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Four days ago, cosplayer Ashnichrist has posted a tweet regarding Dota 2 commentator, Andrew “Zyori” Campbell. He has already addressed this issue during one of his streams.
After days of silence, Zyori then followed up with a YouTube video regarding his response to this issue.
Before this response, Dota 2 coach and analyst Murielle “Kips” Huisman has backed up Ashni’s allegations with her own story of Zyori and how these small actions can lead to far worse sexual harassment if left unchecked.
At the beginning of his video, Zyori reminded everyone to empathize and reflect on the stories that the victims share. He also reminded everyone that no one should attack those people bravely sharing their pain to strive for a bigger change.
“Everyone is entitled to feel how they feel at any given situation”, Zyori added.
Zyori explained how he used the past few days listening to victims of sexual abuse. He also educated himself more about the #MeToo movement as he believes that these situations are the ones that will incite change and help make the gaming community a safer space for everyone.
Zyori first tackled Ashni’s Twitlonger about him asking her if he could tell people at Beyond the Summit that they had *** even though they did not. He explained that the social pressure brought to him by the work environment at BTS put himself and Ashni in an issue of Power Dynamics.
Being bisexual, Zyori also explained how he let himself gave in to the social pressures brought by the “bro culture” even though he felt uncomfortable in that male-dominated working setup. It was a difficult process to accept himself and knowing that he passed this pressure to someone else made him feel terrible.
“There is no excuse for that. I feel completely ashamed that I was not strong enough to stand up on my own... and pass that social pressure to someone else” Zyori admitted.
He also explained how he was unaware of power dynamics back when it happened. Even though he was just a struggling caster at that time, Ashni felt that he may have the power of ruining her career – that was why she was pressured to say yes.
After leaving BTS, Zyori had no plans, but after having impactful conversations and becoming the CEO of Moonduck, he realized how dating someone in their industry may result into an abuse of power dynamics which he did not know back then.
He also discussed the importance of work-life balance in a person’s growth. He rejected the allegations of having a systemic predatory behaviour, saying that he hired people solely based on the merit of their work and not on any ulterior motive.
Zyori then clarified that he thought the thing with Ashni was mutual as they communicated all throughout and felt that he had all green lights to make a move. He also tackled the similar issue with Kips, saying that he felt a mutual attraction between them, that was why he invited her to an after party.
“The pattern here is just that I had a desire to try to meet people that had the same interests as me” Zyori explained as he recalled back in his mid-twenties where he only had Dota for work and socializing.
From this, Zyori realized that anyone can meet people that share the same interests even though they are not involved in the field. Even though he was unaware and surprised of the allegations, he hoped that these stories will help the gaming community be a safer place. He also reminded everyone in the industry to be aware and responsible of power dynamics as well as taking this time to learn and be reflective of their actions.
The response
As of this writing, Ashnichrist has not tweeted anything in response to Zyori’s video. On the other hand, Kips has retweeted Zyori’s post and updated that she will post something tomorrow about why everyone should not engage into “cancel culture”.
In that same thread, Kips also responded to comments saying that she contributed to Zyori being “cancelled”. Kips clarified that she does not want Zyori to be cancelled, but instead believe and support stories like Ashni’s. She also commented that Zyori’s video is a right step towards progress but the situation is still on one’s personal judgment.
At the end of the day, we should still listen and not invalidate these stories coming out, but always remember that it is very important to learn more about the issue before drawing conclusions.