If you're reeling from the fact that the games industry is full of abusers and wondering what you can do? A simple first step is stamping out the tiny behaviours and patterns that allow this behaviour a chance to thrive.

If you're a cis man like me, you'll know well enough that some men will talk about women inappropriately when in the company of only other men. I did too - society teaches us to do it, it's encouraged.

But when you add that to pre-existing power differentials (which always exist) it quickly gets horrid.

So maybe you've not seen any abuse happening directly. But I'm sure you've been party to conversations in which men suggest that women got their jobs through sexual favours? Usually while also objectifying the same women themselves?

Well, line that up now with the reality that those *defending* abusers are now parroting the same lines as a means of justifying the situation. Well hey now, isn't that *fucking ugly*?

I'm ashamed that I didn't start to actively stand against this behaviour until I was maybe 25, 26 years old? That's way too late. And again, it wasn't until people were saying things about women I considered to be friends. Again: not good enough.

But the thing is, even when I DID do something - it didn't make a difference because the solution takes *everyone*.

A guy I used to work with who said skeevy horrid shit all the time - David Scammell - eventually just stopped saying those things *in front of me*. It was incredibly obvious he was still saying that shit, stopping stories short when I entered the room.

Really, my opposition just became a boring quirk - something that he'd directly joke about. And I'm not saying the guy was an abuser, here - but it's crap dudes like this that lay the groundwork for those who are. So stomp it out - everyone's feet are required in these convos.

So please, have a fucking awkward night out at the pub with colleagues. Call out these ugly statements, demand that everyone else joins you in doing so, and if they look down sheepishly or think it's not a problem? Fucking burn all the bridges and get new mates.