The International Game Developers Association has criticised how Nintendo of America handled Alison Rapp’s termination, which came after months of calculated online harassment.
The company was accused by executive director Kate Edwards as seeming “oblivious to the consequences of their actions,” in that those that had actively targeted her with vitriolic messages would see it as a “victory.”
She believes that will only encourage them to pursue other women in the games industry, to seek their dismissal through similar means.
“While Nintendo’s official statement on the matter of Alison Rapp’s firing strives to distance the company from anything related to the orchestrated online campaign of harassment and defamation that was raging against her, their timing in dealing with the issue is dubious at best,” Edwards shared in a statement to VentureBeat.
“Unfortunately, the company seems oblivious to the consequences of their actions, not realising the perceived victory it handed to the online hate groups who are now pursuing the dismissal of other women game developers by derision and defamation to their companies.
“By now, we would expect that all game development and publishing companies would be fully aware of negative social media dynamics and be more discerning of online feedback, as well as more protective of their employees — especially their employees of diverse backgrounds. Many have become proactive and aware but this industry obviously needs to make more progress.”
Nintendo of America’s own statement had stated that her employment was terminated due to violating company policy “involving holding a second job in conflict with Nintendo’s corporate culture,” and that the two events were completely unrelated.
