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The floodgates opened over the weekend, after a Twitch streamer Hollowtide tweeted that a well-known ‘Destiny 2’ streamer was “scum.”
Although the original tweet received only 1,500 likes, it had a ripple effect on the industry. Others in the community saw his tweet, and began to share their own stories.
One by one, gamers posted on social media their accounts of encountering people — mostly men — who were manipulative and influential in the gaming industry, and who allegedly used their positions of power to coerce illicit photos, take advantage of them, or commit sexual crimes.
The reaction has been swift and supportive, as many on social media called for people to believe women.
On Wednesday evening, Twitch streamers iAmSp00n, BlessRNG, Wolv21 and some others appeared to have been banned by the platform. (Twitch has not officially released a list of banned streamers.)
Wolv21 responded to the allegations, admitting he was wrong for touching someone sexually without consent.
Jolly had his own Twitch emote, commonly referred to as the Jesus or Pray emote. Similar to an emoji, people could use the emote in chat. It, too, was removed from the platform Wednesday. Yet several streamers accused of rape have not been removed from Twitch.
YouTube said it is still investigating allegations on its platform.
Facebook Gaming, in a statement to CNN Business, said, “We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and will investigate them thoroughly. We have a clear set of community standards, and we need to work together as a community to tear down toxicity in all forms.”
Industry-wide effects
Three employees of French video game publisher Ubisoft, which is known for games like “Assassin’s Creed” and “Just Dance,” have been accused of misconduct.
“I am stepping down from my beloved project to properly deal with the personal issues in my life. The lives of my family and my own are shattered. I am deeply sorry to everyone hurt in this,” Ismail tweeted on Wednesday. His Twitter account is now deleted.
Method, another esports organization, announced Wednesday it would end its relationship with World of Warcraft streamer Method Josh, following accusations of predatory behavior. Co-CEO Sascha Steffens was also “placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the results of a third-party investigation,” it said.
Organizations and individual streamers have already made statements saying they won’t work with Method again.
“Twitch does not have a great history of dealing with things like sexual harassment, for example,” said Bo Ruberg, assistant film and media studies professor at the University of California, Irvine. Now, they added, “we’re seeing them respond more quickly…It’s the kind of moment where people seem to be expecting companies to respond more quickly to social justice issues.”
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