Angered by the recent allegations of sexual harassment leveled against Activision Blizzard as part of a wider gender discrimination lawsuit filed against the company by the State of California, God of War Game Director and God of War II Creative Director David Jaffe recently shared his opinion that the developer’s failings were the result of former Blizzard staff’s “white privilege”.
On July 26th, in the wake of the aforementioned allegations being made public, Jaffe published a video titled “I Suggest You Reject This Evil Company” to his personal YouTube page, wherein the veteran game developer took the time to express his absolute outrage towards the lawsuit’s obscene claims.
Declaring in the video’s opening few moments “I’m a male feminist. I’m a progressive. I’m just angry man,” the angered developer proceeded to explain that one of his main issues with the entire Activision Blizzard situation were the apologies given by former Blizzard CEO Michael Morhaime and Diablo co-creator Chris Metzen, as Jaffe found their responses to be representative of the two men’s white male privilege.
“You know I’m angry because every fucking time this gets brought up,” Jaffe continued. “Whether it’s misogyny, racism, systemic racism, homophobia, anti-semitism, anti-Mulsim sentiments, everybody, usually white males – That’s the f—ing truth, mother f—ers white males, of which I am one, deny it.”
Relating the various denials he apparently heard from said ‘white males’, Jaffe wrote “‘Eh it’s not that bad, it’s not really happening, it’s isolated, I haven’t seen it, oh Jaffy, all white people don’t benefit from white privilege, why would we teach critical race theory’” before asserting that, “on and on, denying it, of course you’d want to deny if you’re a white dude. Why would you not?”
“What horses–t,” Jaffe said of Morhaime and Metzen’s apologies. “‘I want to hear your stories, I want to learn, I want to understand, I know they’re just words, but it’s just not okay I’m so sorry, I was in a place of privilege’. Yes. You are told this all the f—ing time.”
He continued, “And you deny it because it’s convenient to deny it because it allows you to continue exploiting people because you deny it.”
“If you actually have to deal with it,” said Jaffe, “the playing field is ultimately going to get leveled and you are going to have to compete and you are going to have to survive and thrive or whatever it is you do, on your actual merits. Not the color of your skin, not the fact that you got a dick and balls hanging betwixt your leg, but on your f—ing merit.”
Mocking the use of the phrase ‘do better’ in Morhaime’s individual apology, Jaffe asked “Oh, have you finally woken up?”
“Maybe that’s why it pisses me off so much,” he mused. “People have been saying this to white men for a very long time, but you don’t want to hear it. Tough s–t.”
“I’m tired of it,” he eventually admitted. “You think the women and the gay folks and the Muslim folks and the Jewish folks and the black folks and on and on, you think they’re not tired of it? I’m tired of it.”
In conclusion to his video, Jaffe recommended that anyone who believed the Western video game industry writ large does not have an issue with bigotry and discrimination either “go to therapy”, “find someone you can talk to”, or read Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi, an award-winning book “about systemic racism in America.”
Addressing those who do not agree with Kendi’s worldview and would label the book as “propaganda”, Jaffe ultimately exclaimed, “No it’s not!”, assuring those he was attempting to convince that “it’s factual, it’s cited”, and asking them to “just educate yourself.”
What do you make of Jaffe’s take on the Activision Blizzard lawsuit? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!