Ovo je preko noći eksplodiralo, posebno u svetlu Weinstein skandala (From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories | The New Yorker) koji je uzdrmao do korena filmsku industriju.
Naime David Ballard, enviromental artist koji je radio na Uncharted 2, 3, 4 i The Last of Us igrama je bio seksualno zlostavljan od osobe na višem položaju u Naughty Dog studiju u kasnijem periodu 2015. godine. 2016 godine je doživeo mentalni slom zbog takvog okruženja i ponašanja u kom je radio. Kada više nije mogao da se nosi sa tim, požalio se Sony HR (Human Resources ili “kadrovskom odeljenju”) koje je umesto da ga zaštiti oni su ga otpustili. Da bi o svemu ovome ćutao, Sony mu je ponudio 20.000 $ da se sve ovo “zaboravi”. On je odbio i trenutno je 17 meseci nezaposlen.
Progovorio je sada jer je osnažen postupcima žena i muškaraca koji su nedavno izašli sa svojim pričama o seksualnom zlostavljanju na radnom mestu.
https://twitter.com/dbal/status/919284577566412801
In late 2015, I was sexually harassed at Naughty Dog by a lead. My work environment became extremely toxic afterward. 1/
In February 2016 I had a mental breakdown at work & Sony Playstation HR became involved. When I told them about the harassment they… 2/
…ended the call and fired me the next day. They cited the company was moving in a different direction and my job was no longer needed. 3/
They tried to silence me by offering $20,000 if I signed a letter agreeing to the termination as well as to not discuss it with anyone. 4/
I declined to sign. I have been unemployed for 17 months since. When interviewers ask why I left Naughty Dog, I say I was burned out… 5/
…by the crunch, ashamed to get to the root of the problem of being sexually harassed. 6/
I’m speaking out now because of the strength I’ve seen in others coming forward about their experiences in the TV/Film industry. 7/
This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I will not let anyone kill my drive or love for the video game industry, my passions or life. /END
Nadam se da je ovo početak “čišćenja” gaming industrije od ovakvog ponašanja a posebno zataškavanja. Pratićemo dalji razvoj događaja a posebno kakav će odgovor imati Naughty Dog i Sony posle ovoga.