Quiet Riot: A Cult Of Silence (The Jimquisition)

/ jimquisition
www.thejimquisi...
www.thejimpori...
There's a culture of silence in the game industry, which pairs "nicely" with the unquestioning loyalty some companies expect from their workers.
In the wake of Riot employees staging a walkout to protest suppressive forced arbitration, let's look at how abuse festers in an industry where the targets can't speak up.
Original Kotaku article: kotaku.com/ins...
#RiotGames #LeagueOfLegends #Unions #JimSterling #Jimquisition
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Twitter: / jimsterling
Facebook: / jimsterling0
Jim’s Big Ego (No Relation): bigego.com/
Bandcamp of the Sax Dragon - carlcatron.ban...
Nathan Hanover - / @nhsynthonicorchestra

[@PhilosophyTube]

Most anti-disparagement clauses only go one way too: former employees are barred from badmouthing the company but the company and the higher-ups still there can badmouth the former employee, publicly or privately, which can negatively impact their career.

[@jcdenton7891]

Philosophy Tube, pretty much.

[@nintendovirtualboywastakenfsr]

@@jcdenton7891And?

[@ERPainkiller]

"Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations." - George Orwell.

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

Journalism is rare nowdays..

[@quarreneverett4767]

I agree its rare

[@quarreneverett4767]

Presuming its being used the wayit needs to be not being used to feed bs and lies

[@greatlyreducedgameplay9939]

I heard jim sexually assaulted someone a while back how is no one talking about this

[@krebskreblin4012]

r/im14andthisisdeep

[@Samael1113]

My EA story, abridged, as it pertains to this subject in general (though less about overt sexism and assault). A studio I worked for hired a bunch of staff to support an upcoming release, the majority of which were given letters of intent to hire as full employees (others got very specific letters of intent to hire as contractors). First day of work arrives, deal is reneged and absolutely everyone, including those who moved from across the country to work this job on the promise of a full hire, has to sign as a temp contractor with the "promise of full employment over the next month so as not to overwhelm their small HR department". 2 months later, no update, no new hires. another month later, massive layoffs to about half those people. another 2 months later most of the rest are let go. Then "forced" (it was totally their choice) ex-employees to sign paperwork with implied carrot and stick approach. Everyone still working as "Temporary" help. The one exception. A kid who was not a pleasant person or a good worker, and who's sister was sleeping with a department head. He was the only actual day one full hire. The possible only mitigating factor to this illegal immoral shit show is that due to mismanagement and it being EA, within a year, the studio was basically cut to a skeleton crew and folded in to another studio.

[@MrXmoda]

yeahhh bullshit story put names on it

[@startide]

I wouldn't be surprised, I am an IT contractor and we eventually lost the contract we were working on to the benefit of a big indian company. They didn't have to manpower to do everything they "won" so they took a local IT company to fill in with experienced guys to handle the transition. Said company hired mostly junior, specifically for this contract. Since it was basically for a 6 months mission when the indian company was supposed to take 100% of the tasks the company fired eveybody. Since they were juniors they were still under "testing period", so they could be fired easily. Fucking pricks, that was so disgusting to watch !

[@darvender]

​@@MrXmoda Crap like this happens all the time in business, sounds plausible to me. Obviously the names are missing so they can actually get hired again.

[@gameworkerty]

@@MrXmoda this stuff happens every day my guy, I can personally attest

[@SangheiliSpecOp]

@laz kar nigga went full ea, never go full ea

[@123456gordon]

"Big fellow... his thing is that he's always angry" - Randy Pitchford.

[@Mr.Sparks.173]

Dont forget the hard on. Randy certainly doeant.

[@XSniper74184]

@@Mr.Sparks.173 that hard on he gets when he's banging Ironbull and they're just pounding it, and pounding it, and pounding it, and pounding it..?

[@squidracerX]

make t-shirts of this quote Jim!

[@RhysTuck]

Jim is the Hulk?

[@Peannlui]

@@XSniper74184 Very squirty play.

[@MattBooth]

Every industry should be unionised.

[@FateJHedgehog]

But I don't believe all workers should be required to be in a union to be in a given industry.

[@debbieparks356]

Skip the middle man, just sieze the means!

[@jackvac1918]

​@@FateJHedgehog Workers who aren't part of a union are essentially freeloading off union efforts, reaping the benefits while contributing nothing to fighting to get and maintain those rights while also being liabilities by weakening collective bargaining efforts.

[@FateJHedgehog]

@@jackvac1918 That's the unionized perspective on the matter. Coillective bargaining is in their best interests - though they would argue it were also in mine - and creating tiered benefits based on union membership would probably not hold up under scrutiny. I would entirely give them any "you don't work with us, you don't work here" tyranny they might impose on my potential employment knowing that. If I were to be a part of a worker's union, though, I'd rather do so because what benefits the union offers and expouses is actually enticing to me, not because I am required or obligated.

[@crosstie417]

@@jackvac1918 I've been in a union and I don't need them forcing my job to move overseas again.

[@TooMuchDad]

I’m convinced that Jim Sterling continues to do KZbin just so he can have an avenue to talk about his wrestling career and I’m all for it

[@rabiku9210]

It's just a matter of time till he starts challenging disgusting CEOs to fight him

[@TG-ge1oh]

@@rabiku9210 Here's to hoping!

[@danielkjellgren749]

Rabi that would be *amazing*

[@JimSterling]

For those asking about Sterdust: As has been explained on the show and on social media many times, Sterdust was *murdered* by Wes Warren in December of last year. Since then I have been managing/occasionally competing as Jim Sterling. However, due to recent events within Pro Wrestling Ego I've been working on something with yet more miles of spandex, a tease for which you can see on one of my hands in today's video.

[@MrPhange]

You lost weight and your next wrestle moniker will be Slim Jim You heard it here first

[@Romanticoutlaw]

those don't look like the Duke's gloves... :'(

[@rikkis4104]

If you ever wrestle in KY or IN let us know!

[@marti5420]

needs more spandex

[@TikkTikHive]

you look alot like Jim Cornete

[@howardmoon9926]

Jim, you're not unpopular. You stay true to what you believe and you don't waver and give in to shit gaming trends. That's real, my man. Keep doing what you're doing

[@Novasky2007]

Execute Order 66

[@enthusiasticnihilst1032]

Where's Vince?

[@howardmoon9926]

@@enthusiasticnihilst1032 With the Foxy man, most likely

[@JrystalTyaeli]

I think controversial is a better word. He makes a ton of patreon and his videos have decent viewership, same range as guys like Caddicarus, so there are eyes on the screen. He does like to rattle the cage so that's why he'll never be mainstream but then again being mainstream comes with so many caveats it's probably not worth it. Unless you like having PR and marketing departments tell you what to say do every second of your life.

[@Howtard]

Among people in the industry, was a caveat of what he said. No doubt that he's popular in general but he was being specific. Personally I'd like to believe you deliberately omitted that and this thread is nothing but game industry insiders dog-whistling their support to Jim.

[@njintau]

To all of the brave men and women working to unionize and fight back against greed and cruelty, I only have one word to say: rise! ✊

[@quarreneverett4767]

@Hunter Anderson ok lets do it

[@geraintthomas4343]

@ because a) funding, b)why should they? they're game developers not ceo's c) coops have a tendency to either be crushed by the larger companies or become just as ruthless to survive. c-2) that tendency aka the capitalist tendency towards monopoly is the actual reason that game design can become shit. Plummeting need to innovate and a greater need to dominate market share and squeeze out innovative competitors by sheer weight of capital.

[@nevertoooldgaming_Rave]

Forgot to mention not even a MONTH later, Acti-Blizz was hiring for the same exact positions they cut...Without allowing the FORMER employees first pass.

[@chaython]

They didn't want to give raises/ lower starting wage / the employees they let go were below expectations

[@wweltz]

Because they want to pay the new hires shit pay

[@jimgraves2229]

@@chaython maybe they didn't jokingly fart on them during crunch phase enough? Amazing how much shit people like you will eat to protect the highest paid individuals in the company.......somehow they dont get fired....

[@MasouShizuka]

Well yes because hiring interns instead of professional experienced employees is obviously the better bang for your buck. If the whales can't tell a good game and a shit one, then why have quality?

[@magisch430]

also at a lower level with about half the salary

[@ralphbarnes9335]

Keep airing the dirty laundry Jim. It's important to hear about this stuff.

[@squidracerX]

Its crazy to me that forced arbitration could possibly be legal in the USA. The whole point is that theoretically "the system is supposed to work", which means the forefathers wanted every person to go through the system. Horrible criminals cant be denied their day in court. But a Riot employee? its refusing you a right because you work somewhere... And who would possibly know to look for that on hire? No one goes into a job thinking about taking that employer to court - its like if the lights go out and you grab a flashlight, and they run into your office; "no, you signed your right of flashlight use away when we hired you", and you had to put the flashlight down.

[@SiilkLone]

Almost as important as thanking god for Jim

[@TheSorrel]

@@squidracerX In Germany we have have that thing called "Sittenwidrigkeit", which means "conflict of social norms". Basically, it means that you can't just put shit in your contract and expect it to work in court. It also works for job interviews. When you're a woman and you're asked in an interview if you want to build a family in the upcoming years, you can just lie since an employer is not supposed to ask that.

[@grubbybum3614]

Mum, that man cackling at the start of the video is scaring me!!

[@grubbybum3614]

Sounds like mansplaining tbh.

[@themetalone7739]

If a union is created, how much you wanna bet that AAA companies will use that to justify shitty business practices? "We need these microtransactions in our game so we can pay our employees for all this overtime!" --Some game company, in the near future

[@georgekostaras]

The Metal One they’re already taking everything without unionized workforce’s. That’s like saying if Hitler kills a few million more people he’ll chill out

[@lemeres2478]

Yes, but they use that excuse anyway, so you might as well get less people screwed over.

[@Wriph]

They will most certainly do that. Companies with unions always do that to try and make their customers hate unions.

[@the_frozen_tortoise]

I doubt that. They already make excuses for using micro transactions. This will be the case where they argue games shouldn't cost $60 anymore.

[@owciii]

@@the_frozen_tortoise you mean the "base entry fee" to games shouldn't be $60 because let's be honest, $60 doesn't buy full games from places like EA, Activision, Konami, and others. $60 is the entry fee into the "games as a service".

[@sirkowski]

>Call employees rioters >Employees riot >pikachu.jpg

[@dustyyyyyyyy7]

Perfect xD

[@YourRealBestFriend]

holy shit, I used to eat up your work on Newgrounds. Are you still sharing work on anywhere?

[@HoChiMints2007]

Yoo it's Ms Dynamite's creator! love your shit man

[@kainhighwind2]

Oh god, Ms Dynamite! So much nostalgia from me!

[@TheRogueWolf]

Developers: "We'll force you to sign a legally-binding contract to where you can't tell anyone how badly we treat you. Also, you can't sue us; you have to go through an arbitration company that we pay, and so will be inherently biased towards us. If you don't like this, you can quit, but then you'll never get another job in this industry again." Gamers: "WHO CARES I JUST WANT STUPID CORRIDOR SHOOTER 3 ALREADY"

[@alroth1035]

For the record, this video was taken down from the League of Legends subreddit because apparently talking about Riot's shady practices is a violation to their guidelines.

[@brothermaleuspraetor9505]

awwwwh poor Riot games. Nawwww how awful for them! To have the public in uproar of their shitty scummy tactics, poor Riot games :(

[@Avrysatos]

@@brothermaleuspraetor9505 We should all play tiny violins for them

[@eonnephilim852]

@@brothermaleuspraetor9505 The devs seem awesome, and highly appreciative of the player base. The higer ups creep me out a bit tho.

[@moosemaimer]

The last place I worked was bought by a company that was so keen on us not finding out the terms of arbitration, it was only referenced as a long, garbled link. In a paper document we were expected to sign. I typed out the link and sent a copy of the document to everyone on my team. Within a year three of the five people on the team had quit, and we were far from the only ones.

[@RhysTuck]

They can prevent employees from suing them? How is that possible? Oh yeah, AMERICA

[@quarreneverett4767]

They can try

[@fawnieee]

@@quarreneverett4767 try and win, inevitably

[@peterclarke7240]

At least 18 reasons why people in the industry don't like him sterling? More like 1. ...they don't like the fact jim is right about their motives, practices and behaviour. End of.

[@lilithgalac5102]

As an Australian, it genuinely infuriates me that America has indoctrinated it's people into thinking unions are bad things. I had an argument with an American friend a while back, and he said that 'Unions don't do anything, they just make things hard for managers and stop work happening', completely ignoring the fact that they only stop work happening during strike action, and only make things hard for the managers when they make things hard for their workers! I'm not going to deny that some unions become corrupt. That's not good, and should be regulated. But oh my god would you rather be working in a cage for a hundred hours a week? That's where we'd be, without unions. I guess at least we got rid of the cages.

[@chaython]

If people don't like their job they can quit Most people hate unions because strikes are often several months a year. That's usually several unpaid months in order to earn some privileges not worth the loss of wages

[@lilithgalac5102]

@@chaython You mean privileges like better pay, better conditions, not being fired unfairly, not having to work a hundred hours a week, better insurance, and protection against unfair dismissal? Also, 'if you don't like it quit' is the kind of thing someone without a job, or someone who's never had trouble getting a job would say. My partner's been trying to get a job for months with no results. I doubt she'd just quit if she had bad conditions. She'd join the fucking union, and get their help improving those conditions.

[@geraintthomas4343]

@@chaython 1) No, they can't. At the very least they need somewhere to go to first because if you quit you don't qualify for social security. Quiting without any means to pay food, rent etc is potentially committing suicide. 2) Strikes of that scale are rare, and are usually a result of something massive, like a fight to keep jobs (see the RMT strikes right now over removing train guards, they're massive but rarely longer than a month). "Often", where did you hear such pig-swill?? I'm guessing the Daily Heil or Fox myself

[@simonjohnston9488]

@@chaython So did you ever bother to find out how comically unrelated to reality your take on unions is?

[@simonjohnston9488]

@@chaython You think Atlas Shrugged is a documentary, don't you toff.

[@tapman1277]

As a union tradesman, who has worked for many pricks in my life prior, I genuinely hope these folks muster up the strength to unionize.

[@tapman1277]

@Hunter Anderson The major ones (teacher's unions, UAW, etc) that you hear about in the media perhaps, but by and large this isn't the case.

[@Asguard82]

Hunter Anderson “what have the unions ever done for us” 🙄

[@Avrysatos]

yeah the union wasn't the greatest thing since sliced bread for my stepfather but it sure as hell was better than the company would have done without their intervention. Unions are like anti-depressants though. When they work a lot of people can't seem to realize what good they're doing, but when they're gone everyone realizes they were keeping the problem from being as bad.

[@crepituss9381]

I work in IT. No one wants to unionize because they think they're better than everyone else and that the union will pull them down or prop up someone else that doesn't deserve it. Go read about unions on any tech site and you will see the same trash. Lots of arrogant pricks getting milked by their corporate masters because they don't play well with others.

[@NIGonzo]

The place where I work voted to strike earlier this year. My salary went up about £3k. Hell yeah!

[@Whiskeey666]

jim, you do realise that with introducing granny sterling, you have to have her in future episodes...

[@0hgre]

all that wisdom... hope she returns.

[@gozzilla177]

This is the 2nd granny has appeared that I can recall. But I don't remember the episode name before this sadly...

[@onyxgrnr666]

Amazon is literally the same thing so much so that my coworker who used to work there is scared shitless about ever talking ill about amazon even in her every day life

[@squidracerX]

I'm glad we are getting all of this attention on the games industry side lately, but its weird that it seems like many people act like this is the only industry doing this? Maybe its because my KZbin is full of "game channels" that I subscribe to that it just gets focused on more? (Don't get me wrong - each of these stories are important - very important - and no one should work 70 hours a week - we work to live, not live to work), but to me hearing all of these conditions like they are a "surprise"? No, this has been going on across the board for as long as Ive been alive. NOT diminishing whats happening now at Riot or Epic - but yeah Amazon is no better; just saying its surprising that more people weren't already clearly aware of this shit, of evil corporations and worker abuse FOR YEARS. Our labor practices are still terrible - man have you ever met a fast food restaurant manager? I guarantee they work more hours and are paid way less than 99% of most salaried employees you know. This isn't a new issue, or as Jim points out with the airlines - this isn't unique to one industry at all... - from the ball tapping, to farts in your face, to sexual harassment, to forced long hours, to being completely anti-union, etc etc etc -- Ive worked at and know of so many places that this is just "how it is". That sucks, and is just plain sad.. Ive seen some real deal bullshit from presidents of billion dollar companies... I think the American workforce as a whole might need a little kickstart. Weren't we all paying attention when teachers were having their union ripped away in Wisconsin by Scott Walker a few years back? Teachers going on strike around the country but in many cases those teachers are basically getting nothing from it (oh a 1% raise!). I hope the games industry changes - but my point is that it seems like this is a bigger problem/issue. Its endemic to our society right now. Not belittling the game industries' fight or plight if thats how its coming off - I'm just saying that literally governors, congressmen, and presidents know this is an issue across the board, and they are doing more harm than good about it.... Ali Baba's Jack Ma is out there publicly praising 72 hour work weeks as a blessing even though under Chinese law thats illegal. if someone with power WANTED to do something about this - they would. At least some states like California have some better protections in place (overtime over 8 hours on ANY day, not the 40 hours week shit most of us get - but that doesn't help salaried employees I dont think??), NYC just passed a rule that you have to give 40 hours paid sick time - but the rest on NY state hasn't followed suit - and that just seems like a basic human right - dont come to work sick!!! And Ive seen some companies pay their salary employees overtime if they hit over like 45-50 hours a week. That's rare but should just be a law in my eyes. We saw Obama try to pass a law that made salary employees at least make $50K if they are allowed to be abused like this - but even that was shot down by the right. i am very unhappy/depressed/disheartened by American labor laws in most states. Its echoed down to the roots of this country - big corporations come in, put mom and pop places out that you could at least say were respectable jobs/ownership positions even if they didn't pay a lot. Local business and restaurants etc go away replaced by franchises. The minimum wage worker says "i worked a hard 40 hours, id just like to be able to pay my rent and get off food stamps please" - and the result is a thundering; "Your job is for high school kids F U", from most of America. Well how is Dunking Donuts open at 10am then jackass? Its an adult job, pay the person. You wouldn't belittle the guy who owned the local coffee shop before, why now then the person who has no other options but wear a uniform and work for a mega rich corporation? Shouldn't Dunkin Donuts be proud of its employees? We look down on labor. Fact. So hopefully one industry can turn it around and then we can use that as a template for other professions/labor laws...

[@ShiftTheMatrixGaming]

Don't worry more attention will go beyond gaming soon enough mainstream companies owned by the rich will go down this I know.

[@TheLegoJungle]

Thank you Jim for the work you do. Your Jimquisitions are easy to follow, have a good mix of info & comedy and are a consistently good way to keep up with the industry. I love tuning in every Monday.

[@mistformsquirrel]

"It shouldn't have to be this way" That's true of so, so, so many things Jim, so many. We live in an era of "It shouldn't have to be this way". And you know what? Long term I don't think it is going to stay this way. It can't. This is an unsustainable way of living - not just in the usual environmental sense of the term, but psychologically. We just have to keep shining lights on abuses, speaking up, voting - both with our wallets and at the polls, and not give up.

[@Blazah99]

cant wait for the industry to get unionized, its been needing it for a long long LONG time.

[@Ctuchik]

It's never going to happen. Not as long as the industry holds all the power.

[@deadpilled2942]

@@Ctuchik I have to agree. Even if you get a union, no guarantee you'll be doing anymore than paying union dues.

[@chloesdada1]

It'll never happen

[@subatomicseal7789]

@@chloesdada1 So what, we should just accept the shit being thrown at us and not even *try* to change it?

[@DrewUniverse]

We just need a better option. Unless someone finds one hell of a legal loophole, a high-risk union movement is all you have. And, not that I have a solution for this either, but the situation is mainly here thanks to unfair capitalism in general. One way or another, it's all about bargaining your right to live in exchange for telling you what to do with 1/3 to 2/3 of your life while you sleep the remaining third - or less, more realistically for most people.

[@martianmatt82]

I love this weird reality where Jim literally fell into pro wrestling

[@suddenllybah]

Hey, if Dusty Rhodes did it, Jim Sterling can. .... and what do you know, both of those things are true.

[@countesschewi2399]

To pull the old "compare this situation to a piece of media" comparison, the mantra of trust just makes me think of Dutch. You just gotta have faith, employees. Also, I loved the union response to the Delta Airlines poster. "A GUILLOTINE ONLY COSTS $1,200 TO BUILD"

[@randyozaeta1026]

Just looked it up now thats gold :) its not that i want guillotines, its that captialism is just as broken as all the past systems that has lead to guillotines maybe we should try a new system before having to resort to bloodshed would be nice :)

[@bloodlustshiva1]

The union response doesn't make any sense to me... okay, so it costs that much to make. Then what? Is it a threat towards Delta to kill the people who made the anti-union ad? That seems a little extreme.

[@randyozaeta1026]

@@bloodlustshiva1 it the same idea, in the sense that the captialist wants the union to die, the union wants the captialist to die, id pefer if niether existed as both are problems due to captialism being broken and not working for the workers :) In this case the captialist is more subtle in its attempt to prevent and destroy the union where as the union is a bit more blatant, but for some it has gotten that bad so its also could be the union being in touch with the desparate worker :P

[@RAFMnBgaming]

Nonsense, I could make you one for at least under 2 grand.

[@JohnZ117]

@@bloodlustshiva1 The guillotine is symbolic of the overthrow of the oppressive aristocracy during the French Revolution. It is also a warning of what may happen if modern day aristocrats treat the lower class too poorly.

[@deltanoble32]

Riot should take a page out of Bethesda’s book and just offer their employees 500 free RP

[@EminemLovesGrapes]

It's the least they can do. What are employees going to do, strike? I don't think so. Either do something about it or suck it up and crunch.

[@demsterclippy4252]

its far from enough

[@williamhart5230]

*slow clap*

[@ZionSairin]

Man, 500 RP can’t even get you a skin that disguises Blitzcrank as a lawyer.

[@jcnot9712]

qwertyman 500 lol That’s barely more RP than you get for just creating an account

[@penguinsentinel8508]

Proud member of the GMB Union here. The workplace is safer and better for the workers when you have a Trade Union.

[@greatlyreducedgameplay9939]

Christopher Evans labour voter?

[@penguinsentinel8508]

​@@greatlyreducedgameplay9939 Voted Green for the local MEP, though I don't think that matters.

[@greatlyreducedgameplay9939]

Christopher Evans just wondered if you are voting smart tbh greens a good choice thumbs up I would say UKIP or brexit party are better but certainly a close 3rd

[@geraintthomas4343]

@@greatlyreducedgameplay9939 Socialist myself (also GMB member), could never vote for tories in disguise (UKIP's assembly leader Neil hamilton's a prime example: thrown out of the tory party for being too corupt, *for the tories*) especially given the newest raft of anti-union laws.

[@DisDatK9]

I just want to say I think it’s fucking great that you’re still wrestling. I’m sure it’s helping your fitness and illness as well as being able to do what you do best, create entertainment. Keep being awesome man, I genuinely enjoy your content.

[@adammurray6015]

What's his illness?

[@jasonbrody6706]

Adam Murray probably back pain, Although I doubt that this helps him with that.

[@KingHarambe_RIP]

@@jasonbrody6706 You'd be surprised. He's stated that a lot of his chronic pain has gone down since he routinely began wrestling, including his back pain. The exercise and the sheer joy wrestling has brought him has been doing wonders for his health.

[@mutinyontheark]

I do feel bad for those kids who are in some high school gymnasium watching the big scary man simulate a mental breakdown though

[@DisDatK9]

@@adammurray6015 he hasn't dove specifically into it, but there are frequent bouts when he talks about how sick he is. Chronic illness is a pretty common trait of obesity.

[@TheRealColBosch]

"Mantra of Trust" sounds a whole lot like "Power of Yes" to me.

[@CidGuerreiro1234]

We trust our employees to always say yes, 'cause they trust us into firing them otherwise.

[@bluenova123]

@@CidGuerreiro1234 Then proceed to ensure that no one will ever hire them again.

[@kastaway-mtx]

Or the power of having no balls. If you don't like your job, leave bro.

[@kastaway-mtx]

or maybe having the companies do a thorough background check to make sure the individual doesn't hate working and has a decent history. Maybe having somesort of a standard would prevent shit like this from happening.

[@bluenova123]

@@kastaway-mtx Yes exactly maybe some sort of social credit score. Those with poor social credit scores will be barred from holding certain positions, having any sort of job, and receiving welfare depending on how poor of course. Of course a person's credit score would be harmed if they were to disrupt society such as trying to discredit an individual with a higher credit score such as a CEO of a major company. Also we know that the illustrious government which always has the best interest of the people at heart would give such a CEO the highest level of social credit in this new system automatically. It is common knowledge that those with such credit scores would never tell a lie, and shame on all of those and their extended families who would try to destroy such a illustrious pillar of our society. Nothing could possibly go wrong with such a system.

[@mygaffer]

I love that we get these little glimpses into Jim's wrestling career.

[@amiablereaper]

I don't know what his signature move is, but I wanna see Bobby kotick get hit by it.

[@galloviking4766]

That Akali skin story and her design artist getting fired while Riot made hundreds of millions really opened my eyes.

[@amiablereaper]

Idk how many yt people were on Tumblr, but kda akali was a fucking art Phenomenon....but when that story broke, it all ground to a halt. You'd be hard pressed to find her on there now.

[@Atrosoni]

@@amiablereaper Does anyone even Tumblr anymore?

[@Viss_Valdyr]

@@Atrosoni without the Pr0n? Barely

[@WTFisTingispingis]

That _infuriated_ me.

[@bloodmachine6049]

It's honnestly unacceptable that non-disparagement clauses are legal.

[@Uriel238]

They aren't. But the legality of it only becomes a legal matter when someone is sued for it, and the defendant uses it as a defense. But so far courts have maintained that non-disparagement is a violation of first amendment rights. I can't speak for situations in which the suit is resolved in arbitration. And even in the courts, it's a can-beat-the-rap-but-not-the-ride situation.

[@Uriel238]

​@honda driver Muppets who wear crystals? Whatever do you mean?

[@rickfeith6372]

I hate when comments are deleted...and yes, these fucking gag orders are downright disgusting.

[@fallingdream]

"non-disparagement clause" is pretty damning evidence that these people know exactly how toxic their companies are. They have the resources to easily litigate slander/libel by former employees, so the only possible reason for a "non-disparagement clause" is to chill legitimate complaint, and you only include something like that if you know people have something to complain about.

[@Avrysatos]

is something like that actually legal?

[@fallingdream]

@@Avrysatos I was kinda hoping someone with more legal chops would field this but basically what you'll find is the clause itself doesn't prohibit legitimate complaint, it'll basically just say (in legalese) "you can't diss us for no reason" which is gratuitous but arguably legal. The chilling effect comes from the implied threat that any complaints at all will be punished. They're not outright saying legitimate complaints will be punished, but the subtext is if you don't have 100% ironclad evidence they're going to maul you like a pack of rabid dogs.

[@Jupiter065]

League of Legend's awful player culture makes more sense now, apparently it trickled down from the studio's culture. Like piss.

[@meneither3834]

Fck you too !

[@dynostretch9215]

I remember one of the jobs i used to work for making us watch a video on the threat of unionization. The video was practically depicting unions as muggers or molesters, without making a reasonable argument against them other then they just want our money. This from a company who wanted me to pay 100 a month for insurance that didn't cover a single damn thing, which i learned after i caught a MRSA infection on the job. If anything, that video made me more invested in the company getting unionized.

[@ArchmageOfAnarchy]

The only crunch I need at work is Captain Crunch.

[@allihavearepasta-basedthou2890]

Never thought I'd live to see the day when someone doesn't love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

[@ArchmageOfAnarchy]

@@allihavearepasta-basedthou2890 I live in the UK, I have to import US cereal, and when I decided to try the Cap'n, holy goddamn.

[@DoctorSquirt]

@@ArchmageOfAnarchy what kind of cereal do you guys have over there? Or has it not been invented yet¿

[@Reoko77]

@@allihavearepasta-basedthou2890 The man is blind to the taste.

[@ArchmageOfAnarchy]

We have a cereal that's got chocolate stuff inside, one thats cookies but awful, and about 50% of what Kelloggs make, and thats it.

[@LiftVacuum]

Good on you for making it to #16 on Gaming Trending, as of reading this! You, and your personas lighten up my day, daily. Thank you for not compromising for anything, and bringing us content worth watching.

[@wokeupinapanic]

Thanks for addressing the Delta thing at the end. I had honestly forgotten about it until you brought it up again (hurray constant bombardment news cycle?) and reminded me that I won’t ever do business with them again. 👍👍👍

[@derekisazombie39]

Forced arbitration is part of a lot of corporations not just the game industry. In this new era of “accountability”, All of them should be held to the same standard as the rest of us.

[@bfrehksdhf]

True but nothing is going to change until people find their balls again and stand up for themselves. Nobody else is going to do it for you.

[@TheWizel]

Unions prefer ADR (arbitration falls into this) to courts already despite usually being satisfactory for members.

[@theguardian8317]

Almost no one realises that by instaling your favourite triple a game, Windows 10 or using some service most likely you're automatically accepting some agreement where you're forfeiting the right to participate in lawsuits (including class action lawsuits) and instead resort to arbitration if the situation would arise.

[@theguardian8317]

@@bfrehksdhf sure... As if kids were going ever to stop buying DLCs, pre-ordering, paying for micro transactions, buying trash games or paying to see terrible disney/transformers/superhero movies.

[@bfrehksdhf]

@@theguardian8317People need to stop using that as an excuse from taking responsible action in their lives. "Jim Bob is a lazy sloth so why should I do anything?". Time to realize that Jim Bob is the majority and that the majority doesn't decide anything. That's why they are the majority! Gotta get real and realize we're Neo-Romans living in a decaying empire, and time for people to look after themselves and their own.

[@Nionivek]

Interestingly enough even if you quit or are fired for reasons that demonstrably put you in the right... It has been known to still make you unemployable because no company wants to take a risk of someone who rocked the boat. I am reminded of what happened at Wilfred Larier University where a TA there was harassed by both faculty and students and even though she is in the right (to such an extent that she is suing them and the question isn't "Will she win?" so much as "How much money will she get?") she has been unable to get a job in the same field.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Got an article about it?

[@NeroArisato]

Real games like Call of Duty..... Lmao i can't stop laughing.

[@Chill_Vibes186]

You hear about bo5 it's going to be a night mear

[@ManoredRed]

CoD is beginner level gaming.

[@toaster9922]

real games like Bookworm Adventures 3D

[@iwiffitthitotonacc4673]

@@ManoredRedCoD is essentially instagib for all intents and purposes, 3 bullets with an assault rifle/one sniper shot and you die - it's not based on skill but who sees the other first. There's a reason instagib is considered a noob gamemode in Quake.

[@ThrottleKitty]

Funny, as I consider people who only play CoD to be "not real gamers". I'm surprised they don't go by how many fifa packs you've opened.

[@weakboson7813]

YES! Workers rights! Unionize! Jim Sterling is awesome.

[@Jon_the_Wizard]

There's a webcomic called The Trenches (made by the Penny Arcade guys) that has loads of anonymous stories about working in the games industry. I don't know if they still do it, but it paints quite the vivid picture of the games industry that we're starting to see more and more these days. Also, fuck you, Delta.

[@Rebazar]

Made even more ironic by how most of the recent series by the PA guys are produced by anonymous rank and file employees who work under arguably adverse conditions themselves

[@KyleRichter34]

Just checked it out, seems the last post there was in 2015. Thank you though, i look forward to reading through the archives of the comic series.

[@ReviewShark]

I will never get tired of seeing Jim in the wrestling ring. He's just so over the top, it's perfect.

[@DammitSinged]

_Gotta say Jim you took that loss quite well._

[@gingergamergirl98]

DammitSinged Omfg you made me snort laugh like a pig lol

[@GlasgowMick89]

Hope you weren't drinking anything during, because that shit hurts. Did it with whiskey once...

[@gingergamergirl98]

Glasgow Mick89 No, I wasn’t drinking anything haha. Damn, did whiskey come out of your nose? That must’ve burned like hell

[@GlasgowMick89]

Yep, couldn't swallow, couldn't breath till the burning slowed down. It was an experience \o/ . For me, it happened with a strong sneeze.

[@gingergamergirl98]

Glasgow Mick89 Worst sneeze you ever had, I presume? My nose hurts just thinking about it lol

[@dreammfyre]

God, the mainstream video game industry is such an absolute dumpster fire. I just want it to crash completely and be rebuilt at this point.

[@Axetwin]

As long as the gaming community remains the same, nothing will change.

[@MasoTrumoi]

We can rebuild it. We have the technology. We can make it stronger, smarter, more supportive.

[@elfomarcio]

right on comrade!

[@exantiuse497]

I gave up on it years ago, I think the Creation Club (aka paid mods) for Fallout 4 and Skyrim was the last straw for me. I've been playing indies, AAs and old games and believe me, it's so relieving to not have to deal with the bs that the AAA gaming industry is so full of

[@joeymalaria4702]

That’s what the second amendment is for

[@Valdrake]

I love this bringing more awareness to unions and the help they can do. I worked for Best buy for years, and i remember two times we were all forced to attend a meeting where in the meeting they painted this horrific picture on "Unions" they said things like "If we were to unionize you can't talk to your boss the way you do now. your boss can't be your friend" and they did everything they could to basically say "If you try to request a Union, we cant say you'll get fired, but you wont have a job" Then the next few years (as the company started to (this was back in 2010 or so) tanked I watched with glee) but I remember the management would basically Praise "Brian Dunn" as they slowly made life miserable for all the workers there. We were told several times "You're all replaceable" and weither this was true or not after being told it several times in a year, I started to think my life was replaceable itself. I became highly suicidal and felt like i had no hope to live for. Especially after working a nearly 24hr shift without getting paid over time.

[@sebastiankrant2738]

That is quite horrifying. I mean, I knew shit happened/partially still happens in retail around here, but that got at least more or less stomped a few years ago. Plus they had to be way subtler around here due to legal requirements. I hope your mental situation (and financial of course) improved from that and you healed.

[@sebastiankrant2738]

Though just to clarify the situation in retail is just very slightly better in case of big supermarkets. Slightly, because unemployment benefits are at least halfway stable around here, so the threat of losing ones job is not a light one, but better than in some regions.

[@Valdrake]

​@@sebastiankrant2738 Thanks, My mental state has greatly improved, and I no longer let those thoughts have a hold upon me. Its funny, this is the first time i've ever told this and i feel a great weight off my shoulders.

[@sebastiankrant2738]

@@Valdrake Well, I am very happy for you and hope that said trend (both your personal one and the push against the practices that caused your own problems to begin with) continues. Have a nice day/night.

[@user-zs5ub1ic1v]

Wow, Riot is almost as toxic as League of Legends Tryhards, who knew!?

[@elliegray8184]

I refuse to believe that is a coincidence. How can you fix a toxicity problem in your game when the people in charge don't believe it is a problem?

[@blstar_]

Need a mod for wwe2k with Jim as a character now!

[@RoVirus]

Doesn't that have a character creator?

[@falsetitle6940]

@@RoVirus It does.

[@pyrojinn]

Even if WWE had a character creator, how can it portray Jim’s greatness? That’s borderline impossible!

[@KnownAsKenji]

It's a fairly big character creator, it tends to do the job alright. The voice lines though... ughhhh... yeah we could do for a mod that puts in Jim/Sterdust quotes and changes the text, though it would be a good bit of effort to make.

[@CommieApe]

@Trevak D'hal Jim would win that easy. Wings and Boogie will just beg for money.

[@s.sradon9782]

What if Jim starts a trade union? He would forever be regarded as jesus of the game industry.

[@JordanMilly]

Critical support to Comrade Chairman Sterling!

[@s.sradon9782]

@@JordanMilly comrade sterling does not include so much red in his videos for nothing.

[@comingupooo]

Chairman Jim will bring about a revolution in the games industry...one specifically about the culture...

[@jotabeas22]

Why stop there? Our Commisar Jim Sterling will seize the means of game development! Down with cAAApitalism!

[@ShiftTheMatrixGaming]

Jim for president? As long as he doesn't go extreme left or right lol. Nah he would do better doing things like this

[@wargamingrefugee9065]

@15:26 RE: Jim's Epilogue In other words, never treating human beings as means to an end remains a good moral guideline.

[@FulloutPostal]

except corporations don't have morals...

[@Wriph]

As someone who recently came off a strike, unions really can be invaluable if they are run well.

[@DeathStarKitty]

Unfortunately, people in general are fine with slave labor producing the things they want. Every supply chain begins with exploited workers.

[@chaython]

If they don't like their job they can quit; why should the consumer care

[@SpoopySquid]

@@chaython congratulations on proving OP's point, you scab

[@johnrome4657]

@@chaython How does that boot taste?

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

For the price of one Switch a year, you too can have actual rights in the workforce!

[@chaython]

Or don't work for a company; make your own.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

@@chaython Just make sure to give your employees rights and stuff, or you'll be the bad guy!

[@markcobuzzi826]

I don’t know... last time I checked, people adamantly refused to give up just Red Dead Redemption 2, even if it meant stopping the endless rampage of ManBearPig.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

@Chaython Meredith Also, making a company is not always easy, or financially viable, or even remotely possible, hence why we should work to make the companies we have better, however we are able to.

[@RhysTuck]

@@chaython Yeah, like everyone is capable of that 🙄

[@jarydfarah2]

Good work on the weight loss Jim… I have been watching your videos since 2014 and the change is truly amazing! Well done.

[@jessewalker8854]

Explains why riot bans the people who respond to toxicity rather than those who initiate it. The fish rots from the head down

[@chaosextreme1561]

Good ban them their ass sjw & woke ruin our industry anyway

[@comingupooo]

@@chaosextreme1561 You seem well-adjusted.

[@Luminethereploid]

@@chaosextreme1561 "Our" industry? It has never been your industry, dumbass lol

[@jotabeas22]

@@chaosextreme1561 What a fucking pathetic failure you are, my dear.

[@AloisWeimar]

CHAOS EXTREME what a GenZ whine-lord you are

[@ChivalrousSnake]

Gotta say, based on that clip alone, (and certainly not the other's I've seen of your heel work) I'd absolutely be rooting for Sterdust, and all of his well-adjusted shenanigans.

[@jolynekujobackfromprison744]

The man knows how to play a villain.

[@marlonyo]

is bad when people are roooting for the heel

[@jolynekujobackfromprison744]

@@marlonyo Not at all if the heel is good. It is like rooting for Dio.

[@bemersonbakebarmen]

Workers without Unions are always in danger of becoming slaves. God bless the land of the "free".

[@chaython]

It's a free country because you can quit the job and start your own company

[@TheKingOfSlimeBaby]

@@chaython HAHAHAHAHAHHAHHA oh man that was a fun joke.

[@discountchocolate4577]

@@chaython That freedom is useless for people who lack the capital necessary to start a company. @Артём Заец is correct.

[@Rebazar]

More than an American problem, although certainly of chief importance there

[@KuroNoTenno]

@@chaython Will you personally give them money to start one?

[@TotalCowage]

Added this to the Boglin Central Reddit; copying it here for anyone interested in why Riot are pushing so hard for Arbitration: The background; I worked for Electronic Arts on Ultima Online for a little while as an Event Manager. My NDA there forbade me to even mention I worked for them until 3 years after I left employment. I used the spare money from that to fund the so-called "spiritual successor" to Ultima, "Shroud of the Avatar". Criticism of that projects deceptive and outright abhorrent practices led to another backer (possibly one of the ones who I’d previously ran into as one of the sociopathic griefers in UO) going on an insane 3 years+ campaign of stalking and harassment, to the point that he copied me into his communication with the developers telling them they had to remove my accounts otherwise he’d "Harass him until he goes insane". Which they did. Which begins the Arbitration process as per the EULA with a lawyer by my side… Why Does Arbitration Exist? The US legal system is stupidly expensive. I was warned that going to Federal Court would cost thousands of dollars an hour. Arbitration exists in theory to offer a cheaper, although a lot slower process for two willing parties to try and resolve the issue without risk of bankrupting themselves. They provide their own evidence, thus no court fees to get it. Individuals against businesses only pay $200, with the Businesses paying $4700, with all fees being refunded if the case can’t proceed or if you win. It also allows people to address smaller issues; in order to go to Federal, you need to be able to claim $75,000 minimum in damages, which can be hard to honestly argue for things like stalking, where the damages are emotional. This incidentally is why David Unsworth, who is suing Elon Musk for defamation, is also claiming that amount. It’s not that he wants that money. He couldn’t sue if he didn’t claim it. So It’s A Good Thing To Go To Arbitration Then? Maybe, but this isn’t why the Gaming Industry loves it. The first problem is that you can claim anything at all in your EULA and so far, there isn’t strong enough case law to hold them to account for it. You can just bluff and try and scare people away with legalese they’ve probably never even read, and get away with it most of the time. My legal advice was that we should go the AAA route however to prove that we were honouring the contract we’d signed in said EULA, and thus avoid any possibility that if we had to escalate to Federal, we could be described as not acting in good faith. In my case, it turned out Portalarium had never even paid the fees to be part of the American Arbitration Association. They were then given a month to do so, which I and my legal team could then see. My guess is that Riot at least by now has such coverage, because they’ve been caught in the centre of a public firestorm; it’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t have been warned by their own legal team how damaging it would be to insist their staff continue to be held to something they’d not paid the dues on, which the same staff could then leak to the media. But that’s not the end of it; Portalarium proceeded to avoid a judgement entirely by refusing to respond to the AAA summons or pay their fees until time ran out. I was offered the opportunity to pay all of them and at least start the case, but there was no guarantee they would even attend even then, and it meant having $5000+ at least locked up for up to a year ahead. In my case, with Portalarium just refusing to engage, there was no judgement made and I was just refunded. They did send legal notification to Portalarium they would never be considered again, and to remove any reference to the AAA from their EULA… however at the time of writing this, months later, this still hasn’t been done because as I said at the start, EULA’s are incredibly hard to fight, even for the AAA themselves. And here’s the big thing, and why the gaming industry REALLY loves it; Arbitration cannot seek legal redress for criminal actions as such, only really those misdeeds covered by contract disputes etc. You are unlikely to win if your contract in any way seems to accept certain conditions. So "Crunch" and any emotional damage done by that won’t hold up at Arbitration. It’s usually in your employment contract for the gaming industry. The contracts in the industry are bollocks. Sexism and harassment will be harder to defend… but not as hard as Federal where it takes into account the full law, and where they can be criminal as well as employment issues. That is why Riot wants these staff to go to Arbitration first. There’s a much better chance of winning. Indeed it’s possible Riot could just have been bluffing, and would have quietly tried to use it to wait out the staff originally… except the media coverage now has made that impossible. So does Riot have a case? Not morally and objectively, sexism and harassment are appalling and unacceptable; but the staff if forced that route will have to prove that Riot didn’t honour their contract to protect them. And how do you that when the evidence about Riot’s internal thinking… will be volunteered by Riot themselves. In my case, I was "lucky" that I’d had 2 years of harassment previous so had plenty of archives of trying to get it addressed, as well as my stalker copying me into his correspondence because he thought he was so untouchable. Sadly, with the media never bothering to pick up my story (it’s still available though Polygon) I never got any true redress. However how much will the Riot staff themselves have? Riot it seems are betting "Not enough to persuade Arbitration courts that can’t go get it". I wish the Riot staff the best of luck. I also know the hell they’re going to be put through. I hope the media at least keeps on this story so they have a chance in hell of getting any sort of justice.

[@Twilightcz]

I dont think you shoud battle with these mortals jim, you are too strong

[@joshuatheawesome9440]

I’d just like to remind everyone that I drove from out of state to see sterdust’s first performance.

[@deadpilled2942]

Is he full time, or usually a heel manager? He obviously has the look of someone that would be in pro-wrestling,

[@silak33]

I am in an union, somehow I think my salary would be more than $700 a year lower if the unions in my country hadn't done such a good job over the years :) btw. I only pay around $525 a year :P

[@computergeeq]

Those articles on the side, i swear..."why does coffee make us poop? scientists gave coffee to rats to find out"

[@RhysTuck]

I was interested in that one!

[@cartmann94]

We can’t allow Riot Games to screw with their employees the way Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart in Montreal.

[@zomg1337h4x]

The god damn Montreal Screwjob...

[@halfpintrr]

I don’t see a Taker here to help, sadly.

[@EleventhFloorBelfry]

*It's me Austin!*

[@cwolf201]

with, or just. If number 2, I'd read that biography

[@kastaway-mtx]

Except that Bret was on his last fight in a contract he never resigned, he signed with WCW before that fight. These people in Riot were under contract. So no, I say fire all them motherfuckers.

[@unusualInferno]

Toxic community, toxic company. 11/10

[@greenhowie]

I want to disagree but... I used to really like playing LoL until I just got tired of every single match having at least one arsehole. I'd love to play a version against bots with good A.I. and a story, though. Kind of like Unreal Tournament or TimeSplitters did. Yes, I am old.

[@od1401]

I'd love to know how moral a person you are in your real life. You must be quite a Ghandi or a Dalai Lama to claim judgement against an entire community in which you know all of...what, 0.001% the number of people in it? I believe there's a word or two for that... Sorry, I forgot, it's ok when you generalise.

[@eminiclam]

@@od1401 0.001% lol, yeah the number of toxic people is so small that you find them in every game....sure kid.

[@od1401]

@@eminiclam You're in no position to call me a child, an ignorant and hardly intelligent insult, when you can't even comprehend a simple statement. I was referring to the rough % of people within that community he has come into contact with,, or lack thereof, to highlight how unqualified he is to make a moral judgement against the entire community. Unless of course both of you think it is fine to judge communities as a whole based on the actions of a vocal few. In which case I have to assume that racism and sexism are also justifiable in your minds as they all operate on the same principle.

[@mirajviras]

@@od1401 Why are defending Riot and LoL? I ask because it's absurd that anyone things LoL isn't a horrible toxic community. It's one of the worst in all of video gaming. It's up there with CoD and Battlefield reputation wise and to dismiss that fact is just laughable.

[@Ellthom]

The games industry doesn't seem like the dream job I imagined as a kid :(

[@LATEXXJUGGERNUT]

No fucking kidding. I am truly glad I do it as a hobby. Godot Engine for the win.

[@CRuduxypegg]

It can be, but very likely you'll instead find companies trying to drain people's dreams into money until nothing is left inside.

[@andrewraby8008]

@@LATEXXJUGGERNUT Hey, I use Godot too. I like it way better than unity or game maker studio

[@AbbiXIII]

It's best to stay indie.

[@andrewraby8008]

@@AbbiXIII oh yeah. I'm about to finish a software engineering degree this summer and I had thought briefly about looking for a job at a game studio. A little research shot that idea down

[@sarahperkins6421]

I only just learned about Brunello Cucinelli from an interview on the news recently and after reading more about him and his company, he has kind of become my hero among humanistic company leaders. He saw how his father was being worked to the bone and made sure the same didn't happen to his employees because he believed that working too many hours could steal your soul. His manufacturing employees are paid 20% above the standard, get a 90 minute lunch break, work 8 - 5:30 to ensure everyone clocks out by 6 so they never have over time, and he is still one of the most successful cashmere brands in the world. _"I believe in quality and beauty but I think that quality cannot exist without humanity."_ - Brunello Cucinelli

[@steelsong2162]

Props to the editor (or whoever's in charge of the imagery) for those masterfully selected images and gifs. Well done, good sir, whoever you are.

[@chaython]

Usually the first few Google results and there's credits at the end of the video

[@Xenonuke]

*I just love the irony* *Riot employees Rioting*

[@damienw4958]

But they call their employees rioters so it is “riot rioters rioting”

[@eksskellybur]

And people called *US* toxic. Meanwhile, at Riot Games....

[@cortanathelawless1848]

@@damienw4958 it would be lovely if they were actual rioters, like especially after the shit that happened they'd definitely deserve one

[@ShawFujikawa]

That’s the opposite of ironic...

[@chris.hartliss]

That's not irony. Lol

[@RyanBM]

forced arbitration in your contract can be overturned as legally binding because of how one sided it is

[@powerhousejp]

That’s an important thing that everyone should know, but I like to think of forced arbitration as similar in purpose to DRM; the goal isn’t to completely stop the piracy/litigation, but to severely reduce the likelihood that anyone tries by making it more difficult.

[@ilcorvo9559]

I have worked in UK employment law so can’t speak to the US (though I presume over there it’s even worse, as we have some EU regulations in place... watch that space) but all I’ll say is if you want to engage in legal recompense you’re in for a tough time. These companies are far better positioned to wait you out - with their far deeper pockets - and will drain you emotionally and financially until any unlikely “victory” feels hollow and redundant. Regardless of the outcome, your workplace will become so hostile you’ll likely resign; that’s what they want (and good luck trying to subsequently claim constructive dismissal). And finally, to cap it off, you’ll probably be blacklisted by your profession once word gets out, so good luck finding another job. Yeah, I think one sided covers it pretty well! They’ve got us right where they want us.

[@Blood-PawWerewolf]

IL CORVO i can confirm that the U.S. is a corporate state at this point...

[@RyanBM]

@@Blood-PawWerewolf was just reading about how the supreme court has twice shot down attempts to have this reworked, absolutely crazy. I also agree wholeheartedly with everything IL CORVO has said and partially with powerhousejp, its like the illusion of a choice but realistically you aren't really capable of doing anything about it. what a disgusting clause it is.

[@AriiMoose]

@@ilcorvo9559 >Regardless of the outcome, your workplace will become so hostile you’ll likely resign Can confirm, have experienced this and it's brutal.

[@kaskas9882]

Jim sterling the best heel on world wrestling

[@PerpetualNoob]

Thank you for this video Jim. I had no idea Riot was getting worse rather than better since the sexism story broke. And any industry that doesn't have unions, well, sucks. Unions are great for employees and customers, hell for corporations which is why they pay politicians and media companies to slander and misrepresent unions. It's a freaking mess.

[@SirKickz]

We also need to talk about the fact that, after the piece by Kotaku on RIOT, there was a massive section of the gaming community (a majority, from what I saw) who IMMEDIATELY dismissed the problem and started attacking the source with all sorts of sexist bullshit. Sexism and harassment isn't just a problem with these big publishers, it's also infecting the gaming community itself and there are too many people who seem very invested in allowing it to continue, because they see video games as some sort of exclusive club where girls are only allowed in on the condition that they allow themselves to be treated as sex objects.

[@C64_Mat]

"This Cannot Continue". Genius.

[@SyraxV]

Jim's mad cackling should be it's own video. I wanna hear it on loop.

[@NiuhiNui]

Would make a good ringtone.

[@darklordgrif]

I'm glad to see Jim have something he's so passionate about. I hope video games can join that place soon, and the industry gets severely regulated.

[@Tortoiseshel]

This was in my suggested videos tab as I was watching Quiet Riot interview videos at 3 AM and I broke my brain trying to figure out what all this has to do with Kevin DuBrow.

[@travisdicken5947]

"Real games like Call of Duty" I know that's the absolute least important thing here, but still: Laughs in Shin Megami Tensei.

[@ColonelRPG]

Laughs in Fallout 1.

[@anihilus2344]

Laughs in Knights of the Old Republic

[@Avrysatos]

You all died of dysentery. Seriously though uggggh gatekeeping games.

[@DeusExMachina130]

@@Avrysatos I understood that reference.

[@travisdicken5947]

@@Avrysatos the only appropriate time to be a gatekeeper is when you need to make fun of gatekeepers. ;)

[@alexubel]

Man...and here I thought my grandmother was the only one who said that.

[@Greenley013]

If only "gamers rise up" had an actual meaning. If it ever did, now's the time to strike and boycott the industry as a whole to promote human rights in a corporate environment. Oh who am I kidding, every "real gamer" is loving those mtx too much to care.

[@theabsoluteduckman7631]

is your pic from hirame it looks like his style

[@CommanderTato]

mtx wat

[@ilikeboom100]

You know that's just a meme right?

[@brandonontama2415]

This is what I hate about the gaming community, they only boycott for stupid reasons, AKA 'SJW'.

[@Codiekitty]

@@CommanderTato "mtx" is short for "microtransactions"

[@TheScratcherStudios]

Wait! What happened to the gloves?! A gold and black one now, there must be a deeper meaning in the JimCanon.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

He actually said in a comment that it's wrestling related.

[@Aelesis]

i always get unnecessarily happy to see stuff like the little shot of the Prince you used there these days. never let this series be forgotten

[@SUPAGAMAMAN]

I'm so happy that you're tackling these real issues that affect thousands of workers across the country. Keep up the fantastic journalism! These pieces are way more important than just talking about another game with lootboxes, though those are a problem too. You have the power to make the treatment of workers in the games industry a mainstream issue.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

Wow, your granny knows a lot of colloquialisms of extremely situational usefulness.

[@FairweatherBaah]

It's like my granny used to say: fuck off cheezemonkeyeater what do you know you fucking twat

[@mjc0961]

I guess Riot doesn't think I'm a "core gamer" then. Good. I won't play their game.

[@advanced2431]

mjc0961 tf do you care what a companies says. They make a product and whether you like the product should be the determiner.

[@FireSeraph007]

@@advanced2431 In that case, I dislike MOBA games and will never play that piece of shit that is League of Legends. I also do not play 'real games' like Call of Duty and thus Riot does not think I'm a 'real gamer'.

[@runakinsley3450]

@@advanced2431 What if what the company does affects how much you like the product?

[@advanced2431]

Runa Kinsley It shouldn’t is my point.

[@SpoopySquid]

@@advanced2431 "sure, the people who made this game are literal Nazis who punch puppies for fun, but that shouldn't affect your decision!"

[@zmdumpbox2340]

Many of my relatives and family friends are either in management positions, are closely tied to people with management positions, or own small businesses, and they always talk with a sort of indignant frustration whenever workers don't shut up and fall in line, or whenever workers' rights becomes the prime talking point on the telly. Their underlying message always seems to boil down to, *BUT THESE PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT IS TO MANAGE PEOPLE!!! PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT IS TO RUN A BUSINESS!!!* Which I won't dispute, because I've seen the experience discord between workers and higher-ups up close, and as the son of a small business owner who has separately worked corporate retail/office drone. And it just makes me believe even more strongly that straight-up capitalism is just... bad. For people in general. Workers have no choice but to be beholden to themselves, while management and business owners are beholden to their corporate masters and/or the all-consuming capitalist Eldtrich machine. ALTHOUGH universal health care would put a HUGE administrative burden off the shoulders of both parties, and also be a socially unifying experience, as per Peter Coffin's video on single-payer health care...

[@ultimatekie]

Something that amuses me is when management get mad when employees have no company loyalty. It's almost as if when companies treat their employees as disposable then employees will do the same to companies. One of my favourite sayings is: "People don't quit their jobs. They quit their bosses." While money/commute etc. is always a consideration when changing jobs I think the biggest reason people leave jobs is if they have shit bosses that treat them like trash.

[@arlosteiner8382]

Damn dirty commies

[@bfrehksdhf]

I work in a small family business and that about describes it. The system just drains the life out of people and their families, whether they love their jobs or not. True a system that actually cares for its people would be nice, but this simply isn't possible under the demented regimes we have. It'll just be Obummercare all over again (a hidden tax on the middle class sold as healthcare reform disguised under 20k pages of legalese; in reality it did the opposite and just increased the medical fascism) or they will just rake in 80% in overhead as they always do, in whatever phony reform they got planned for us anyways. People need to get real and realize the system threw them overboard over 50 years ago and then return the 'favor'.

[@Superschokokeks]

Capitalism isn't the issue, It's the people and how stuff is regulated. Every system can and will be exploited.

[@ghostofdurruti]

Imagine if managers (who, I will admit, do occasionally perform important functions) were chosen by the workers collectively via democratic elections, instead of the other way around...

[@PurposelessRabbitholes]

I know the comments are full of this sentiment already, but thank God for Jim Sterling. Keep covering this shit, it needs to exposed, and your format of entertaining, informative videos is the perfect way to do it

[@Azariachan]

Who would've thought that Riot, a company with one of the most toxic fanbases in existence, would be toxic themselves...

[@lionocyborg6030]

5:22 On the day Call of Duty is considered a real game, Lucifer will be skiing to work. And I don't mean Roller Skiing either (yes, that exists).

[@facelessenemy3755]

skiers need to keep up the form and skiing skills somehow in the summer xD

[@EviIPaladin]

I mean, Call of Duty is as much a real game as any other. 'Real game' is such a pointless and meaningless distinction. Can you define what a 'real game' is? I have no love for the series itself, I just don't get why hashtag gamers feel the need to have these No True Scotsman arguments.

[@lionocyborg6030]

@@EviIPaladin Typically the reason they have those arguments is to disregard any game they don't like, whether it actually sucks or not. It's as flimsy as you imply, though COD really does mostly suck, especially the mutiplayer hogging the attention over the campaign, so it may as well not a be a real game. (Granted, Halo's multiplayer is guilty of the same, but the good games in that franchise are more common, there's no forced iron sights and a couple of the games including the first have actual health bars on top of shields) The only COD games I consider good are the Modern Warfare trilogy except Remastered, and I can't back up 1 & 3 as I've only played MW2. Also, any gamer who uses a number sign tag to describe themselves or their hobby has no business calling themselves a gamer, as anyone who uses text speak at all in the modern day either actually in text or especially in spoken words ends up looking stupid and sounding weird. That doesn't mean you as you weren't calling yourself that.

[@zanyraccoon6361]

​@@EviIPaladin Don't be so literal. It's an expression. For example, Twilight is technically a real book series. But I'm certain true bookworms disregard it just as fast as true gamers (defined as those who spend most of their free time immersed in video games and video game culture) dismiss CoD.

[@mgk-metalgearkelly5054]

Real games like Call of Duty. Heavy Metal stops... WarOwl theme intensifies...

[@ultragamer4465]

FreeToPlay CoD when!

[@Phantom_of_Black]

AAA Souls: Prepare to Unionize edition.

[@eksskellybur]

He *STILL* ... Has no Closer.

[@raycearcher5794]

Real games like Call of Duty, not casual trash like League of Legends Wait

[@kudosbudo]

@@raycearcher5794 Is it bad that i would put souls games in with COD? cos I would. More casual tripe hehe

[@Tellingfibulas]

Jim Sterling = Mostest well adjusted boglin boy

[@yarek-karey6902]

I must say, seeing your wrestling footage at the beginning of this video, I would be terrified to face you in the ring, Jim. Not that I'm even a wrestler, but I enjoy that you share that part of your life with us.

[@elvee79]

The kid in the lower-right at 1:20 dances a jig and climbs the wall in reaction to the match. Little dude made my day. :)

[@NateTheSpaceGod]

i just bounce around my room when hear his intro lol

[@jecjoker]

I bounce around my room even when I forget to unmute.

[@NateTheSpaceGod]

@@jecjoker this is the day i was diagnosed with a.d.d

[@urielgrey]

Thank you Jim n crew! Please continue to expose these issues because unions rock! Also you will get ur belt back!

[@chaosextreme1561]

Unions suck also with the rise automation who needs human anymore

[@whatevr99]

CHAOS EXTREME Enjoy unemployment...

[@chaosextreme1561]

@@whatevr99 not every job. food & 🏦 🚗 🚚 job gone

[@okayso1747]

I work in the animation industry in Canada (no union); Upper management at my studio has been casually expecting us to work unpaid over-time, and frequently assemble the teams to tell them 'we aren't trying hard enough'. We seriously need to unionize.

[@alexandredesbiens-brassard9109]

Where in Canada? I am from Quebec and was really surprised when I moved to Ontario and saw how weak the unions were.

[@okayso1747]

@@alexandredesbiens-brassard9109 Atlantic coast, NS. But this is the thing in Canada; this appears to happen in any studio. It might be fine for one season, but all it takes is management to hire a jack-off who decides to harass workers, employ crunch-style production, and generally depress the studio until senior animators leave and get replaced by other new animators. There's a reason a lot of animators switch to new careers after approximately 5 years. The ones who stay either accept their low work conditions, can't afford to switch trades, or are taking part in the toxic working conditions themselves with great relish.

[@alexandredesbiens-brassard9109]

@@okayso1747 Yeah, I guess it depends on fields. Some fields are extremely unionized, others aren't. Videogame companies aren't unionized in Montreal either, despite the high rate of unionization in the city. That sucks. I wish you best of luck with trying to fix this in your industry. At least Canada in general has stronger protection for the right to unionize, so even if they do something has awful as closing down shop (Walmart did that once), then at least you can sue their ass and get some compensation (as Walmart had to pay that one time). Doesn't help in the immediate, though.

[@abbf26-_-13]

unionisation starts at the grass roots. chances are theres a union base in your area for your industry. get in contact, ask questions, introduce it to your workers, pay your dues, and start to feel safer and healthier at work man

[@connordarvall8482]

You worked for the Canadian animation industry? Man, you people constructed everything half-decent on Australian TV.

[@Bartoc1988]

A golden glove? Is Jim turning into Sterdust?! :O

[@Willothemask]

No. It's not good to want to trust your colleagues. As someone who's first experience in a proper job was in a shop where there was no trust and people effectively spying on each other, I had to learn early on that in the workplace you should never even consider trusting any staff, higher ups, those below you or at the same level. Not until they have earned the right to your trust. And in business environments as toxic as most of the games industry, you should never ever trust anything any higher up or senior manager says and have your contract put through the legal wringer before you sign it because these companies are actively predating on employees, never mind being negligent or mismanaging. Do not trust anyone in the workplace. Until you know full well that they can be trusted. In ANY workplace.

[@SpoopySquid]

Thankfully, not all of us consider Hunger Games to be a how-to guide