Just recently, gaming giant Nintendo fired a woman that goes by the name of Alison Rapp. It was a decision that puts the topic of harassment back within the videogame industry. The employee in question worked with marketing within the firm and has been a vocal supporter for women found in the gaming sector. In a report from Kotaku.com, Rapp found herself placed on the hot seat over Nintendo’s decision to tone down the sexualization of women in videogames. While she was not involved in the decision-making processes behind the changes made to games, she became as to what can be a called a scapegoat for those who disagreed with Nintendo. However, Nintendo released a statement for another reason as to why they had to let go of Rapp.
Nintendo Employee Fired for Charges Against Company Policies
Alison Rapp was with Nintendo since 2013 and the firm says that they have just discovered she was “moonlighting” with a second job, in which the company says they didn’t allow. “Alison Rapp was terminated due to violation of an internal company policy involving holding a second job in conflict with Nintendo’s corporate culture. Though Ms. Rapp’s termination follows her being the subject of criticism from certain groups via social media several weeks ago, the two are absolutely not related;” this was a statement sent to CNNMoney pertaining to the situation.
It was also reported that Rapp did not respond to any comments about the matter, but she did resort to tweeting about her termination. In her tweets, she said that the company did not prohibit 2nd jobs. She also said that the fact that the company researched about her moonlighting (which was reported that she was doing under a pseudonym) was because of online trolls that are bent on taking her down. It was not disclosed as to what type of work she was doing as the company would not disclose any further information about this specific topic.
It is not everyone within the gaming community that supports the company’s decision. Rapp’s termination has led some Nintendo fans to rethink their support for the iconic firm. Darren McCarthy (@TheDazeel) recently tweeted the following statement: “Genuinely shocked by Nintendo of America’s actions in terminating Alison Rapp’s employment. Way to give in to the trolls. Good job.”
In another tweet, this time by a gamer that goes by the name of Chris Kluwe (who is also a former NFL player), pledged people to boycott Nintendo products because of the firm’s treatment of Alison Rapp.