Why Game and Tech Workers Are Organizing

Paris Marx is joined by Emma Kinema to discuss how workers are organizing in the video game and tech industries, the challenges faced by those workers, and the importance of organizing to improve workplaces, but also larger economic structures.

Emma Kinema is a former tech and games worker who is a Campaign Lead with the Communications Workers of America on the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees. She also co-founded Game Workers Unite. Follow Emma on Twitter as @EmmaKinema.

• Emma spoke about labor organizing in the video games industry at XOXO Festival.
• Paris wrote about why game workers are organizing in Australia, Canada, and France.
• In January 2020, GDC’s State of Games Industry report found 54% of game workers thought they should unionize.
• Workers at Riot Games walked out in May 2019. Workers at Blizzard Entertainment walked out in October 2019. Workers at Lovestruck went on strike and got an average raised of 78%.
• Rockstar’s co-founder said there were 100-hour weeks ahead of Red Dead Redemption 2. Bioware workers said “depression and anxiety are an epidemic” within the company. CD Projekt Red said there wouldn’t be crunch on Cyberpunk 2077, then enforced it anyway.

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• How IBM Workers Took On Racism and Apartheid w/ ann haeyoung
• Microsoft Wants to Dominate the Games Industry w/ Rob Zacny