Hi all.
Like a lot of people that have had a connection to EA I am appalled by the close connection between the FTX scandal and EA. But not surprised.
The EA community events I attended totally killed my passion for EA. I attended an EA global conference in London and left feeling really really sad. Before the conference I was told I was not important enough or not worth the time to get career advice. One person I'd met before at local EA events made it clear that he didn't want to waste time talking to me (this was in the guide btw to make it clear if you don't think someone is worth your time). Well it certainly made me unconfident and uncomfortable to approach anyone else. I found the whole thing miserable. Everyone went out to take photo for the conference and I didn't bother. I don't want to be part of a community that I didn't feel happy in.
On a less personal level, I overheard some unpleasant conversations about how EA should only be reserved for the intellectual elite (whatever the fuck that is) and how diversity didn't really matter. How they were annoyed that women got talks just for being women.
Honestly, the whole place just reeked of hubris - everyone was so sure they were right, people had no interest in you as a person. I have never experienced more unfriendly, self-important, uncompassionate people in my life (I am 31 now). It was of course the last time I was ever involved with anything EA related.
Maybe you read this and can dismiss it with yeah but issues are too important to waste time with petty small talk or showing interest in others. Or your subjective experience doesn't matter. Or we talk about rationality and complex ideas here , not personal opinions.
But that is the whole point I'm trying to make. When you take away the human element, when you're so focused on grandiose ideas and certain of your perfect rationality, you end up dismissing the fast thinking necessary to make good ethical decisions. Anyone that values human kindness would run a mile from someone that doesn't have the respect to listen to someone talking to them and makes clear that their video game is valued above that person. Similarly to the long history of Musk's contempt for ordinary people.
EA just seems so focused on being ethical that it forgot how to be nice. In my opinion, a new more inclusive organisation with a focus on making a positive impact needs to be created - with a better name.
I was on the fence between posting this under my name vs. using an anonymous account. I decided to go ahead, because this is something I've discussed with other folks and it's something I feel pretty strongly about. I wanted to write this comment both to validate your experience and to say a few words about how I see the path forward.
I've had those experiences too: feeling dismissed, shut down, or like I'm not worth someone's time.
But - and maybe this is because I have a stubborn, contrary, slightly masochistic, "oh yeah? I'll show you" streak - I stuck around. I'm not saying that this is the only way to go; if hanging out with other people in the EA community is causing you pain, I don't want that for you and it is 100% OK to go and do your own thing.
But if you can: stick around.
Because here's the thing: not everyone is like that. I'd go so far as to say that folks with the attitude above are in the minority. There are SO many humane, warm, kind people in this movement. There are people with a sense of humor and a healthy bit of self-doubt and a generous willingness to meet others where they are. When I hang out with them, I feel inspired to work harder and do more good and to continue to be part of this community. And I've made it my task to find those people, encourage them, and make sure they stick around too.
If you (and I'm addressing anyone reading this, not just James) have a vision for what you want a given community to look like, you can stick around and help bring it to life. We get to create the communities we want to be a part of - how awesome is that? For my part, that's what I'm striving to do. And I'm here to encourage others to do the same.