The gaming community was taken aback when Just Stop Oil Protestors made their presence felt at the EGX, the UK’s most prominent gaming event. The event, running from Thursday through Sunday is being coordinated by Reedpop, which’s the parent company of Eurogamer.
In a bold move, the Just Stop Oil Protestors attempted to spray orange paint on a screen that was displaying a live Tekken match. The protest took an turn when they decided to smear paint on the screens of the two players who were, in the middle of their game.
Once they finished with this act they took a moment to address the audience and express their concerns about the environment. However their speech was abruptly cut short as security quickly stepped in and escorted them out of the premises.
Following the disturbance caused by the Just Stop Oil Protestors the Tekken tournament resumed without any interruptions.
In a statement released later Just Stop Oil confirmed that three protestors from their group were apprehended by the Metropolitan Police on charges of damage.
A spokesperson for the organization emphasized “Video games offer an escape but we cannot ignore the threats of our world. The climate crisis is a concern that demands action. This goes beyond playing games; it’s, about securing our planets future.”
Historically, the Just Stop Oil Protestors have been known to disrupt major events, such as the Ashes cricket series, the Chelsea Flower Show, and London Pride.
Their choice to focus on EGX wasn’t arbitrary. They wanted to bring awareness to the events association, with Barclays Bank and the alleged sponsorship of the video game Fortnite by oil behemoth Shell.
Barclays has long been a supporter of EGXs Rezzed Sessions stage providing a platform for UK indie game developers to showcase their projects. On a related note Shell has recently launched a marketing campaign, within Fortnite leveraging the games user generated content tools.
Reacting to the actions of the Just Stop Oil Protestors, an EGX representative commented, “The incident was promptly addressed by our security team and the authorities. The people who were involved were calmly escorted away. The esports tournament continued after a break.”
The behavior of the Just Stop Oil Protestors, at EGX highlights the extent to which activists are going in order to amplify their message urging the community to address the climate crisis.