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[ManaByte]

That sounds like a bit of a blanket statement. I refuse to believe that everyone on the dev team was a dick like that, its simply implausible from a pure selection standpoint. Not to mention that there would be hierarchies of their own within that group of people, each with their own perspective and sense of value to the company.

The truth though is that the creative engine should always rightfully be treated as more important than their functionaries, because one group can be replaced or outsourced, the other simply cannot without fundamentally impacting the product. Trying to play this off as some sort of injustice is kinda disingenuous.

Lets be real: Who's more important your favourite band or their road crew?

None of this is an excuse for shitty behaviour, all I'm saying is that this whole shit-show is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to settle all kinds of old scores, and so people should be selective in deciding what are individual grievances and what are systemic issues. Because at the end of the day, any ruling on this case should be being decided on the latter.

I'm speaking from personal experience. Back in the Theory days, those on floor 2 were untouchable gods who the peons on the ground floor weren't to speak to unless spoken to. From the IGN article above, it sounds like that caste system had continued into the new Irvine campus and festered into the explosion that just happened.

 

[Clear]

I'm speaking from personal experience. Back in the Theory days, those on floor 2 were untouchable gods who the peons on the ground floor weren't to speak to unless spoken to. From the IGN article above, it sounds like that caste system had continued into the new Irvine campus and festered into the explosion that just happened.

Were you directly instructed not to talk to them?
If so, yikes.

Very weird either way, the culture I'm familiar with is one where you'll talk with anyone in the building while on a smoke break or whatever. I get that the sort of success enjoyed by Blizzard would no doubt allow for some fevered ego's to go on a rampage (to paraphrase Bill Hicks), but those types tend to be cliquey by nature.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Were you directly instructed not to talk to them?
If so, yikes.

Very weird either way, the culture I'm familiar with is one where you'll talk with anyone in the building while on a smoke break or whatever. I get that the sort of success enjoyed by Blizzard would no doubt allow for some fevered ego's to go on a rampage (to paraphrase Bill Hicks), but those types tend to be cliquey by nature.

Who knows.

I've never worked at a game company, so if the bigger ones have this elitist level, thats stupid. But if Activision/Blizzard or other game companies are like that I wouldnt be surprised. Who knows how serious all these allegations are, but never the less pretty sure everyone can at least agree holistically game companies have this wild west kind of atmosphere where you never know if it'll be chill or crazy. Just look how loose lippy and odd game employees are on Twitter, and thats the kind of people working there.

Every company I've worked at has been head office and all the VPs and CEO are in the same building. They've all been chill and you can talk to any of them at any time even if you're a starting level analyst. Some of the big cheese bosses even make an effort to swing by and just check out how things are. They have no idea what you're doing but come by to say hi and chat for 5 mins about useless stuff. Then they move onto a another section. Much better than the stereotypical corner office boss who you never see or hear from where people dont even know if the guy is even there that day.

 

[nush]

I'm speaking from personal experience. Back in the Theory days, those on floor 2 were untouchable gods who the peons on the ground floor weren't to speak to unless spoken to. From the IGN article above, it sounds like that caste system had continued into the new Irvine campus and festered into the explosion that just happened.

That's understandable, you don't want a steady stream of QA crusties geeking out over you everything you walked through the building. Rockstar have the same ststem in the Broadway office, they are on the upper floors and nobody is allowed in thier private elevator. T2 managemnt and admin are on the lower floors.

 

[WitchHunter]

I'm speaking from personal experience. Back in the Theory days, those on floor 2 were untouchable gods who the peons on the ground floor weren't to speak to unless spoken to. From the IGN article above, it sounds like that caste system had continued into the new Irvine campus and festered into the explosion that just happened.

And for how long did you endure this teatment?

 

[WitchHunter]

Even without this news, dunno why anyone still likes Blizzard anyway. It tooke more than 9 months after Shadowlands to get a patch, makes you wonder if they were able to work remotely during the pandemic at all, too busy harassing each other I guess.

Somehow AAA games are disintegrating one after another. Indies have the power and creativiy that brings back the 90s feel.

 

[Fuz]

lol

Afrasiabi is gonna be the designated scapegoat.

 

[Vaelka]

'' Guys, we replaced him with a female NPC are we good now? ''

In all seriousness removing references to him is understandable, but it really doesn't mean anything.
Blizzard knew about him and his references were still in the game, they're only removing them because they got caught.
It's like a kid stealing money then giving them back because they got caught.
You still stole money you little shit.

 

[Silraru]

So true that QA tend to be looked down on and not treated as part of the team despite QA are the ones ensuring bugs are found and game is stable. It stems from idea that QA team is just people playing games all day and require no skill. On top of that, big companies tend to outsource QA to other companies who hire testers ok large numbers. So QA tend to treated as nameless testers then unfortunately.

Furthermore, even on dev teams, some have egos and look down on others devs that work on "lesser" and "insignificant" part of the game. Games require team work though. No part alone will make the game great. All of it have to come together to make the game and if one of part of it is bad, the game will suffer. Sadly, upper management certainly can and do play a role in these attitudes. Been in studios like that where one dev team is favored over another. It does lead to toxic work environment.

 

[TransTrender]

Activision IT Worker Secretly Filmed Colleagues in Office Bathroom

An Activision IT worker pleaded guilty to mounting a camera under the sink in a “manner to point at the toilet” in 2018, court records show.

www.vice.com

"In 2018, a former Activision Blizzard IT worker installed cameras in the company's Minnesota office bathroom with the intent to spy on employees while they used the toilet, according to court records reviewed by Waypoint and local media reports from the time.
The employee, Tony Ray Nixon, pleaded guilty to "Interference with Privacy," a gross misdemeanor, and was given a suspended prison sentence; he later allegedly violated his parole requiring him to take "sex offender treatment as directed." Nixon worked for Activision Blizzard in Eden Prairie Minnesota, where the company maintains a building that focuses on quality assurance."

Blizzard Recruiters Asked Hacker If She ‘Liked Being Penetrated’ at Job Fair

Company employees at a hacking conference made several inappropriate comments to a security researcher who was inquiring about Blizzard’s job openings.

www.vice.com

"In August 2015, Blizzard employees were at a major cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas, where the company was one of the sponsors and had a booth in the recruiting area. Emily Mitchell, a security researcher who at the time was looking for a job, approached the Blizzard booth to see what positions were open at the company. Mitchell told Waypoint that she loves PC games, and played Diablo, Blizzard's roleplaying game.

When she got to the table, she said she asked about the penetration testing position. Penetration testing, or pentesting, is the industry term for a security audit. Mitchell said she was wearing a t-shirt made by cybersecurity company SecureState, which had "Penetration Expert" on the front. One of the Blizzard employees first asked if she was lost, another one asked if she was at the conference with her boyfriend, and another one asked if she even knew what pentesting was.

"One of them asked me when was the last time I was personally penetrated, if I liked being penetrated, and how often I got penetrated," Mitchell told Waypoint. "I was furious and felt humiliated so I took the free swag and left.""

Reddit's already doing the "she wore a penetration joke shirt so she deserved it" crap but who the fuck are these cringe ball betas that talk like this?

Ugggggggghhhhhhhhhh this is soo fucking bad.


Any company with just a fucking sliver of respect wouldn't send those people to a 'professional' trade show and then let that shit slide at their booth. What a bunch of fucking choades.

 

[nush]

So true that QA tend to be looked down on and not treated as part of the team despite QA are the ones ensuring bugs are found and game is stable. It stems from idea that QA team is just people playing games all day and require no skill. On top of that, big companies tend to outsource QA to other companies who hire testers ok large numbers. So QA tend to treated as nameless testers then unfortunately.

No one cares about temp churn and burn QA testers, those with skill and personallity rise up from the stinky primordial ooze of weed and Axe bodyspray and become lead testers.

 

[Silraru]

No one cares about temp churn and burn QA testers, those with skill and personallity rise up from the stinky primordial ooze of weed and Axe bodyspray and become lead testers.

I do not expect anyone to care about their co-workers, whether they be QA or dev, temp or full time. I do expect and want professionism towards everyone regardless of who they are in a workplace. It is the attitude that looks down on others that creates contempt and toxic environment whether it be from one department to another or even within the same department.

 

[Greggy]

Is that where Rod Ferguson went to work after leaving the Coalition?

 

[TransTrender]

No one cares about temp churn and burn QA testers, those with skill and personallity rise up from the stinky primordial ooze of weed and Axe bodyspray and become lead testers.

No lies detected
Just imagine the smell
Just imagine the shit stained boxer shorts

 

[TransTrender]

I do not expect anyone to care about their co-workers, whether they be QA or dev, temp or full time. I do expect and want professionism towards everyone regardless of who they are in a workplace. It is the attitude that looks down on others that creates contempt and toxic environment whether it be from one department to another or even within the same department.

Yes
Treat people like people
Otherwise this shit turns in to Lord of the Flies real quick

 

[Clear]

So true that QA tend to be looked down on and not treated as part of the team despite QA are the ones ensuring bugs are found and game is stable. It stems from idea that QA team is just people playing games all day and require no skill. On top of that, big companies tend to outsource QA to other companies who hire testers ok large numbers. So QA tend to treated as nameless testers then unfortunately.

No, it stems from the fact that you have enough hassle maintaining a coherent vision as it is without inviting a whole bunch of other people in on the discussion.

You can't expand the size of the creative base and expect things not to bog down. "Too many cooks in the kitchen"-style.

This is fundamentally why the flow communication needs to be controlled. The team asks, and QA answers as a general mode because if you do it the other way around testers become associate designers or whatever. Which doesn't work for the same reason you don't make every designer a game director.

It sounds harsh, but its actually quite sensible if you think about it.

Feedback is appreciated when requested, but let's be real about this. As a dev all you really want to hear from QA is that there are no bugs to report!

Furthermore, even on dev teams, some have egos and look down on others devs that work on "lesser" and "insignificant" part of the game. Games require team work though. No part alone will make the game great. All of it have to come together to make the game and if one of part of it is bad, the game will suffer. Sadly, upper management certainly can and do play a role in these attitudes. Been in studios like that where one dev team is favored over another. It does lead to toxic work environment.

Some parts are just more important to the whole than others. Everyone needs to accept that, which isn't to say its ok to piss on people below you on the totem-pole, just that its important to understand why that hierarchy exists.

Its because a structured, organized unit is way more effective at getting stuff done. When people try to extend their influence beyond the remit of their position, problems begin. By which I mean fucking producers without a clue about design demanding their creative itches get scratched!

 

[nush]

I do not expect anyone to care about their co-workers, whether they be QA or dev, temp or full time. I do expect and want professionism towards everyone regardless of who they are in a workplace. It is the attitude that looks down on others that creates contempt and toxic environment whether it be from one department to another or even within the same department.

If only they were professional enough to shower in the morning. Fortunately outsourcing the QA dungeons solved this issue.

 

[Silraru]

No, it stems from the fact that you have enough hassle maintaining a coherent vision as it is without inviting a whole bunch of other people in on the discussion.

You can't expand the size of the creative base and expect things not to bog down. "Too many cooks in the kitchen"-style.

This is fundamentally why the flow communication needs to be controlled. The team asks, and QA answers as a general mode because if you do it the other way around testers become associate designers or whatever. Which doesn't work for the same reason you don't make every designer a game director.

It sounds harsh, but its actually quite sensible if you think about it.

Feedback is appreciated when requested, but let's be real about this. As a dev all you really want to hear from QA is that there are no bugs to report!




Some parts are just more important to the whole than others. Everyone needs to accept that, which isn't to say its ok to piss on people below you on the totem-pole, just that its important to understand why that hierarchy exists.

Its because a structured, organized unit is way more effective at getting stuff done. When people try to extend their influence beyond the remit of their position, problems begin. By which I mean fucking producers without a clue about design demanding their creative itches get scratched!

I get what you are saying. I do agree structure and processes are needed and it looks like we do agree that does not mean people can be jerks.

Ya I know of the QA tester who wants to be a designer and keeps endlessly writing up feature requests instead of finding bugs. I also understand as a dev under constraints wanting to strangle the QA who keeps reporting bugs that are actually features as designed because they don't like the gameplay system. Been there too. I have plenty of "really QA?" stories myself but does not change my mind on being professional to them.

As for some parts more important than others, I still hold my ground and disagree. A game will face issues if one team think they are so important that they don't bother listening to any other teams. I have seen a team (team A) hold meetings regarding designs and tasks they require from another team (team B) and not even bothering to invite anyone from team B. Nevermind consulting team B about viability, risks and estimates, team B isn't informed of a thing at all from team A. Managers have to go scrambling to figure out what happened because team A missed their milestone. Then team B gets blamed for not knowing by team A. Ya, just no.

Structure and processes are valuable for sure. Although I would say my example above, it is team A who failed to follow the structure and processes in place to ensure tasks are done.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

No, it stems from the fact that you have enough hassle maintaining a coherent vision as it is without inviting a whole bunch of other people in on the discussion.

You can't expand the size of the creative base and expect things not to bog down. "Too many cooks in the kitchen"-style.

This is fundamentally why the flow communication needs to be controlled. The team asks, and QA answers as a general mode because if you do it the other way around testers become associate designers or whatever. Which doesn't work for the same reason you don't make every designer a game director.

It sounds harsh, but its actually quite sensible if you think about it.

Feedback is appreciated when requested, but let's be real about this. As a dev all you really want to hear from QA is that there are no bugs to report!




Some parts are just more important to the whole than others. Everyone needs to accept that, which isn't to say its ok to piss on people below you on the totem-pole, just that its important to understand why that hierarchy exists.

Its because a structured, organized unit is way more effective at getting stuff done. When people try to extend their influence beyond the remit of their position, problems begin. By which I mean fucking producers without a clue about design demanding their creative itches get scratched!

That is true.

I dont know anything about QA vs. programmer interactions, but if the context of the back and forth is test to see it works vs. test to give feedback on improving it to something else, those two things are totally different.

If video game QA is a one way street, then thats what it is.

I've done my share working with IT to help implement systems. There's a time they want feedback for usability and aesthetics (beginning), and there's a time where they just want to us test out if numbers and formulas work (closing in on finalization).

If our job is to test reports and metrics, they arent going to care if we suddenly say I think you should make it a different colour or move the input cells to the other side if the screen. It's too late for that.

 

[nush]

As for some parts more important than others, I still hold my ground and disagree. A game will face issues if one team think they are so important that they don't bother listening to any other teams. I have seen a team (team A) hold meetings regarding designs and tasks they require from another team (team B) and not even bothering to invite anyone from team B. Nevermind consulting team B about viability, risks and estimates, team B isn't informed of a thing at all from team A. Managers have to go scrambling to figure out what happened because team A missed their milestone. Then team B gets blamed for not knowing by team A. Ya, just no.

Structure and processes are valuable for sure. Although I would say my example above, it is team A who failed to follow the structure and processes in place to ensure tasks are done.

I'm in this dev meeting and the Director slides the latest build (Near gold version) of a game across the boardroom table to me. "Test this is backwards compatible would you Nush" he asks, there's a console and monitor setup on the boardroom table already.

Ten minutes later "Bug report!" I call out. Rest of the team gather around and I show them.

Director than says "For fucks sake, they've had 200 QA people working on this 24 hours a day for over a month and you've caught a massive fuckup in ten minutes".

Spoiler

Actually I found it in 5 minutes and spent the next 5 minutes being sure it was repeatable.

And that's why I was paid and hired to be on team A and you're still bitter about being on team B.

 

[Silraru]

I'm in this dev meeting and the Director slides the latest build (Near gold version) of a game across the boardroom table to me. "Test this is backwards compatible would you Nush" he asks, there's a console and monitor setup on the boardroom table already.

Ten minutes later "Bug report!" I call out. Rest of the team gather around and I show them.

Director than says "For fucks sake, they've had 200 QA people working on this 24 hours a day for over a month and you've caught a massive fuckup in ten minutes".

Spoiler

Actually I found it in 5 minutes and spent the next 5 minutes being sure it was repeatable.

And that's why I was paid and hired to be on team A and you're still bitter about being on team B.

I am not sure what you are trying to say or prove. I stand by that everyone should be treated professionally regardless of who they are. You are free to disagree with me on that. What you have said above and your attempt to attack me will not change my position.

 

[nush]

I am not sure what you are trying to say or prove. I stand by that everyone should be treated professionally regardless of who they are. You are free to disagree with me on that. What you have said above and your attempt to attack me will not change my position.

Ya, just no. You're bitter but you're welcome to cry about being "Attacked".

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I get what you are saying. I do agree structure and processes are needed and it looks like we do agree that does not mean people can be jerks.

Ya I know of the QA tester who wants to be a designer and keeps endlessly writing up feature requests instead of finding bugs. I also understand as a dev under constraints wanting to strangle the QA who keeps reporting bugs that are actually features as designed because they don't like the gameplay system. Been there too. I have plenty of "really QA?" stories myself but does not change my mind on being professional to them.

As for some parts more important than others, I still hold my ground and disagree. A game will face issues if one team think they are so important that they don't bother listening to any other teams. I have seen a team (team A) hold meetings regarding designs and tasks they require from another team (team B) and not even bothering to invite anyone from team B. Nevermind consulting team B about viability, risks and estimates, team B isn't informed of a thing at all from team A. Managers have to go scrambling to figure out what happened because team A missed their milestone. Then team B gets blamed for not knowing by team A. Ya, just no.

Structure and processes are valuable for sure. Although I would say my example above, it is team A who failed to follow the structure and processes in place to ensure tasks are done.

Depends on the context of what is reasonable to change, whats not reasonable, and in gaming what process is most effective. And timing.

Clear is saying too many cooks can spoil it. He might be wright.

I've done various testing myself for ERP systems which a combo of IT, contractors and the database company whose software it is. If it was up to me, I'd blow up the entire thing they show demos to us and tell them to start from scratch my way. But thats not how it works.

Certain things may only be able to be adjusted certain amounts (or none at all) due to a core engine they have running and arent tossing in the garbage. The team doesn't need me putting up my hand every 5 minutes saying scrap this feature and build from the ground up my idea. I'm a tester end of day. Not a creator.

Thats not to say they ignore all creative ideas we have. They will listen and may do some adjustments we suggest. But those are typically early in the game on development. If I got some snazzy idea that might work, I better make sure I tell them in lets say 2018 or 2019 because if something is rolling out to the company in 2021, its too late for that. For the past year, its down to data integrity and bugs and them trying to improve the performance (speed of the system) which they do on their own.

 

[Silraru]

Ya, just no. You're bitter but you're welcome to cry about being "Attacked".

From your post, you claim I am bitter and claim that is true and therefore not an attack. Can you explain to me why you think I am bitter and what I am bitter about?

 

[Silraru]

Depends on the context of what is reasonable to change, whats not reasonable, and in gaming what process is most effective. And timing.

Clear is saying too many cooks can spoil it. He might be wright.

I've done various testing myself for ERP systems which a combo of IT, contractors and the database company whose software it is. If it was up to me, I'd blow up the entire thing they show demos to us and tell them to start from scratch my way. But thats not how it works.

Certain things may only be able to be adjusted certain amounts (or none at all) due to a core engine they have running and arent tossing in the garbage. The team doesn't need me putting up my hand every 5 minutes saying scrap this feature and build from the ground up my idea. I'm a tester end of day. Not a creator.

Thats not to say they ignore all creative ideas we have. They will listen and may do some adjustments we suggest. But those are typically early in the game on development. If I got some snazzy idea that might work, I better make sure I tell them in lets say 2018 or 2019 because if something is rolling out to the company in 2021, its too late for that. For the past year, its down to data integrity and bugs and them trying to improve the performance (speed of the system) which they do on their own.

I see. Thanks for clearing up the idea. Ya, I do agree with what is said.

 

[TheMay30thMan]

-Says he’s been investigating for years.
-Posts an email he sent 3 months ago as “proof” of “years worth of investigation.”
-Doesn’t show who he sent the email to.
-Could have emailed himself, or literally no one.

How can anyone takes this person seriously?

 

[Coolwhhip]

Some Blizzard employee trying to get fired.

Check his tweeter bio by the way. HIM/THEY.

How does that even work? And why are all Blizzard employees male feminists with their gender in their profile? God damn. It makes a lot of sense now why Wow has been terrible for years.

 

[Dr. Claus]

Some Blizzard employee trying to get fired.

Check his tweeter bio by the way. HIM/THEY.

How does that even work? And why are all Blizzard employees male feminists with their gender in their profile? God damn. It makes a lot of sense now why Wow has been terrible for years.

More than likely, skeletons in their closets. Its safe to assume anyone who uses pronouns in their twitter, flags, or "activist" symbols are shitty human beings who did terrible things in their past and are trying to over correct for it in the modern day.

 

[nush]

More than likely, skeletons in their closets. Its safe to assume anyone who uses pronouns in their twitter, flags, or "activist" symbols are shitty human beings who did terrible things in their past and are trying to over correct for it in the modern day.

 

[Coolwhhip]

It's that combined with some weird herd mentality of twitter people. Why would any self respecting adult boast about their fucking gender? Maybe add in your bio you also have hands and feet.

 

[Agent_Nobody]

-Says he’s been investigating for years.
-Posts an email he sent 3 months ago as “proof” of “years worth of investigation.”
-Doesn’t show who he sent the email to.
-Could have emailed himself, or literally no one.

How can anyone takes this person seriously?

I can’t speak to the other stuff but if it’s a source that he’s emailing he’s pretty much required to not reveal who it is. He literally wouldn’t have a job if he did.

 

[CGiRanger]

Some Blizzard employee trying to get fired.

Check his tweeter bio by the way. HIM/THEY.

How does that even work? And why are all Blizzard employees male feminists with their gender in their profile? God damn. It makes a lot of sense now why Wow has been terrible for years.

I remember saying either in this thread or another that if one could try finding the twitter profiles of Blizzard employees with "danger hair" or "pronouns" and skim through their stuff, you'd come away with a great idea of how Blizzard's culture has become and not in a good way.

Personally I feel this company is emblematic of the overall lack of professionalism that exists within the game industry in the West, and also extends to Silicon Valley tech as well. The arrogance on display from both the high level and the low level employees shows that. It's why certain employees felt they could get away with harassment shenanigans, and others are happy shitting on the actual customers on public twitter accounts. While yeah, I believe low-level employees were probably dealt with compared to the high level, at the core, the issue still remains. This company has a lack of a Code of Conduct that is adhered to, and they clearly are hiring people who are far too arrogant.

 

[Coolwhhip]

I remember saying either in this thread or another that if one could try finding the twitter profiles of Blizzard employees with "danger hair" or "pronouns" and skim through their stuff, you'd come away with a great idea of how Blizzard's culture has become and not in a good way.

Personally I feel this company is emblematic of the overall lack of professionalism that exists within the game industry in the West, and also extends to Silicon Valley tech as well. The arrogance on display from both the high level and the low level employees shows that. It's why certain employees felt they could get away with harassment shenanigans, and others are happy shitting on the actual customers on public twitter accounts. While yeah, I believe low-level employees were probably dealt with compared to the high level, at the core, the issue still remains. This company has a lack of a Code of Conduct that is adhered to, and they clearly are hiring people who are far too arrogant.

I think capitalism might solve this. Companies that don't deal with this bullshit will create better products and will kill the companies that focus on genders and diversity.

 

[Clear]

I think capitalism might solve this. Companies that don't deal with this bullshit will create better products and will kill the companies that focus on genders and diversity.

Capitalism's solution is to outsource as much as possible to areas where labour is cost-efficient and the employees keep their mouths shut.

Its why unionization is never a realistic prospect.

 

[TheMay30thMan]

I can’t speak to the other stuff but if it’s a source that he’s emailing he’s pretty much required to not reveal who it is. He literally wouldn’t have a job if he did.

I don’t see how this is acceptable work ethic if he’s never had anyone vet his sources. He’s essentially saying “these people are real, trust me.”

I understand how some sources need anonymity, but that’s the only type of person he talks to. It’s fishy.

 

[Agent_Nobody]

I don’t see how this is acceptable work ethic if he’s never had anyone vet his sources. He’s essentially saying “these people are real, trust me.”

I understand how some sources need anonymity, but that’s the only type of person he talks to. It’s fishy.

Considering his editor would have to vet the stories otherwise they risk a libel lawsuit especially with an outlet like Bloomberg, it actually kinda checks out; if he’d been working on it for three years and had some info, but couldn’t get enough evidence for it, he can’t just go publish rumours not even if there’s multiple backers of the story, Rolling Stone already got in shit for that.

If your sources are a bunch of people under NDA’s as well as all your corroborating witnesses that might out who the original was if named, it would probably be a supremely hard slog to get anything like that published (at anywhere reputable anyways) till it was near air tight (in terms of sources). That’s why it would make sense that if he had the basis for a story it would release now, after the state of California filed a suit alleging the same things...then he’s kinda clear to present what he found since it’s an active story and the state feels like it has enough to prosecute over the same thing.

 

[Guileless]

Some Blizzard employee trying to get fired.

Check his tweeter bio by the way. HIM/THEY.

How does that even work? And why are all Blizzard employees male feminists with their gender in their profile? God damn. It makes a lot of sense now why Wow has been terrible for years.

What does Amy Chua have to do with anything? I'm confused.

 

[BadBurger]

I get what you are saying. I do agree structure and processes are needed and it looks like we do agree that does not mean people can be jerks.

Ya I know of the QA tester who wants to be a designer and keeps endlessly writing up feature requests instead of finding bugs. I also understand as a dev under constraints wanting to strangle the QA who keeps reporting bugs that are actually features as designed because they don't like the gameplay system. Been there too. I have plenty of "really QA?" stories myself but does not change my mind on being professional to them.

As for some parts more important than others, I still hold my ground and disagree. A game will face issues if one team think they are so important that they don't bother listening to any other teams. I have seen a team (team A) hold meetings regarding designs and tasks they require from another team (team B) and not even bothering to invite anyone from team B. Nevermind consulting team B about viability, risks and estimates, team B isn't informed of a thing at all from team A. Managers have to go scrambling to figure out what happened because team A missed their milestone. Then team B gets blamed for not knowing by team A. Ya, just no.

Structure and processes are valuable for sure. Although I would say my example above, it is team A who failed to follow the structure and processes in place to ensure tasks are done.

Back when I was a technical team lead I saw the kind of toxic environment that can be caused when certain teams assume they're somehow "better" than others, yea.

I was in charge if infrastructure, which meant the basic grind work of building and maintaining LAN/SAN/WAN and all that entails, but we also wrote all of our automation in house and developed numerous apps for various functions - including the much lauded "Enterprise Database" that allowed engineers in development-only groups to view their assets and all of the information they needed about them, pull performance reports, it tied into the databases used by backup and patching software so they could schedule automated tasks easily through it, etc.Through it they could also access our server or storage build apps, all they had to do was plug in their needs, if they wanted on-prem or cloud, check if they had the funding for it, and boom, twenty minutes later they had a new server(s) or blob or iSCSI storage or whatever and all of the billing and paper work was done. Etc. Work that typically would have had to be handled by several people over the course of a day or two across disparate systems was done in twenty minutes thanks to the programs we mere "IT workers" developed.

But they still viewed the engineers on the infrastructure team as "merely IT workers" - despite many of us having CS degrees ourselves, just not wanting to be programmers because we discovered we wanted roles that were more varied and complex (and many cases even paid more to boot - in fact at the enterprise level it is common to see "just IT workers" earning tens of thousands more than someone who only does software engineering unless they're in some kind of specialized role).

So it led to a lot of petty office politics, prima donna developers who thought way too highly of their skills thinking they should special treatment, etc.

It all came to head when we absorbed two other companies and shifted to a more cloud-focused, "leaner" means of pushing product/project development. A lot of people in my building lost their jobs out of redundancy or because after exhaustive review it was found that they just weren't that great at their jobs. Where did those job losses occur? 100% developers/programmers only and much of their middle management. No IT workers, no one from help desk, no one from operations in the data center. All devs.

So if you're a dev with a CS degree and think you're hot shit because you know some development techniques and several languages - remember that when the shit hits the fan, you're typically the most redundant and most easily outsourced or replaced - not the help desk people who can solve any call in minutes, or the IT guys that can write code just like you but also know the intricacies of the complex environment that exists between on-prem and cloud and all of the weird proprietary devices and software that actually keep a company functioning without problems.

I'll put it this way: when one is in a technical role and know they're good they don't brag, rather, they know that their accomplishments and work speak for them. If they truly think they're valued they don't attempt to demean the positions and roles of others just because maybe those roles aren't as esteemed as theirs. It's always the marks who boast the loudest and attempt to make others look lesser.

 

[Kenpachii]

It's that combined with some weird herd mentality of twitter people. Why would any self respecting adult boast about their fucking gender? Maybe add in your bio you also have hands and feet.

Welcome to twitter in real life.

The problem is if you don't join, u are the problem so u join.

 

[Kamina]

It's that combined with some weird herd mentality of twitter people. Why would any self respecting adult boast about their fucking gender? Maybe add in your bio you also have hands and feet.

Maybe i should add this...

He/Him
Twohander
Twofeeter
Twoballer

 

[StreetsofBeige]

It's that combined with some weird herd mentality of twitter people. Why would any self respecting adult boast about their fucking gender? Maybe add in your bio you also have hands and feet.

Maybe i should add this...

He/Him
Twohander
Twofeeter
Twoballer

One part low self esteem, one part looking for social media brownie points.

The oddest ones I see are guys stating He/Him and women stating She/Her in their Linkedin bios when they are cis males or females, married and some have kids.

So what are they doing? Telling the world they are cis straight people? Weird. I can understand some SJW kind of person telling the world they look like a guy but demand to be called She/Her, but what does a cis person in a traditional situation have to state it?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Back when I was a technical team lead I saw the kind of toxic environment that can be caused when certain teams assume they're somehow "better" than others, yea.

I was in charge if infrastructure, which meant the basic grind work of building and maintaining LAN/SAN/WAN and all that entails, but we also wrote all of our automation in house and developed numerous apps for various functions - including the much lauded "Enterprise Database" that allowed engineers in development-only groups to view their assets and all of the information they needed about them, pull performance reports, it tied into the databases used by backup and patching software so they could schedule automated tasks easily through it, etc.Through it they could also access our server or storage build apps, all they had to do was plug in their needs, if they wanted on-prem or cloud, check if they had the funding for it, and boom, twenty minutes later they had a new server(s) or blob or iSCSI storage or whatever and all of the billing and paper work was done. Etc. Work that typically would have had to be handled by several people over the course of a day or two across disparate systems was done in twenty minutes thanks to the programs we mere "IT workers" developed.

But they still viewed the engineers on the infrastructure team as "merely IT workers" - despite many of us having CS degrees ourselves, just not wanting to be programmers because we discovered we wanted roles that were more varied and complex (and many cases even paid more to boot - in fact at the enterprise level it is common to see "just IT workers" earning tens of thousands more than someone who only does software engineering unless they're in some kind of specialized role).

So it led to a lot of petty office politics, prima donna developers who thought way too highly of their skills thinking they should special treatment, etc.

It all came to head when we absorbed two other companies and shifted to a more cloud-focused, "leaner" means of pushing product/project development. A lot of people in my building lost their jobs out of redundancy or because after exhaustive review it was found that they just weren't that great at their jobs. Where did those job losses occur? 100% developers/programmers only and much of their middle management. No IT workers, no one from help desk, no one from operations in the data center. All devs.

So if you're a dev with a CS degree and think you're hot shit because you know some development techniques and several languages - remember that when the shit hits the fan, you're typically the most redundant and most easily outsourced or replaced - not the help desk people who can solve any call in minutes, or the IT guys that can write code just like you but also know the intricacies of the complex environment that exists between on-prem and cloud and all of the weird proprietary devices and software that actually keep a company functioning without problems.

I'll put it this way: when one is in a technical role and know they're good they don't brag, rather, they know that their accomplishments and work speak for them. If they truly think they're valued they don't attempt to demean the positions and roles of others just because maybe those roles aren't as esteemed as theirs. It's always the marks who boast the loudest and attempt to make others look lesser.

The front end office departments I'd say are different, but the Sales dept is ALWAYS the one that spearheads the image they are the hot shit team driving the company. And I get it. It's a front line job, the company doesn't survive without sales, but if there's one department that has highest chance of being blindsided with a me, me, me attitude it's Sales. Comes with the territory of being more outspoken and a "hunter" role. Most of other departments are support roles.

Of course without R&D making all this shit combined with marketing and other departments getting the product up and running, they have no products to sell or ship. But they never think of that for a second.

So for me, your example wouldn't relate because I've never seen or sat with the IT/Dev teams. My experience is help desk person or team that fixes data people. As long as things hum along fine, I have zero reason to contact them or understand their work.

But I'd say the pecking order of showmanship from what I see and work with with all depts I get involved with is this. I didnt put HR because at companies I've worked at they are invisible except for canned training your got to do and the occasional memo about benefit changes. They keep their noses into HR tasks.

Biggest ego
- Sales
- Marketing
- Finance
- Supply chain
- Warehouse
Lowest ego

However, I'd say the sale department's power is often more than others, but not by a lot. And the sales people are always the first to be fired when numbers dont come in. So as big as they feel, they are actually the weakest when it comes to keeping a job.

Maybe all that backend IT/dev stuff I dont see has tons of silos and tiers of power, but Id say in more traditional departments where all work together in some degree, the power rankings has to do more with your job rank than department rank. There's no way any sales person is going to bulldoze me in finance unless it's VP level bosses overriding me. And no marketing manager is going to boss around a supply chain director even though marketing is a department where they all try to get their 15 minutes of fame with brand memos and pointless filler meetings.

 

[nush]

but what does a cis person in a traditional situation have to state it?

The only time that would be useful is say you are working with someone over email and they have an unusual name, no damn idea if they are male or female. But if they had profile pictures you'd be able to work it out, BUUUUT there comes that time where they are all having kids and lots of their profile pictures get changed to a picture of a kid so at a glance it looks like you are professionally working with a bunch of preschoolers.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

The only time that would be useful is say you are working with someone over email and they have an unusual name, no damn idea if they are male or female. But if they had profile pictures you'd be able to work it out, BUUUUT there comes that time where they are all having kids and lots of their profile pictures get changed to a picture of a kid so at a glance it looks like you are professionally working with a bunch of preschoolers.

Not these people. Look like men and women. And have male and female names to match. It's so odd. I know some of these people well. One of these days I'll ask them.

 

[ManaByte]

Looks like someone at Kotaku got blocked and is mad:

 

[CGiRanger]

Not these people. Look like men and women. And have male and female names to match. It's so odd. I know some of these people well. One of these days I'll ask them.

They've been conditioned to do this in the name of "being a good ally"...

more like being in a cult if you ask me.

 

[nush]

Looks like someone at Kotaku got blocked and is mad:

I'll say it again, Activision is stacked with Bush related people.

 

[ManaByte]

Schreier posted his article about this:

Blizzard Turned Game Developers Into Rock Stars. Misbehavior Followed

Managers set the tone by hiring mostly men, stoking their egos and dating women in the company, current and former employees said.

www.bloomberg.com

One summer day in 2018, employees of the video game maker Blizzard Entertainment opened their email to find a brusque message from the chief executive officer, Mike Morhaime. It said the company parted ways with Ben Kilgore, the chief technology officer and Morhaime’s heir apparent. The email didn’t give a reason, but employees immediately began to gossip. Kilgore presided over the most notorious group of sexist drinkers at the Irvine, California, headquarters, where sexism and drinking were rampant, current and former employees said.

Shortly afterward, they got a supposed explanation during a large staff meeting. Derek Ingalls, now head of the technology department, was asked why his former boss had left. Ingalls told a brief story that concluded with a strange piece of advice: “Don’t sleep with your assistant. But if you’re going to sleep with your assistant, don’t stop.”

Some male employees began to see women at the conventions not just as customers but as groupies. One woman who worked there recalled a conversation in which one of Blizzard’s top executives told a group of his staff that young women—both fans and colleagues—saw them as superstars, and why shouldn’t they benefit sexually from that?

A byproduct of these changes was the release last year of Blizzard’s first bad game, Warcraft III: Reforged. It was the result of mismanagement and financial pressures from Activision, according to people who worked on the game. Developers on the project wrote in an internal postmortem reviewed by Bloomberg that they were suffering from “exhaustion, anxiety, depression and more,” mirroring some of the stories and complaints that followed in the lawsuit.

[...]

Activision Blizzard said it aims to preserve Blizzard’s “unique identity” while ensuring a safe and fair work environment. It recently awarded equity to every employee, the spokesman said.

However, a recent revision to the performance review system forces managers to give more frequent negative reviews, which will result in less generous bonuses and profit share for Blizzard employees, three people familiar with the change said. Several women said they fear this will give managers more opportunities to discriminate in conscious and unconscious ways—and that it will further empower the company’s supposed rock stars.

I just want to say fuck Schreier for the attempt at a hit piece on Morhaime. Seriously. FUCK HIM.

 

[Clear]

Looks like someone at Kotaku got blocked and is mad:

Brilliant strategy, muddying the waters of a labour dispute by turning it into moratorium on the political leanings of the executives. Like that has any currency in the eyes of the law!

Very interested to see how this pans out now that its gotten overtly political. Its kinda obvious that its activists driving the bus at this point making me wonder if Activision will be forced to go scorched earth in order to rid themselves of this disruptive element.

By which I mean relocating the studio, most likely to a red state.

 

[8bitpill]