Okay first off, this isn’t quite true. Joao left several months ago. I stepped down in early November. Cass coordinated with Shane and they stepped down about a week later. The announcement of everyone stepping down came at once, but each of us stepped down for our own reasons at different times. Our individual reasons might overlap, but it was not some coordinated mass quitting.
I won’t speak for anyone else, only myself. I left because I was frustrated, angry, and exhausted. You did not ask for the inciting incidents or the frustrations, but I am going to expand a little here as I feel it helps explain why I left. Many of the hurtful actions were not directed at me. The ones that did directly affect me were:
- Being lied to about the other hurtful actions
- Being present in a culture of silence
I was on the Gauntlet Community Care team. I used to be part of the Leadership team (when it still existed). I was a forum moderator. I ran Gauntlet Games Now event. I was deeply involved in the Gauntlet. I wanted it to be the best it could be. I felt like I did a lot to try to make it a better place, a place I wanted to be, a place I was proud of.
I no longer want to support the Gauntlet. I don’t want to make the sole proprietor LLC or the brand more valuable. I don’t want to contribute my time, labor, or money to it. I didn’t quit being a forum moderator, I quit supporting the Gauntlet.
That is a totally valid place to be. Most of the discussions were deliberately kept out of the general public. Some were not, but you had to know the right people and be in the right place to see the conversations that did happen in the public. They were not happening here, on the forums.
I am open for more conversation, either here or over direct messages. Some of the bigger splashier incidents are not mine to tell, I will try to only give you superficially what happened from my perspective.