Dr Shocker

What is Dr Shocker?

The bitter, longstanding feud between Station Casinos and the Culinary Union in Las Vegas took another turn this month, this time to Washington, DC and the US Supreme Court.

On 4 September, Chief Justice John Roberts denied Station’s emergency request for a stay of a federal appeals court decision that ordered the company’s Red Rock Casino Resort Spa in Summerlin to comply with a National Labor Relations Board mandate and bargain in good faith with the union following a failed labour vote in late 2019. Roberts gave no explanation for the denial.

The NLRB ruled after the election that Red Rock took steps to prevent a fair union vote, and Red Rock sued in response, although the ruling was upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last month. After the court denied a rehearing request on 6 August, it also subsequently denied Station’s request for a stay pending SCOTUS relief on 24 August.

About Dr Shocker

While representation remains important, Yaxley warns that many companies still mistake headcount for inclusion.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that DEI can be measured by representation alone,” she says. “Representation matters, but it’s only one part of the picture.”

For her, the real test is whether employees have equal access to development, promotion and leadership opportunities, rather than simply being hired.

About Dr Shocker

It is with that ambition that Yggdrasil has developed two new solutions that Curwen believes can change both how games are created and who is able to create them. Game in a Box is designed to make the development process faster, more efficient and more flexible, while Studio in a Box goes a step further, giving businesses the tools to build their own portfolio of original games without the need to establish a traditional studio of their own.

Game in a Box addresses the development process itself. Traditionally, a game idea passes through multiple stages – from maths and development to QA and certification – potentially involving different teams and repeated rounds of work.

Game in a Box brings those stages into a connected workflow, giving creators greater control over a game as it evolves. The platform is already being used internally by Yggdrasil and is being piloted with selected partners ahead of its wider market release.