End the Hate, says Industry in Open Letter to Fans

Hundreds of developers spanning the US and Europe have endorsed an open letter asking the games community to curb hate-speech and online abuse across social media sites like Twitter and Reddit.

The letter, written by the independent games designer Andreas Zecher, has been signed by hundreds of developers, AAA studios, and indies, including Rockstar North, Naughty Dog, Bungie, 343 Industries, Blizzard Entertainment, and Epic Games.

Support for Zecher's letter comes in the wake of a spate of personal attacks on games industry figures across social media. For instance, last week the games essayist Anita Sarkeesian was forced to vacate her home after receiving increasingly severe anonymous threats on Twitter.

Those who have backed the letter have done so independently, and not necessarily as representatives for the companies they work for.

“We believe that everyone, no matter what gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion has the right to play games, criticize games and make games without getting harassed or threatened,” reads Zecher's letter.

“It is the diversity of our community that allows games to flourish. If you see threats of violence or harm in comments on Steam, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook or Reddit, please take a minute to report them on the respective sites.

“If you see hateful, harassing speech, take a public stand against it and make the gaming community a more enjoyable space to be in.”