IGDA faces complaints of harassment and hypocrisy in investigation

The International Game Developers Association has come under scrutiny lately regarding its internal procedures for reporting harassment and abuse. The IGDA reportedly mishandled complaints, both formal and informal, in the years leading up to the departure of its previous Women in Games group chair, Jennifer Scheurle.

The investigation, led by Gamesindustry.biz, revealed “a concerning pattern” at the association, hinging on “a failure to follow through” on any internal investigations or inquiries, often leaving those who attempted to bring claims of harassment to light feeling ignored or impotent. The main focus of the investigation was the various complaints leveled through official channels at Scheurle in 2019 and 2020, which were largely stonewalled by the organization despite over 100 pages of details and the accounts of more than a dozen alleged victims of harassment and emotional abuse in the latter case.

The problem seems to be rooted more deeply, however, as Gamesindustry.biz also followed up with the complainants in two other cases, both involving regional chairs of the organization. The response seems to have been markedly similar to the Scheurle case: victims would see no action taken despite the IGDA’s professed “zero-tolerance policy” to harassment, and often would languish with no reply at all for some time before the case quietly fizzled out.

For its part, the IGDA responded to the investigation with an apology and a promise to uphold its own policies and standards going forward, going so far as to create a new Ethics Committee to, presumably, help streamline the process.