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COMMONS
WORK 16 - Boss Fight
The video game industry, like much of the tech, has been resistant to unionization for a very long time. But like so many other white-collar businesses, video game studios are built on the backs of thousands of exploited, low-paid workers.
This is the story of Canada’s first-ever video game union. And the lengths that the industry went to try to stop it in its tracks.
Featured in this episode: James Russwurm, Johanna Weststar, Pablo Godoy
To learn more
Not All Fun and Games: Videogame Labour, Project-based Workplaces, and the New Citizenship at Work by Marie-Josée Legault and Johanna Weststar
“Members of Canada’s first video game industry union vote in favour of strike action” by Curtis Ng in Global News.
“The video game industry is booming. Why are there so many layoffs?” by Kenzie Gordon, Jennifer R. Whitson, Johanna Weststar, and Sean Gouglas in The Conversation.
“2024 has already had more video game industry layoffs than all of 2023 — and it's only June” by Nicole Carpenter in Polygon.
FairPlay4GameWorkers Twitch Channel
Credits: Arshy Mann (Host and Producer), Jordan Cornish (Producer), Noor Azrieh (Producer), Max Collins (Production Manager), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)
Additional music from Audio Network
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Preview #1. Series launch on May 5th
01:01|Desmond Cole & Andray Domise talk about their ambitions for their new weekly political podcast Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.1 - Who's in charge?
24:30|Is it the Prime Minister? The Governor General? The Queen? Canada's Head of State may be symbolic, but symbolic of what? Desmond Cole and Andray Domise start with the basics. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.2 - What happened in Alberta?
29:01|Desmond and Andray try to understand the NDP's shocking victory. Guests: professor Melanee Thomas and writer Drew Brown. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.3 - Elizabeth May
28:02|Desmond Cole taks to Green Party leader Elizabeth May about her plans to get arrested, and more. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.4 - The PMO, what it is?
27:38|What is the Prime Minister's Office? How many people work there, who are they, and what do they all do? Just how powerful is the PMO, and is the Prime Minister responsible for what it does?Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.5 - Sex work in Canada
25:30|Kerry Porth, Akio Maroon, Elene Lam join for a panel discussion on Bill C-36 and more.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.6 - Residential Schools
30:34|We haven't even begun to talk about what happened. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.7 - Crossing the floor
29:07|Andray and Desmond speak with former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith about crossing the floor from the official opposition to the governing party. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ep.8 - Barbaric cultural practices
29:12|Andray Domise, guest-host Supriya Dwivedi and Ishmael Daro talk about the Zero Tolerance For Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, the new Quebec secular legislation, and the massacre in Charleston.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.