The eSports industry's #metoo movement: CS: GO, Dota 2 hit by widespread allegations

Modified Jun 27, 2020 16:28 GMT

The #metoo movement began around a year and a half back. Various women in prominent industries came out with allegations about their experiences related to men in powerful positions who would use their power to get away with sexual abuse and misconduct.

And now, women from the gaming industry have spoken out as well. Since 20th June, innumerable women have come out to speak about similar experiences they faced with people in this industry.

It all began when allegations against a Destiny 2 streamer called SayNoToRage, also known as LOCO, were made by at least six women. They accused him of gross sexual misconduct and engaging in the act without proper consent, and this has since been followed by a consistent stream of allegations. He later posted a short apology video on YouTube, before deleting it within minutes.

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Similarly, multiple women came forward with allegations against Dota 2 streamer Grant Harris, who has not yet responded to the claims. Twitch streamers IAmSp00n, BlessRNG, Wolv21 and DrDisRespect are also among those who have been temporarily banned by the platform after multiple allegations of similar nature were levelled against them.

All four of them later released statements apologising, and even if the allegations are not as terrible as the ones levied against some others, Twitter was united in lambasting them all.

Some of these allegations have been levied against bonafide superstars of the gaming industry, with Online Performers Group CEO Omeed Dariani accused of inappropriate conduct by Molly Fender Alay, who is a community development lead for the game Overwatch.

Further, a woman claimed that she had filed a rape case against Billy “Jump” Carter, a popular game host and commentator, back in 2019. On similar lines, Evolved talent CEO Ryan Morrisson was accused of broad misconduct by a former employee, while three unnamed employees of French videogaming giant Ubisoft were also accused of gross misconduct.

While the names of the accused are still unknown, the creative director of the upcoming, hotly-anticipated game “Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla”, Ashraf Ismail, stepped down from the project with a leave of absence, and no reason has yet been provided. The director has been previously accused of engaging in illicit affairs outside his marriage, and the timing of his step down has been questioned by Twitter users all over the world.

One of the biggest allegations against Henry G

Regardless, the most popular name that has been embroiled as of now is that of CS: GO caster Henry G, whose ex-girlfriend accused him of having intercourse when she did not, and could not, give consent. The streamer later responded by posting a detailed explanation, and claimed innocence.

You can see his response here.

In the wake of these allegations, many streaming platforms cut off ties with popular streamers such as Method Josh (World of Warcraft, Method Esports organisation) and Chris Gonsalez (CS: GO, Evil Geniuses Esports organisation).

While this article mentions quite a few of the recent controversies that have broken out, there are many others that have resurfaced and come up over the past week. One such example is the misconduct allegations against acclaimed game writer Chris Avellone, while Alec Holowka, who is a co-creator of the game ‘Night in the Woods’, has also been named.

The response online has full of support for those who have come out, with people calling on others to take these allegations with utmost seriousness. A more detailed inquiry into all these allegations has also been universally requested so as to differentiate the bonafide ones from the wrongful claims.

Many observers have also asked that various steps be taken by gaming organisations and worldwide viewers to make sure that such incidents do not happen in the future.

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Edited by Ravi Iyer