occurred with Freelance Events Writer, Aisha Amed. “The worst thing is being honed in on for not joining in drinking. I was said to have ‘changed’ and accused of ‘not being part of the team’ by work colleagues.”
“Decentering alcohol doesn’t mean removing it entirely, but it does mean shifting the focus of work-related events away from drinking and making sure that there are alternatives and safety precautions in place at awards and after parties”
It’s unreasonable to expect all of the responsibility
to be on the individuals who are most at risk to simply opt out when alcohol is so entrenched in our industry’s culture. From peer pressure and career optics, all the way to drink spiking, avoiding alcohol is far more of a challenge than it should be at these kinds of events – especially for those battling addiction or in recovery. Instead of putting the onus on the individual, we need to rethink our industry’s relationship with alcohol.
IS DECENTERING ALCOHOL THE ANSWER? For many, the idea of decentering alcohol is one of the most prominent ways the industry can mitigate the risks associated with drinking culture. “When you gather people together in a place where
only alcoholic drinks are served and call it a networking party, it feels like the main purpose of the event is to binge drink, not network,” explains Emir Mahi, Audio Designer at Remoob. Emir would like to see industry events move away from bars and to focus on networking, and he isn’t the only one. “I think organised events carry a responsibility to
ensure the safety of all attendants, and that is impossible if there is an incentive to have a portion of your attendants be under the severe influence of alcohol by providing open bars,” says Steven Honders, Game Designer. “A bar
36 | MCV/DEVELOP June/July 2024
during industry events is fine, just not one providing free and unlimited alcohol. Ultimately, (semi) professional events are not a space for promoting something that can only lead to unsafe situations...” Decentering alcohol doesn’t mean removing it
entirely, but it does mean shifting the focus of work- related events away from drinking and making sure that there are alternatives and safety precautions in place at awards and after parties. Twitch Partner and Safe In Our World Ambassador, Lisa Crev, suggests events such as coffee/tea meetups, brunches, and even game nights where people can come together in a relaxed environment. When it comes to event safety, we reached out to our
community to ask them what precautions they would like to see going forward. One of the most common responses was that there should be more visible event and/or venue staff that people know they can approach if they are feeling uncomfortable or unsafe. Others suggested events take place earlier on in the day, as concerns about safety arise when individuals are expected to travel home late at night. Many industry workers would like to see a shift in
events to be more family friendly, as they have child- care responsibilities that would prevent them from attending work events that ran late or encouraged them to drink. Equally, there is a strong callout for quiet or “chill-out” spaces across all industry events to accommodate those with sensory sensitivities. Last, but by no means least, our community made a point of saying that there should simply be more non- alcoholic drink options at events, and these should be prominently displayed and provided in the exact same way that alcoholic beverages are.
HOW TO CHAMPION CHANGE Ultimately, the risks associated with a particular culture need to be addressed by a shift in culture, and this is something that we can all play a part in. From an individual perspective, this could be something as simple as setting limits for our own drinking at events, alternating with non-alcoholic beverages, or opting out of “rounds”. One of the most impactful ways we can contribute
towards a cultural shift around alcohol is by not making a big deal out of it if someone we’re with chooses not to drink. There are a multitude of reasons as to why someone may be avoiding alcohol on a specific occasion or even long-term, and there’s never any need to ask somebody why they’re not drinking – doing so can inadvertently signal their behaviour as unusual in a world where drinking is the norm.
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