In reversal, SXSW will host panels on harassment in gaming

In reversal, SXSW will host panels on harassment in gaming

A full-day event will replace two cancelled panels on gaming and online violence.

Earlier this week, the music festival and social change conference SXSW announced it was cancelling two panel discussions on online harassment in the gaming industry, following what they said were threats of violence. Now in a turn-around, the conference organizers have announced a day-long event focued on the issues.

In a statement on Friday, SXSW Director Hugh Forrest acknowledged that cancelling the panels was a mistake, according to the Huffington Post. The statement said that the conference would replace the panels with a day-long summit to be held on March 12.

The festival originally intended to host a panel discussion titled “”Level Up: Overcoming Harassment in Games,” sponsored by anti-violence groups working to address sexism and violent harassment that is common in some gaming communities.

But SXSW also invited a panel titled “SavePoint: A Discussion on the Gaming Community,” which many critics said was promoted by organizers who support the “gamergate” cabal of online harrassers.

The SXSW turnaround was spurred in part by statements from two conference media participants, BuzzFeed and Vox, who stated they were considering boycotting the event after the panels were cancelled. The media organizations and many social movement groups were angered that SXSW was conceding victory to those who support harassment by folding on the panels.

Speakers at the one-day session will include former Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis, Congresswomen Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, feminist writer and director Soraya Chemaly, and Monika Bickert, head of product policy for Facebook.

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