Why players want game studios to take strong social stances

digitaltrends.com:

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court’s majority draft opinion detailing its vote to overturn Roe v. Wade leaked out to the press, setting the stage for possible erosion of abortion protection in the United States.

Some video game companies spoke out against the draft opinion, like Bungie, which voiced support for its employees’ reproductive rights in a blog post two days after the leak. Others fell silent on the issue — or stood neutral. In that latter camp sits PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan who, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, sent an internal email on May 12 urging employees to “respect differences of opinion” on the abortion rights debate regarding Roe v. Wade. The email veered off-topic to talk about his two cats’ first birthday and his desire to get a dog.

“Dogs really are man’s best friend,” Ryan’s email reportedly reads. “They know their place … .”

Many gaming fans took issue with Ryan’s response, painting it as tone-deaf to a sensitive issue. While some might question why a video game company would be vocal about the subject at all, Sony’s quiet response stands in sharp contrast to how it’s approached other hot-button topics in the past. That sends mixed messages to fans, who are looking for consistency in the video game industry’s response to social issues.

After the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers triggered Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, PlayStation was quick to release a statement showing its support for protestors and condemning police brutality toward the Black community and other people of color. Its statement read in part: “We denounce systemic racism and violence against the Black community. We will continue towards a future marked by empathy and