That dull, wooden hammering you hear in the background is the attachment of planks to platforms. With the US 2020 presidential campaign season drawing close, many American politicians are making their thoughts known on a variety of topics. One such politician — US Senator and presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders — has gone on record in support of unionization for employees in video game development.
Citing a June 11th article from Time about the various worker exploitation issues that game devs face and the earnings disparity between devs and executives, Sanders sent out a tweet yesterday in praise of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Game Workers Unite for their attempts to help developers collectively bargain.
Sanders’ comments add a new facet to the conversation surrounding the treatment of those who make the video games we enjoy, which has been a hot-button topic in the industry for the past several months. We’ve collected the most pertinent stories about the issue below so you can keep up.
US Senator Bernie Sanders publicly offers support for game worker unionization
Video game unionization effort starts petition to remove Bobby Kotick from Activision-Blizzard
GDC’s sixth annual State of the Industry report shows VR down, Steam down, and unionizing up
Game industry unionization: Game Workers Unite, IGDA, and GDC
GDC 2018: Game developers push for unionization in Game Workers Unite
The Daily Grind: Should video game developers unionize?
Video game voice actor strike continues, union claims it could aid developers
The video game industry made $43 billion in revenue last year. The workers responsible for that profit deserve to collectively bargain as part of a union. I'm glad to see unions like @IATSE and the broader @GameWorkers movement organizing such workers. https://t.co/Ia5gMG2v0w
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 18, 2019
