A woman who accused video game designer Chris Avellone of sexual assault opens up about her allegations and says it's time to oust abusers from the industry

Chris Avellone, a high-profile video game designer known for his work on "Planescape: Torment" and two "Fallout" games, has been accused of sexual assault.
One of Avellone's accusers, Karissa, told Business Insider that Avellone forcibly kissed her and then tried to put his hand down her pants while she was "blackout drunk" at a 2012 convention. She says he stopped when she told him "this isn't a good idea."
Avellone responded to the allegations on Twitter soon after they came to light, saying that he wanted to apologize.
Avellone has since been silent on social media and did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Since allegations involving Avellone surfaced, dozens of other women have accused senior men in the video games industry of sexual harassment, assault, or inappropriate behavior.

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A woman who accused high-profile video game designer Chris Avellone of sexual assault and helped spark an outpouring of similar claims against senior men in the industry has encouraged other victims of sexual misconduct to come forward.
Karissa, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition that her last name was not revealed, made the allegations against Avellone on social media on June 20. Since then, dozens of other women have accused senior men in the industry of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Avellone co-founded Obsidian Entertainment in 2003, and left the studio in 2015. Microsoft acquired the company in 2018.
He is best-known for his work on gaming classics like "Planescape: Torment", the "Icewind Dale" series, and two "Fallout" games.
Karissa initially said in public Twitter posts and in subsequent direct messages with Business Insider that Avellone kept buying her drinks at a convention she was attending in 2012 — eventually, she got "blackout drunk".
Avellone then forcibly kissed her, and tried to put his hand down her pants, she said.
A friend of Karissa's, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed to Business Insider that Karissa had told them about the alleged assault in 2014. A different friend confirmed to Bloomberg that Karissa had told them about the alleged incident a month after it happened.
Avellone responded to Karissa's accusations on Twitter in a flurry of tweets on June 20. He said he wanted to apologize but did not comment on specific details of the allegations.
He has not tweeted since.
He did not respond to multiple emails and direct messages from Business Insider.
'I didn't process what had actually happened until years later'
Karissa alleges that Avellone had assaulted her on the first night they met at a convention in 2012. She was attending the event.
"I was hanging out with some friends who knew him, and went with them to meet up with him and a couple others. I honestly didn't even know who...