The overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States garnered reactions from all over, including the gaming community. Known individuals and companies in the gaming industry commented on Roe v Wade. Read on to find out more.
Gaming companies like Bungie, EA, and Sony speak up about the overturning of Roe v Wade
Making headlines this week is the SCOTUS’ decision to overturn Roe v Wade. In response to the controversy, gaming companies have outright rejected this decision. As of writing, various publishers and developers have announced policies to uphold the reproductive rights of their employees.
So far, here are all the gaming companies which have spoken up about the overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States. And aside from speaking against the overturning, some also introduced policies to assist their employees during this time.
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Microsoft and Activision commit to uphold their employees rights following the Roe v Wade controversy
Both companies have committed to providing travel assistance to their employees and dependents seeking for healthcare in other states where contraceptives and abortion are legal in statements made for GameSpot.
Furthermore, both companies shared that their support for their employees’ access to healthcare includes reproductive healthcare, gender-affirming treatment, among other critical healthcare.
Bungie
If you’ve played Destiny before, then you’d recognize Bungie as the developers of the hit game. As soon as news broke out about the overturning of Roe v Wade, Bungie published a policy aiming to assist employees and their dependents.
In their policy, the company promises to shoulder the travel expenses for an employee or a dependent who wishes to travel to another state for their healthcare needs.
Moreover, Bungie expressed their disappointment in the overturning of Roe v Wade. According to the Destiny devs, “The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade cuts off millions of Americans from that access and leaves open the possibility of even further restrictions on life-saving healthcare for all of us.”
Electronic Arts
Unlike Bungie, Electronic Arts weren’t too direct with their statement about Roe v Wade. In a tweet following the news, EA expressed that their “support is unwavering for our people”.
Although EA did not outright reject the overturning of Roe v Wade in their tweet, the company has published a blog post where they explained the measures they put up to assist their employees.
“Your health and well-being are our top priority,” EA explains in the blog post. They then continue to explain that they are working with insurance providers in the United States to give their employees access to healthcare. This includes access to contraception and abortion.
Ubisoft
Similar to the gaming studios and companies mentioned, Ubisoft took to Twitter to share their response on the overturning of Roe v Wade by the SCOTUS. Further into their statement, Ubisoft emphasized human rights.
Moreover, they expressed that reproductive rights, women’s rights, and trans rights are human rights. The tweet also links to a blog post from June 16, 2022. In the blog post, Ubisoft promises to support their employees by reviewing their benefits packages for U.S. employees.
You can read more from the blog post here.
Ubisoft is best known for video game franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Watch Dogs.
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Sony
Various studios of Sony Interactive Entertainment did not shy away from speaking up about the issue at hand.
Back when the drafts of Roe v Wade first leaked, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s CEO Jim Ryan called for neutrality on the issue. But even so, these studios still spoke up about them being against the overturning of Roe v Wade. Additionally, they also shared the consequences of the ruling on democracy and bodily autonomy.
But despite not publishing a statement, Sony is among the major entertainment companies who will provide travel reimbursement for employees seeking healthcare that will be affected.
Guerilla Games
This studio is best known for being the team behind the PlayStation exclusive Horizon series.
Insomniac
Another studio connected to Sony Interactive Entertainment is Insomniac Games. Some of their popular titles include Ratchet & Clank and Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Naughty Dog
Another known first-party developer for Sony is Naughty Dog, LLC. They’re best known for creating Crash Bandicoot and The Last of Us.
And like Bungie, Naughty Dog promised to help and support their employees in receiving the reproductive healthcare they are entitled to.
Sucker Punch Productions
The devs at Sucker Punch are responsible for games like Infamous and Ghost of Tsushima. Here is what they have to say about the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Santa Monica Studio
And for the final first-party studio for Sony speaking up about the Roe v Wade ruling, Santa Monica Studio took to Twitter to post a similar response as the previous studios. They are known for being the developer of the God of War series for the PlayStation.
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Gaming community reacts to the overturning in the United States
Aside from major gaming companies, publishers, and developers, famous groups and individuals from the gaming community also shared their thoughts on the issue.
For those in esports organizations, they have shared their thoughts and reacted to the Roe v Wade ruling. Moreover, most of these individuals share the same idea that this judgment will affect women the most.
Esports Organizations who reacted to the ruling
TSM
TSM FTX (Team SoloMid) took to Twitter to share a short message expressing their thoughts on the overturning of Roe v Wade.
XSET
Another esports organization which expressed their disappointment with the ruling is XSET. They are best known for having teams play in PUBG, Rocket League, and VALORANT.
High-ranking officers in other esports organizations also speak out against the issue
For other organizations, some of them are represented by their president or CEO. Some of these are EG CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson and Team Liquid President & COO Claire Hungate.
EG’s Jameson promised that they will “cover the relocation of all our employees and their households who do not feel safe.” The employees will then be relocated to the states of Washington and California. Additionally, Jameson also offers employment for those in the field of esports needing a “safe space to work.”
As for Hungate, she encourages the US teams of Team Liquid to “leave their desks and demonstrate against this erosion of women’s rights.”
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Personalities from the gaming community who reacted
Finally, we have personalities from the gaming community who were also disappointed with this ruling from the Supreme Court of the United States. From Twitch streamers to YouTubers, they did not hesitate to share their sentiments.
And although some of their followers disagree with the idea of mixing politics with video games, these creators are yet to take down their tweets about the Roe v Wade issue.
Some of these personalities include Pokimane, Valkyrae, Markiplier, and Jacksepticeye.
Pokimane
In a powerful tweet, Imane “Pokimane” Anys expressed her anger and disappointment at the overturning.
Naturally, there is a division in the comments under Pokimane’s tweet. Some defended and rationalized the overturning of Roe v Wade. On the other hand, some agreed and shared their thoughts on the situation.
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Valkyrae
Rachell “Rae” Hofstetter is known for being YouTube’s most-watched female streamer since 2020. Contrary to Pokimane’s lengthy tweet, Valkyrae simply cursed out the Supreme Court of the United States.
Other female streamers and content creators take to Twitter following the overturning of Roe v Wade
Aside from Valkyrae and Pokimane, there were other female streamers who were not happy with the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States on the Roe v Wade ruling. Among these are LilyPichu, QuarterJade, starsmitten_, and Aria Saki.
LilyPichu
QuarterJade
starsmitten_
Aria Saki
Male personalities like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye share their anger at the decision of the SCOTUS
Moving on, some of the most recognized names in YouTube are Markiplier and Jacksepticeye. Both did not hold back from sharing their anger and disgust at the overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States.
Additionally, both men said that you should be able to have control of and make decisions for your own bodies.
So far, here are all the reactions from the gaming community regarding Roe v Wade.
What are your thoughts on this issue in the United States? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
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