[2019] Netflix's "The Patriot Act" episode about working in the gaming industry (big segment about RIOT games)

Originally posted by mabdesaken

I really hope this gains some traction in here, because this is one of the few platforms where Riot actually reads and listens to us(the customers, subscribers, etc.). And if we're able to show them that we care about the environment within their offices, it might just help.

One point I think is important to emphasize was the "why should I care about the game industry, I have it the same way..." perspective. This is so stupid, just because other people are treated like shit doesn't mean we should accept that and let it follow over to this industry too.

Originally posted by GuGuMonster

I did read the Kotaku article at the time, not having heard of the publisher, and the writing definitely had an agenda it was pursuing beyond just reporting and it could have been written better but it didn't take away from the importance of the topic.

However, I seriously wouldn't minimise the incident of farting in someone's face in a work environment to "probably between two friends." Also, it is uncertifiable by the outside public to what extent the link is PR and what is genuine. So it's probably more important to convince peers in the industry, rather than the general public because if every professional can shut down that this behaviour is no longer an issue, it'll change public perception. That said, retaining the COO and him keeping his position will always loom over the company and create scepticism.

Originally posted by TenTypesofBread

Yikes, I wouldn't trust your subjective experience on the subject if your first words about it are to minimize the reported harassment of others.

I definitely wouldn't trust you to deal with a situation where harassment is taking place, or someone is looking to confide.

Don't pretend you have any idea what is happening in your workplace when you close your eyes to the possibilities.

Originally posted by Neville_Lynwood

You've described very well why I hate modern journalism.

Everyone is out to make a big story. And if a big story doesn't exist, they will force it into existence. And half the time the story is being pushed to force an agenda.

Like sure, the Kotaku piece was based on some actual issues (though very few people know the actual facts), and it raised some genuine concerns and paved the way for improvements within the gaming industry. That's all good.

But I cannot tolerate that it was achieved by straight up shitting on Riot from every single angle and making it look like all the 4000 employees have a fart sandwich for breakfast and dick pics for lunch and every woman gets groped at the door.

It pisses me off that journalism is 90% over-exeggeration in order to push an agenda, and if that agenda is viewed in a generally positive light, all the collateral damage is just fine and dandy.

I hate how the modern western culture has devolved into something where nobody is innocent until proven guilty any more. Now it's everyone is guilty at the first accusation, and even if proven innocent, their reputation is forever f**ked because half the people remain convinced the original accusations were correct.

Literally anyone can report sexual harassment at work and it's usually one word against another so it cannot be proven one way or the other. But the company will have to deal with it regardless and if reported to the news, they can have a forever tarnished reputation, which is such bullshit.

Originally posted by TenTypesofBread

One person making one sad comment does not count as a response.

Originally posted by mabdesaken

Hi dzareth, and thanks for responding so in-depth to my answer! I'm glad to hear you find Riot a great place to work! And I do believe that whenever I watch some of the behind the scenes videos of the music or artwork; For example the recently released BTS video of the pantheon rework. It is absolutely amazing to follow stuff like that.

However, keeping that in mind, the gaming industry is very young, these game companies have seen a great deal of success in a very short amount of time. And in this short interval of time they have to take in a lot of people. And I don't want to demonize all of Riot, and say that all they do is burn people out and fart in their faces (it is important to also try to remember that isn't at all the industry remains. Because of this rapid growth, it also means that if the people hired at Riot, Epic Games, etc. aren't unionised and can't defend themselves, some are bound to be screwed over by the company. And this doesn't even surprise me, this is a very common thing in the movie industry, where certain people are hired for a very specific purpose, where they just work 24/7 with low pay, and then are fired immiediately after, without anything remotely close to reasonable severances.

But I do know that this show, the patriot act, is also monetary so they need to get as many viewers as possible. So they might be noble and act as the guard dog for the smaller man, but they still need to gain viewers. This is done by dramatic statements and negative stories, and that definitely is very saturated, in terms of looking at Riot as a whole. But then again, it isn't their job to say "Hey Riot is a cool place, but sometimes you get farted in your face", but rather "WTF Riot get your shit together"