Sony Santa Monica QA worker claims security took their union badge at The Game Awards

Security managed to crack down on union representation, if not people rushing the stage

At last night’s The Game Awards 2022 ceremony, it seems security were eager to pick up on one unusual item in particular: a union pin badge.

According to a tweet from Sony Santa Monica QA worker Ellie, security told them that they would be refused entry with the badge, and would need to take it from them in order to allow them inside.

Despite that, Ellie wore a mask branded with “CWA STRONG,” which refers to the Communications Workers of America labor union.

Later in the night an individual rushed the stage and took to the mic during Hidetaka Miyazaki’s acceptance speech for Game of the Year, and – confusingly – decided to nominate Bill Clinton for an award.

Security did calmly and swiftly approach the individual on stage – before letting him finish – and he was later arrested, as reported in a tweet from The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley.

It begs the question of who asked security to be on the lookout for union badges, and in whose interest this was. At a guess, it likely was not the talented game developers attending and being celebrated that night.

Unionization in the game industry remains a hot topic, though recently publishers like Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax have seen worker unionization efforts pass through, with unions being recognized.