The recent mass walkout over at Riot games, following months of turmoil, seems to have only been the beginning. protesters who lead the initial walk-out, have now, taken further action, petitioning towards proper litigation, in order to get their voices heard.
The initial employee walkout took place on May 6th, which saw over 150 Riot employees march outside of the Los Angeles office. This has since, ushered in the desire for those involved in seeking to end the company’s practice of forced arbitration, which would require workers to internally resolve any outstanding issues, forgoing any outside legal aide.
An organizer behind the walkout reached out to The Verge, in regards to the current situation, stating, “we are appealing to the board to advocate for us. Forced arbitration has been criticized and is being changed at a number of companies.” The petition regarding the issue has been inseminated throughout the company, with the initial plans to take action by Friday, May 23 put on hold, in order to best assess further discourse. An excerpt from the petition, via The Verge, can be read down below:
“Riot has always aspired to be at the cutting edge of game companies, we have also stated that we want to be a world leader in diversity and inclusion. To do both, we need to make shifts not just in our game production, but in our employment practices. Making this change even when there’s a clear cost to the company unequivocally shows Riot’s commitment to changing itself, both to current and future Rioters.”
For those unfamiliar with the Riot Games fiasco, Kotaku put out a report, earlier in 2018, shedding light on a discrimination and sexism scandal that hit the company. The petition in question is in regards to two female employees, against Riot for gender-based discrimination. walkout organizer, Jocelyn Monahan reached out to The Verge, stating,
“This isn’t about being anti-Riot or not wanting to be here, We’re doing this because we deeply believe in Riot’s mission and we love this place and we want to make cool stuff together. And we know that we are part of Riot.”
Monahan went on to talk about how Riot employees are currently indecisive and split on the whole matter, as some feel assured by Riot’s promise to change, while others still want outside mediation.
“There are current employees here who have to come to work and look in the face the person that they have accused publicly of misconduct,” Monahan told The Verge. “There are people here who are suffering currently.” People who are essentially stuck without help, due to ongoing litigation, which Riot currently refuses to accept. It’s an unfortunate situation, particularly for those who have suffered at the hands of the discrimination, however, the traction gained by Monahan and company should pave the way for change. Readers are encouraged to check out the initial report by The Verge.
