When she arrived in 2009 at the Montreal offices of giant video game publisher Ubisoft, Stephanie Harvey says that she suffered sexual harassment or sexism “from Day One.”
Now a professional gamer and five-time world champion, she said that not only her former employer, but the entire gaming industry is long past due for a major change in culture.
A recent sexual harassment scandal shaking Ubisoft, the leading French video game publisher and one of the biggest names worldwide, is only the tip of the iceberg, the 34-year-old Quebec native said.
Photo: AFP / missharvey, inc
“I’m convinced that what is taking place at Ubisoft is causing huge waves in other companies, because this is not just happening at Ubisoft,” said Harvey, a champion in the Counter-Strike game world, where she is better known by her screen name, “missharvey.”
The movement has taken on “huge dimensions,” she said. “It’s also taking place online, on the Internet, the big streaming companies are being accused, the YouTubers.”
Following a wave of accusations of sexism and harassment against Ubisoft’s leadership — some of the company’s 18,000 employees have described a “climate of terror” — the group dismissed its No. 2, its human resources director and the head of its Canadian studios.
Harvey said that as a top professional player since 2005, her surroundings at Ubisoft were not that different from the gaming environment she knew.
“For me, it wasn’t just a problem with Ubisoft, it was a problem of a men’s world with few women,” she said. “Everything that happened to me, I put it in a box. I thought I was OK with what had happened to me, but then the box opened up again and I’m no longer OK with it.”
Harvey in 2013 cofounded Missclicks, an online community that aims to support women in the gaming sector.
While she was still at Ubisoft, Harvey said that it never occurred to her to complain.
“There was zero confidentiality in human resources at Ubisoft,” she said. “I hope this is only the beginning — that they provide the resources and system in Montreal to allow women to feel more respected.”
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
RSS