The 2-year investigation and subsequent lawsuit
by the State of California have shown just how normalized this repugnant
behavior has become.
To the victims of this abuse, we emphatically
say, "We hear you, we believe you, and we support you."
Blizzard's subsequent statement rings
offensively hollow given the seriousness of the allegations. Their strident
denials and deflection provide a glimpse of the pervasiveness of these
attitudes, on all levels of the company, from the top down.
This behavior by Blizzard must stop immediately.
No amount of training modules or slogans can repair the very real damage that
has led to the destruction of careers, and in this case, the loss of life.
As a group representing thousands of customers,
we demand accountability and change. Now is not the time to attack the lawsuit,
or even to promise to "do better". Now is the time to openly and
transparently take real, quantifiable, public action.
This is the only path that is morally right, and
the only path that will regain our trust as customers.
Signed,
The Rough Trade Gaming Community
