flourish.”
This comes after a particularly turbulent month in the world of gaming, in which hackers drove Fez developer Phil Fish out the industry after he publicly defended Depression Quest developer Zoe Quinn, who had become a target for abuse after an ex-boyfriend accused her of cheating on him with other men in the industry. Critic Anita Sarkeesian then received death threats after the release of the newest video in her YouTube series, which looks at the portrayal of women in games.
“If you see threats of violence or harm in comments on Steam, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit, please take a minute to report them on the respective sites,” the open letter states. “If you see hateful, harassing speech, take a public stand against it and make the gaming community a more enjoyable space to be in.”
The open letter is still accepting signatures from industry people.