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Blizzard Starts Drive To Recruit More Women and Ethnic Minorities (bbc.co.uk)

Posted by msmash on from the making-a-change dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: The company behind games like World of Warcraft and Overwatch has started a drive to recruit more women and ethnic minorities. The information is in a leaked internal email from Blizzard's CEO, seen by the website Kotako. It claims 21 percent of Blizzard's employees are women, and although that's similar to the rest of the gaming industry, it says it wants to do better. The company claims the initiative will focus on finding more female employees and getting them to stay on longer. At the moment women are leaving at a higher rate than men but it says it'll fall short of setting "quotas."

3 of 310 comments (clear)

  1. Perhaps the solution is by John+Jorsett · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... to have some of the men declare that they feel like and wish to be treated as women. Then they could be counted as such, right?

  2. Sounds Good by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At the moment women are leaving at a higher rate than men but it says it'll fall short of setting "quotas."

    I think "Quotas" are what most people object to that object to hiring more women and minorities. No one wants to feel like they missed out on a job because they were the wrong sex or race. Not men, women, Europeans, or Africans.

    Trying to be more appealing to women and minorities is a noble goal because in order to relate to all demographics of clients you need all demographics of staff. It's easy to miss out sometimes what another group might find appealing or offensive without valid representation.

    Appeal to minorities and all genders but don't set quotas. As long as Blizzard is really doing this and not just saying they are to look good- they're doing the right thing by my way of thinking.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  3. Re:"more women and ethnic minorities" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is also possible Blizzard concluded their customers would boycott the products unless there are more women and ethnic minorities among the employees

    It's not their customers. It's gaming "journalists". They're some of the most hardcore SJWs around and they run campaign after campaign against anyone who doesn't pledge allegiance to their cause. Are you not diverse enough? Well, here's a bad review! Does your game make me feel icky? Bad reviews! Did you not hire my friend? Bad review!

    They've got a great protection racket going.