Alright, let's burn video games to the ground | 25/07/21 | The Nerd³ Show

I have thought about this for a couple days now, and I think I should bring it up. We need to identify companies that must be avoided at all costs, and those that are good example's of what video game companies should be. Naughty and Nice lists. Some are obvious, some sneak through the cracks. Its all well and good to no longer promote bad companies, but what about previous videos and streams? The recent Ratchet and Clank streams come to mind, as the game was good, Dan showered it with praise. Turns out there is sexual harassment problems at Insomniac. Those Vod's should arguably be taken down, or at least moved to unlisted. I've struggled with even suggesting this, and I may take some heat for it, but I think its worth discussing. I'm more than ready to lose some of the back catalog if it hurts these scumbags. It would be a very bold statement, and might get others to follow along.

Patrick Biggs

Powerfully put. Taking an important stand and I support you in it.

Patrick Jackson

All your best videos have been of indie titles anyway, so good for you… just so long as Mobius digital don’t get accused of anything. Then we’d be fucked

Joe Howard

Just got around to watching this video and if I could hit 'like' multiple times, I would have broken the button. This is a huge issue and a huge decision and I support your stance 100%. I already used your game recs as a to-buy catalogue and now anything on your rec list is automatically gold standard. I know this only means so much, but thanks for standing up and saying something--the community you've crafted is quality and this further push towards equality, education, and higher fucking standards for the industry can only be a good thing.

I’ve seen many people scared to call it a “culture”, yourself saying I don’t see it as a “Frat boy culture” and others probably seeing it as another relatable name, however I think we should own it that this is a culture at the minimum and obviously not a good one by any means stretch but by denying that this is not a culture-a dangerous and dirty one- or not part of ones own culture,actively or passively observing it, I believe is allowing the same things to repeat, (hence why we cant use the “few bad apples” saying people love to use but it also spreads to many others who say “I’ve never seen anything”, have a double think if you really have seen anything or you have been ignoring the issue) Specifically something that deeply worries me is this culture being rooted as a seed within our secondary schools. It was seen as part of “growing up” and “teen hormones” and normal to be making sexual jokes for example, which could make people uncomfortable and seen as harassment. I think we need to have a stronger voice to start tackling these issues in our schools, teach teenagers where the line is, what’s ok and what’s not ok. I only had a one hour group session in our year where people came in to do a thing having an open conversation about this only once I went into sixth form (16 years old), this was a good challenge on our choice of words however it feels like a too little too late in my education (tho the more education on this at any time including in companies the better). We’ve recently heard statistics talking about sexual harassment, abuse and “Pressure” in schools and for me it was no surprise at all but still sickening because this culture is obviously being created in our schools and perhaps helped via online. I want to focus on the word “pressure” here because I think it’s important. Many kids today feel forced to feel part of this over sexualised culture, and this impacts us all. It’s harming children’s mental health as someone who may be acting in a completely Respectable way may well feel Not normal because they are not part of this culture, even if we don’t want this culture to exist. Others may feel pressured into taking part in this culture too. It’s this pressure which concerns me and we must do better to teach young people Including those in secondary school that all these things are Not normal and it’s not ok make inappropriate jokes in any shape. Finally, to all those who have read, i wish for you to reply to me and we can create an open discussion, Perhaps I suggest about how your time was while being in school and the culture you observe back at now and have even been apart of, actively or passively. Have a great day/night wherever you are everyone and remember to be respectful to others! Ps. A Sorry in advance if I may be unclear on how I’ve explained some things and believe we should try to own up to this culture and then find ways to combat it, specifically educationally, in all areas but especially in schools. I just want the best where we have respect and people aren’t made to feel uncomfortable.

Valthexus

Don't forget about Insomniac games either. Last year they got accused of sexual discrimination against women too, and other than a 'we will look into it' bit, no other update since then. We gotta keep hounding on them to prevent this kind of shit from happening!

Blue-Blazer

As someone who doesn't pay much attention to news in the gaming industry, I'm usually playing catch up when horrifying stories like this come out. Most of the time I end up hearing about these sorts of things for the first time through Dan's weekly news videos. So thank you Dan and Matt for the bringing much needed attention to this issue. Knowing what I know now I've decided that I will no longer be playing the Activision Blizzard games that I already own and I sure as fuck won't be buying another game from that company ever again (or any other company like them). I have been lucky enough to make some great friends through those games and I am saddened to think that I may lose them as a result. However, I am certain that my decision is the correct one despite the fact that the impact it would have on Activision Blizzard is likely incredibly small. Nevertheless, I'm urging everyone reading this to follow in Dan's footsteps in the hopes that all of us making a stand will force these companies to change.

Tyler Kelley

Daniel, well said, well gosh darn said.

Well said. I haven't been paying attention to video games media for a while now, but I'm glad I tuned in for this. I'm going to be avoiding all the companies mentioned. On a sidenote, I'm glad you spoke up about this, I'm usually also one of the people who squeemishly looks the other way. It gives me a lot of confidence to hear I'm not the only one with that problem. Hopefully it'll be less of a problem now.

I've got people trying to explain to me that we should support these companies since some women still work for them and they'll need support. I'm fucking done with video games at this point since it's not going to change is it. It's a cesspool of hell that'll never fix itself because people don't want to stop giving Blizzard, Activision and Ubisoft money.

Aeon Blu

Welp i thought I wasn't excited for any major games this year except for maybe dying light 2 but at this point, the only games I feel are worth going after are total warhammer 3 and darktide

ZombietheZerker

don't think the Blizzard colossal fuck-up is a video games issue. It's just a shitty company doing shitty things to their employees, that just happens to make video games. But yes, "frat-boy" term is bad. "Frat club" however... Frat clubs do some SHITTY disgusting things. Men's and women's fraternities alike But even that might be a tame, misleading, and a gross under-exaggeration.

Qwerty-Space

Really powerful stuff. I'm so proud to be a patron of someone with some very clear and actually good ethical opinions. I'm in the same boat. I've played WoW, CoD, and Overwatch a lot over the years and this has finally given me the push to uninstall them. I too have supported these misaligned companies for years now, half aware of the shit going on behind closed doors and private emails. I agree that it's finally enough.

I stopped buying EA games almost a decade ago, stopped buying Activision games after the Hearthstone Chinese Champion indecent, and stopped buying Ubisoft games after their sexual harassment scandal. These corporations are scum. They prey on the vulnerable, both their customers and their own staff, abusing people for their bottom-line. I'm really pleased this message is being spread. We have to accept that some of the most talented artists and designers are going to be tied up in these corporations, making products we want to enjoy, but that we can't continue to turn a blind eye to what it truly costs. Like Total Biscuit's battlecry of "We Do Not Pre-Order", I hope every time somebody asks "are you going to play the new game by [shitty publisher]", we can collectively say "We Do Not Support Them".

Paul Turner

I completely agree with Dan in this video and totally respect him standing up to this issue, too many people are living through hell to try and do a job they love. Also just a note, maybe having time stamps in the description of when the sexual assualt is explicitly talked about so people can enjoy the rest of the video, like the end was really powerful but if people had to leave because sexual assualt or suicide was triggering they would miss that

Ethan Pender

i would like to clarify that the fact that activision/blizzard states how appalled they are about being investigated for these old cases (which were never closed as far as dishing out punishment goes) shows just how little remorse they have for what's happened. It also shows that their leadership are all a bunch of vile assholes who probably don't want to go to jail for tons and tons of sexual harassment and rape. Allegedly.

I’m with you on this. You guys have done a good thing.

Nice Dan. No more of WD Legion and more indies.

Games were not more simple really before. Our access to the behind the scene of them was just non existent. We had at best interviews in magazines and that's all. The culture in companies on the management level comes from people who have been in the game industry for decades.

Lionel Yesat

I feel as though amazon is a whole other can of worms in this case... it is much more than the shopping service. bezos has his hand in the majority of online spaces including twitch and for Dan to name amazon as a company to not support, while making money off twitch seems a bit dissonant As I said, I appreciate mega corp amazon is a little different to, say nestle, as it is pretty much inescapable but maybe there should have been some extra consideration on that point idk

PBKitKat

I feel sick to my stomach after that. Thanks for talking about the topics that I would otherwise miss.

Tim Wiles

this x100. just because it was not reported on does not mean it wasn't like this. it has always been this way, we're just lucky enough to have ways for the victims to actually more easily come out and say something.

Pantscada

I guess what I'm trying to say is it weakens the blow of the video. It feels like this is supposed to be Dan drawing a line in the sand and saying no more shitty companies. But in the video he lists Amazon's tax evasion alongside Nestle's child & slave labour and Ubisoft's harassment/abuse before going on to say he's still streaming on Amazon owned Twitch.

QuietlyRobyn

Matt I appreciate when you put the video link in the Patreon description so I can click through from the email

YourJelly

I totally get what Dan's going for with this video and agree, there's no real justification for supporting these companies and their methods. But he says he isn't comfortable supporting these companies any more after naming Amazon, followed by talking about streaming on Twitch, a platform owned by Amazon. I understand that Twitch streams are a large part of what Nerdcubed & Co do and it would take time to unentagle from that if you wanted to, but this part of the video felt very jarring for me.

QuietlyRobyn

Good news, the developers of Hades have a reputation for being one of the most kind and generous workplaces in the industry!

Kyrielle

Thank you Dan, I don't know any women who haven't experienced some form of harassment. We need allies and its so important for us to hear your support.

That's the same argument used against police reform and defunding. "There's hundreds of good cops, they shouldn't suffer". It's a spurious argument there, and it's a spurious argument here too. "A few bad apples spoil the bunch" literally means that those few bad apples make it so that any bystanders who don't speak up are part of the problem, and the entire bunch needs to be thrown out. Except it's different here, in that the good ones can FIND NEW JOBS ELSEWHERE AT A COMPANY THAT ISN'T SHIT. The pie isn't getting smaller by people boycotting assholes, it's just that we're deciding not to buy the pies from the shitty people anymore. Other non-shitty people will make more pies because people still want to eat pie. If shitty companies learn that having a toxic culture means people boycott your games and you lose revenue, they'll change. The only way to get through to these pieces of garbage is either heavy legislation, or through their wallets, and the wallets are the easiest things for us as consumers to access. The chances of Activision Blizzard closing because of boycotts are practically 0, but even if they do, the industry isn't shrinking. It'll suck for the people that didn't do anything wrong, but they'll find new work elsewhere, at a better company. So boycott companies that turn out to be toxic pools of shit, and vote for sane politicians that take workplace sexual harassment seriously. It's the only way we're ever going to have any influence in this situation.

Jochem

Great video, however one slight issue I had is the part about how games used to be simpler. I get what you ment by it, but the issue is that when you say games used to be simpler and then say that now theres shit a load of horrific shit, it kinda implies that the horrific shit is new and didnt happen back when games where 'simpler' which is almost definitely not the case, it just wouldnt of been reported on or it would of been ignored more easily. As for fixing it, possibly changing it to games seemed simpler so that it is more clear that it used to be your opinion rather than the games were simpler implying that its a fact, and then saying something like of course they were never that simple, i was young/naive and reporting wasnt there or something like that?

BananaTycoon

not fully on board with the 'games used to be simple' thing, cause it's not like this wasn't going on long into the past, but the important thing is your commitment going forward, which i'm absolutely with you on

Emma Jacob

This should all go for Ubisoft too. Please Dan, don't play Watchdogs. Retro gaming and indies supply so many great games to play.

I was going to get watchdogs Legion, after saving for it. Now I'm not... Is hades still OK to play... If so I'm getting that instead and putting the money left over to charity

marcnet

Like I commented on the video, I am feeling many things right now, but not surprise. I learned long ago that society protects people like this, and my gender automatically puts me at more risk. I'm glad you've put a giant line in the proverbial sand because I know that the line will stay, and not be swayed with the next big game they throw out. I really wish companies like this didn't take the saying "putting blood, sweat and tears" into their work so literally. Bring back the Pit from the Wheel of Fuck You, throw them all in there.

thanks for being one of the good ones!

WIlliam Bennett

I was thinking the other day during your Watchdogs stream about Ubisoft being shitty and I'll admit to being a little disappointed that you still played their games, but I was also thinking that I shouldn't try to apply my own sense of moral whatever onto other people. It's great to hear that you won't be promoting stuff from companies like that anymore and it's as much a reminder to myself that everyone works at different speeds and committing to not supporting something is hard. I haven't bought anything from Amazon for about 8 months, which during a pandemic is extra annoying, but it's meant Christmas and birthdays have been a little more work, cos I can't just jump on Amazon and order something for next day delivery, I have to think and plan ahead a bit more, but it also feels worth it, to not feed money into something that's harmful. It seems hard at first and easy to feel like you might be missing out or just causing yourself unnecessary pain for no real reason, but it's a great step and hopefully more people will take that same step and it may just have an impact that makes a difference. ps Matt, could you keep putting the YouTube link to the video in the email, makes it easier to open up in the YouTube app directly on an iPhone 😄 thanks

Andyface

Well said, couldn’t agree more. Let’s shower these good companies with all the love and money they deserve, and leave these hideous monsters to suffer the consequences of their actions.

Jamie Williams

First of all, I totally agree with this but I have a double feeling about it. 1 thing is that all of these big businesses don't deserve the amount of credits they get while all of that bad stuff is happening at them due to bad HR and just a bad attitude . the only thing I slightly disagree on is the whole vote with your wallet thing. I know it is the only that could stop it but some businesses are just too big for that kind of actions so if 1 billion people use a service or buy a product and the whole storm causes a drop of 10 million people. they won't even notice it. and the biggest thing is, if there are 5000 employees at a company and a group of 50 to 100 is causing this kind of trouble we as a consumer make 4900 people jobless with something they have nothing to do with ( if we could successfully bring down a company) To be honest, I am afraid we live in a world where these things are going to happen no matter what we do, and no I have no better option to fight it but god damn I wish I had... It is a difficult topic but we really need to cover it in the media and make sure companies don't get away with it without hurting the people who have nothing to do with it. sorry for the rant/opinion maybe 1 day we will live in a world that isn't that fucked up...

Greg Rademaekers

Respect for posting this. Gotta share it all around when it's published for the public. Everyone needs to know about the fuckery that is happening in the gaming industry

Wayne Chan

my respect for you has increased more than I ever thought it could

MyNameIsJ

Let's burn them all to the fucking ground.

Jacob Hardy

I appreciate you saying that you won't be playing those games on streams or in videos anymore, I truly do. I'm guilty of overlooking that stuff too, so I'm going to try to do better as well. Also, don't know if anyone else has seen this, but the video looks like it's not going to fullscreen properly while I'm on mobile for me

That Other Person

Definitely covers difficult topics, but needs to be shared and told to others if stuff like this is going to stop. Copious warnings before sections deemed as difficult. I'm a fan of video games, as are we all, and try to keep up with news about games but I hadn't heard about this stuff. It needs to be said and heard by others. Side note, never playing Blizzard games again, fuck those cunts

Excellently said

DapperCyborg

Well put

Darythe Hill