IGDA condemns personal attacks on game developers and experts

The International Game Developers Association has issued a statement condeming the recent harassment of game developers and others in industry-related fields.

The organisation says it supports healthy debate on key industry topics, but called the spate of personal attacks in recent weeks “morally reprehensible” and “illegal”.

"Over the last several weeks, game developers and affiliates have been the subject of harassment and ‘doxxing’ attacks, including threats and posting of home addresses,” read the statement.

“While we support diverse viewpoints and healthy debate on the issues within our industry, we condemn personal attacks such as these which are not only morally reprehensible, but also illegal in many countries. We call on the entire game community to stand together against this abhorrent behaviour."

In a statement to Gamasutra, IGDA executive director Kate Edwards said the organisation was working on providing developers support and resources for dealing with harassment, and also recommended those subject to abuse report threats immediately.

“We are in the process of developing content that will help developers respond to this issue for the Resource Center on the IGDA website," she said.

In response to a recent spate of abuse and threats, more than 1,000 developers have signed an open letter to the “gaming community” asking for an end to the hostility that has been directed at a number of developers and critics, including Tropes vs. Women in Video Games creator Anita Sarkeesian.