General Gaming Mitch Dyer: IGN Bosses Are A NIghtmare

[SimpleG]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1275457947955613697.html

 

Solidarity with my IGN coworkers who endured emotional terror from Tal Blevins and Steve Butts. In my time from 2012 to 2016, I felt taken advantage of, exploited and manipulated, and afraid for my job at nearly every turn. And I was one of the "lucky" ones working for them.

When Tal wanted something done, or didn't agree with something I said -- which happened often, as the IGN employees were mostly amazing people pushing them to do better -- he would CC Steve to intimidate me into following through with his request.
These guys stayed at $3000 Air BnBs while employees shared rooms in roach hotels. When we pushed to have our own rooms (which I'm pretty sure they legally had to oblige?) they told us to deal with it because the company didn't have the money. Bullshit.

In 2014, I was halfway through my work permit timeline, and I opened conversations with Steve about renewing it in 2016. For two years, I was uncertain if I would have a job, or be allowed to stay in the country, because I never got a positive answer.

Steve Butts and Tal Blevins reprimanded staff for standing up for friends. They created a culture of fear among the best people I have ever known. We only had each other. None of us knew what to do to feel better about facing these guys every day.
When I reported on Amy leaving Naughty Dog, Steve Butts and Tal Blevins forced gossip into the story. They heard it was a hostile takeover. We didn't want to publish it. I tried to take my name off the story. They would not allow me to do so.

They forced an unproven claim onto 

with my name on it, against my will, to "protect their relationship with Sony."

When Sony justifiably condemned our story, Steve and Tal were SILENT. They never went to bat for me for a second.
To Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley who were caught in the crossfire of IGN's hostile, toxic leadership, I'm so sorry.

I am responsible for the anger, disgust, and disappointment you lived with then, and I'll never forgive myself for buckling beneath these manipulative monsters.
These are the guys who would later publish a story on 

stating THE LAST GUARDIAN IS CANCELED. When we confronted them about publishing an unsubstantiated (hilariously bullshit) story without consulting the news team, they said "you should have chased this."

When I pushed for a promotion, I was told to "Not until you say yes more." They wanted someone to agree with their wretched decision making and horrible leadership practices. I got a cost-of-living raise every year, and nothing more. Nothing was ever enough to earn you anything.
Steve Butts and Tal Blevins are responsible for creating an unsafe and toxic work environment that torpedoed my mental health. It was much worse for many more.

I hope these two never have a voice in games again. Never hire their consultancy firm. It's called LEVEL 74.

The end. I'm over a lot of this. But I think about it a lot, many years later. I think about my friends who experienced worse, and what I should have done to help them, career be damned.

Listen to the stories you're hearing. Ejecting shit heads is the only way we fix this.

 

Let me actually end on: IGN fucking rules. I adore those people and that place, and my friends there are SO MUCH HAPPIER now than they were when I was there.

Progress has been made as they rooted out the rot inside. Change is possible.

Never let these motherfuckers win.
!

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Eric Sapp, a current Editorial Designer at IGN, claims that he was solicited for sex by either Steve Butts, Tal Blevins, or Casey Lynch.

 

 

[gamer.tv]

I saw a post on Twitter about this and it's amazing that two people were able to manipulate an entire work force with no repercussion/whistle-blowing. I know this would most likely be something those involved will want to distance themselves from/move on from, but I would like someone to conduct an in-depth look at IGN in the 2010's and how this was allowed to happen. 

[Brian]

It was The place to be for video games. People will accept all kinds of bullshit to be a part of it. 

[gamer.tv]

7 minutes ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

It was The place to be for video games. People will accept all kinds of bullshit to be a part of it. 

 

I can definitely see that being the case, or the majority weren't impacted by the culture/people and so felt thankful for their role and the fact they weren't in the firing line. It just seems in a time when we have breaking articles from developers about crunch culture at Rockstar and Naughty Dog and sexual harassment at Gearbox,  it's unreal we didn't see this breaking sooner, whether from those who were involved or interested third parties. Hopefully now we'll see a platform for the story to be told. 

[SoberChef]

Who was in charge at the tail end of 2014 which led to the Kinda Funny crew + Colin bouncing?

[BloodyHell]

When people are afraid for their livelihood, they will put up with incredible amounts of stress, abuse, and disrespect. Its the major problem with our workforce, almost worldwide. Workers live in fear of losing low paying jobs because a couple of months without any pay is disastrous. The American Dream is dead, there are the rich and powerful, and the poor serfs. Its only the last two years that people have truly begsn to speak out, and its too late because everything is crumbling around us. Its not just the republic that is finished, the whole of civilization is built on so many false foundations that people believe can’t fail, and for years stood around the ramparts with swords and shields, thinking they were protecting polite society while the foundations crumbled underneath us. 
 

Ill end my rant there, because im way off the topic of bad bosses.

[BloodyHell]

7 minutes ago, SoberChef said:

Who was in charge at the tail end of 2014 which led to the Kinda Funny crew + Colin bouncing?

Same people, but yhem leaving I don’t think had much to do with this. That was more them realizing they were popular enough to move out on their own while doing the exact same thing, with industry relationships in place, while being able to call their own shots. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

1 hour ago, SoberChef said:

Who was in charge at the tail end of 2014 which led to the Kinda Funny crew + Colin bouncing?

Peer Schneider was (and still is) General Manager/Senior Vice President.

[AbsolutSurgen]

There are a series of former IGN editors/staffers posting on Twitter.  I think it was Kallie Plagge  who started it.

 

If you recall, it was Kallie's accusations about Steve not reacting to accusations of sexual assault against another editor that got him fired a few years ago.

[Paperclyp]

I do feel like I’ve had a lot of bosses like this throughout my life. I don’t wanna diminish anything that these people went through. I hope these people are rooted out and whatnot. I just personally considered them assholes and moved on when I could. 

[Paperclyp]

Though I will say it seems the gaming industry needs to shift away from doing so much social networking at bars and shit. The stories of young women journalists being harassed or blackmailed or gaslighted or all of the above at those get togethers are disturbing. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

5 minutes ago, Paperclyp said:

Though I will say it seems the gaming industry needs to shift away from doing so much social networking at bars and shit. The stories of young women journalists being harassed or blackmailed or gaslighted or all of the above at those get togethers are disturbing. 

These accusations are more than that.  IGN apparently was filled with fucktards at the mid-level management level.

[Paperclyp]

6 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

These accusations are more than that.  IGN apparently was filled with fucktards at the mid-level management level.

I don’t doubt it. I’m just saying I’ve seen those other types of stories on twitter not even related to IGN as all of this is coming out, and I think that’s a way the industry could get a handle one some of their issues. 

[skillzdadirecta]

10 hours ago, Emperor Diocletian II said:

Eric Sapp, a current Editorial Designer at IGN, claims that he was solicited for sex by either Steve Butts, Tal Blevins, or Casey Lynch.

 

 

 one of these guys has a porn name and the other sounds like a white supremacist... So I think we know who the guilt party is here senor Blevins!

[skillzdadirecta]

9 hours ago, BloodyHell said:

When people are afraid for their livelihood, they will put up with incredible amounts of stress, abuse, and disrespect. Its the major problem with our workforce, almost worldwide. Workers live in fear of losing low paying jobs because a couple of months without any pay is disastrous. The American Dream is dead, there are the rich and powerful, and the poor serfs. Its only the last two years that people have truly begsn to speak out, and its too late because everything is crumbling around us. Its not just the republic that is finished, the whole of civilization is built on so many false foundations that people believe can’t fail, and for years stood around the ramparts with swords and shields, thinking they were protecting polite society while the foundations crumbled underneath us. 
 

Ill end my rant there, because im way off the topic of bad bosses.

But you're absolutely right... I've worked at a couple of toxic work environments too. one place I worked at had a "boss" who rated who he would bully every couple of weeks like clockwork. I think I used to annoy the shit out him because nothing he would do would get under my skin because I really didn't give a shit.

[Ghost_MH]

6 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

But you're absolutely right... I've worked at a couple of toxic work environments too. one place I worked at had a "boss" who rated who he would bully every couple of weeks like clockwork. I think I used to annoy the shit out him because nothing he would do would get under my skin because I really didn't give a shit.

 

I totally lost a job offer a manager of mine that was pissed off over how much I could brush off any attempts at bullying. I probably should have just quit, but I was young and it was also my first real, full time job.

 

As for the IGN bullshit, how much if this was completely unknown? I thought everyone gates Tal. That said, you'd tidbit is amazingly reckless.

 

 

 

[Keyser_Soze]

13 hours ago, Paperclyp said:

The stories of young women journalists being harassed or blackmailed or gaslighted or all of the above at those get togethers are disturbing. 

 

Watch what you say, @Emperor Diocletian II might not get it.