Shawn Layden
Shawn Layden had a tough act to follow in former SCEA CEO Jack Tretton, but he’s done it amicably during his 4 years in the role with no small thanks to his 30-year career experience in various roles with Sony. Following his predecessor’s example, Shawn’s made a point of being onstage at E3 for every PlayStation conference since taking his position, and he’s quite the charming gentleman – it’s clear that he has a personal stake in the wellbeing of the medium outside of his own business interests, and he often carries himself like a stand up comedian crossed with a concerned father, and even makes light attempts to jovially respond to people who shout to him from the audience during presentations. As far as CEOs go, he’s one of the warmest, welcoming, and down to earth that I’ve seen.- not entirely uncommon in the gaming industry, but there’s a certain level of caring that I’ve only seen from Shawn and Phil Spencer, and that’s the caring to use their platform in a positive way to help people with significantly less power than them be seen, heard or represented – which is why they both make the list.
On June 12, 2016, the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting took place, claiming the lives of 50 victims and injuring 53 others. E3 started the very same day, and the mood could be felt across the entire event – flags at the LA convention center were lowered to half-mast, presenters wore rainbow-colored pins in solidarity with their LGBTQ+ fans, and some began their conference with a moment of silence for the victims. Those are all great ways for them to show their respect and support, and I’m not knocking any of them for doing so – but Shawn said something, and that’s a big deal. Following the show’s opening featuring a live demo of this year’s Game of the Year contender, God of War, Shawn took a moment to make it very clear where he – and PlayStation as a brand – stood on the issue. Please, take a moment to watch and listen to his speech, it’s much better coming from him, but don’t worry, I’ve transcribed it for you below:
“Before we go any further though, I think it’s important that we take a moment to…to address the heartbreaking tragedy of Orlando this past weekend. A horrific event like that, carried out by a madman, really underscores our need for…for greater love, tolerance, and respect of people of all kinds. On behalf of the PlayStation community, I just want to say that our thoughts are with the victims and the families, and the community of Orlando. We stand four-square with them, and we hope that in this week of…perhaps, our gaming celebrations, and the diversity of our gaming community, we can find some strength, some comfort, and some solace. The PlayStation community stands foursquare with our friends and fans in the LGBT community as well, and I know they’re all in the hearts of everyone tonight.”
The 30 seconds that it took him to say that meant the world to some people – bringing up a mass shooting targeted at an oppressed group of people at your biggest annual press conference is not easy, especially in front of a demographic known to use homophobic slurs like they make up the seven coordinating conjunctions. I’ve never seen anything like Shawn’s exemplary public display of warmth and empathy in any business related environment, and I have a feeling the world would be a better place if more people were like him. Shawn had all the attention in the gaming world at that moment, and he used it to make perfectly clear to the community’s LGBTQ+ gaming enthusiasts that they are seen and respected by the head-honcho of one of the world’s most popular gaming platforms. That has a lot more power than many of us know.
Earlier this year, Shawn joined the PlayStation team at San Francisco’s Pride Parade, and on Twitter, he makes it pretty clear that he opposes the policies and ideologies of the current sitting president, and is an enthusiastic advocate for the inclusion of women in the industry. He even served as a judge for this year’s Girls Make Games demo day alongside wholesome Xbox counterpart Phil Spencer.