Marketplace Tech

Unionization efforts are shaking up the gaming industry


Listen Later

Unions have come to the video game industry. They started small at just one indie developer about a year ago, then those efforts started to spread. Workers at some of the biggest names in the business have started organizing — at Activision Blizzard and recently at ZeniMax, a company owned by Microsoft. This sudden upswell is shaking up an industry that has long been known for grueling hours, low pay and a workforce that is not especially diverse. So how did the union movement go from 0 to 60, and where is it headed from here? Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Nicole Carpenter, a senior reporter for Polygon, a gaming and entertainment news site. She recently wrote an explainer about unions in the industry. She said a turning point came in 2021 when California sued Activision for an alleged pattern of sexual harassment and discrimination, which set off a chain of investigations and lawsuits that brought the problems of the industry into the public eye.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Marketplace TechBy Marketplace

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,236 ratings


More shows like Marketplace Tech

View all
Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,097 Listeners

WSJ Tech News Briefing by The Wall Street Journal

WSJ Tech News Briefing

1,646 Listeners

Marketplace Morning Report by Marketplace

Marketplace Morning Report

890 Listeners

WSJ Your Money Briefing by The Wall Street Journal

WSJ Your Money Briefing

1,747 Listeners

Marketplace by Marketplace

Marketplace

8,630 Listeners

Planet Money by NPR

Planet Money

30,821 Listeners

Marketplace All-in-One by Marketplace

Marketplace All-in-One

1,358 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,240 Listeners

The Uncertain Hour by Marketplace

The Uncertain Hour

2,168 Listeners

Make Me Smart by Marketplace

Make Me Smart

5,490 Listeners

Bold Names by The Wall Street Journal

Bold Names

1,433 Listeners

The Indicator from Planet Money by NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

9,555 Listeners

This Is Uncomfortable by Marketplace

This Is Uncomfortable

3,581 Listeners

Marketplace Minute by Marketplace

Marketplace Minute

163 Listeners

Million Bazillion by Marketplace

Million Bazillion

2,695 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,429 Listeners

The Big Take by Bloomberg

The Big Take

155 Listeners

How We Survive by Marketplace

How We Survive

1,319 Listeners

Financially Inclined by Marketplace

Financially Inclined

82 Listeners

Everybody in the Pool by Molly Wood

Everybody in the Pool

222 Listeners