Take This Calls for Industry and Player Support to Denounce Gamergate

Take This, a mental health organization in the gaming industry, urges players and industry leaders to denounce Gamergate and take action against harassment and toxic behavior in games.

Take This Calls for Industry and Player Support to Denounce Gamergate

In response to recent discussions surrounding the narrative consultation company, Sweet Baby Inc., Take This, a non-profit organization focused on mental health in the gaming industry, has called on both players and the industry at large to unequivocally denounce Gamergate.

Take This, established in 2014, describes itself as a comprehensive mental health organization tailored to the unique needs of the game development community. It boasts notable figures such as Bethesda Marketing VP Pete Hines, Ubisoft VP of Global Diversity & Inclusion Raashi Sikka, and PlayStation’s Head of Global Portfolio and Acquisitions Christian Svensson among its governing board members and officers.

The organization’s ties to the United States government are evident through its involvement in a Department of Homeland Security research project called ‘Disrupting Video Games-Based Radicalization Through Collaborative Cross-Sector Networks’ (DHS # EMW-2022-GR-00036). This project, in collaboration with the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism and anti-disinformation AI developer Logically, aims to develop a shared framework for understanding extremism in games. It also focuses on providing resources, training workshops, and capacity building to prevent and mitigate games-based extremism.

Addressing the Harassment Campaign Against Sweet Baby Inc.

Amidst the ongoing scrutiny of Sweet Baby Inc., Take This published a blog post on March 11th addressing the issue known as ‘Gamergate2.’ The post acknowledged the targeted harassment campaign against Sweet Baby Inc., its associated entities, journalists, and others connected to the targets. Take This positioned itself as a source of guidance and support for those affected by this campaign.

Discord, Steam, and X were identified as the primary platforms where abuse and harassment were taking place. The organization highlighted the circulation of lists targeting game studios, companies, and associated organizations within these spaces. Take This warned that these large-scale harassment campaigns were both fueled by and fuel political events, emphasizing the interrelated nature of these phenomena.

To mitigate the harm caused by the harassment campaign, Take This suggested individual actions such as reaching out to those targeted or their close connections to offer support. The organization also urged industry leaders to speak out and take a clear stance against the harassment. They emphasized that remaining silent or cautious would not be helpful, drawing on past experiences with Gamergate where hesitancy to address the hate and abuse allowed it to flourish and become normalized.

Taking Action Against Hate and Harassment

Take This concluded by stating that hate, harassment, and toxic behavior have no place in games. They called for direct and targeted action to protect talented individuals in the gaming industry and prevent further occurrences of harmful events.

It is important to note that the current framing of the backlash against Sweet Baby Inc. as a ‘large-scale harassment campaign’ is misleading. The so-called ‘harassment’ primarily consists of a Steam Curator List that tracks the company’s publicly credited works, a related Discord server, and general negative sentiment from players. The only call for direct action came from Sweet Baby Inc.’s own Chris Kindred, who urged his followers to falsely report the Steam Curator List and its creator’s account.

In light of these events, Take This is urging the gaming community and industry to come together and denounce Gamergate unequivocally, ensuring a safer and more inclusive environment for all players and developers.