In the wake of a high-profile harassment campaign of a female video game developer (via Fruzsina Eördögh at Vice’s Motherboard), and the departure of Phil Fish from the video game industry just last night, many gamers and game developers alike have banded together to show their appreciation for the creators in this industry with a new Twitter hashtag called #welovegamedevs.
It comes as little surprise that game developers, who are a bit like celebrities for their contributions in the field, are subject to plenty of criticism. Given how heated the subject has become over the past week, The games editor for The Guardian, Keith Stuart, started the hashtag to affect some change in the atmosphere.
Maybe everyone should think of a game they really love then tweet the developer and tell them. Tag it #welovegamedevs (I know I'm a hippy)
— Keith Stuart (@keefstuart) August 22, 2014
The hashtag started early this morning and started trending after many early birds in the US and European tweeters participated in professing their love and appreciation towards creators in the game industry.
Developers like Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski and Tomb Raider writer Rhianna Pratchett helped to contribute to the hashtag by spreading awareness of its existence. Companies like Sony have also gotten in on the action.
If you consider yourself a fan of games media, then please take the time to support your favorite creators, who deserve the love and support you can give them, especially in the wake of so much harassment this week. Let’s end this week on a high note.
Header art by bobish144.