North America’s first video game union finally exists after Beast Breaker developer Vodeo Games voluntarily recognized Vodeo Workers United. There has been a strong push for video game unions as of late, with various video game leaders calling for employees to unionize. Former Blizzard dev Jeff Strain called for industry unionization in an open letter released in late July, amid allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and toxic workplace culture at Activision Blizzard. As the lawsuit against Blizzard is carried out, talks of unionization continue.
Though the push is there, no major steps have been taken for unionization within the gaming industry, and despite Strain’s call for employee unions, the North American video game industry has been left bare. Still, massive leaps forward have taken place in alternative gaming industries, and within similar sectors in other parts of the world. Cards Against Humanity Workers United became the first tabletop gaming union in history, and, in October, Pathfinder developer Paizo formed a tabletop game developer union. Paizo’s unionization erupted after employees criticized leadership, blaming the company’s executives for fostering a stressful, uncomfortable workplace environment.
First reported by Polygon, the employees at Vodeo Games have formed Vodeo Workers United, North America’s first video game union. The union - which includes both the company’s 13 employees and its contract workers - was voluntarily recognized by Vodeo management, which means the union will not have to force a vote from the National Labor Relations Board. Negotiations will reportedly begin shortly, in an attempt to ensure a fair and non-discriminatory workplace environment. The decision to unionize was not spawned by workplace toxicity within Vodeo Games, according to CODE-WWA campaign lead Emma Kinema, with the video game company unionizing simply “because [the employees] care so much about the work they do, and they want more of a say over how it’s done.”
Threes developer Asher Vollmer founded Vodeo games earlier this year, and the studio released its debut game Beast Breaker, a curly-crunchy but fully complex turn-based strategy game, in September. It hopes to develop one game a year, utilizing its team of full-time employees and independent contractors who work from home across the United States and Canada. Unionization was the natural next step, according to Vodeo designer Carolyn Jong, who hopes the decision will inspire change within the industry and help set a positive precedent. Vodeo Workers United will likely impact future attempts to unionize across the video game industry, despite those who discourage video game employees from unionizing.
Vodeo Games may be a small and independent studio, the unionization of its workers could have a large impact on the industry. With growing complaints from employees across various studios and the consistent stream of fresh allegations against industry heads and developer workplaces, there seems to be a growing call for employee unions. Vodeo Games might just be the first step.
Source: Polygon