The Game Workers Unite International organisation has issued a statement damning some video game development studios for a lack of consistency and support for developers and staff impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
In a statement posted to the organisation’s Twitter page, GWU said there was a “huge disparity” between different roles across different parts of the world and intimated some staff were “going through hell right now”.
In response to some of the anonymous stories received by the organisation reporting layoffs and forced unpaid leave, the group is now calling for the standardisation of “flexible working hours, universal health service for all, fair sick pay, rent freezes and a more sustainable way of making games and games’ hardware too”.
Game Workers Unite International statement on the COVID-19 crisis pic.twitter.com/oiht6zqfYD
— Game Workers Unite ✊🏿✊🏽✊🏾 (@GameWorkers) March 22, 2020
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“Yes, video games are and will be a crucial source of joy and entertainment for millions of people right now, during this difficult time,” the organisation wrote. “Yes, we encourage that, we support that – games are there to release pain, inspire cooperation, increase bonding between different generations, or sometimes, and that’s okay, just to pass time.