(no subject)

[technoir]

for those who think making a game is all fun and games allow me to share an article from play this thing. Now the entire industry is not like this exactly but it is a picture.

http://playthisthing.com/mothers-dont-let-your-children-grow-be-game-developers


"Mike Capps, head of Epic, and a former member of the board of directors of the International Game Developers Association, during the IGDA Leadership Forum in late 08, spoke at a panel entitled Studio Heads on the Hot Seat, in which, among other things, he claimed that working 60+ hours was expected at Epic, that they purposefully hired people they anticipated would work those kinds of hours, that this had nothing to do with exploitation of talent by management but was instead a part of "corporate culture," and implied that the idea that people would work a mere 40 hours was kind of absurd."

Comments

[solfox.livejournal.com]

I might buy into that so long as he paid me a generous hourly wage plus all that overtime. If he's thinking salary, he can smoke my pole, because only in America and other countries with third world ideas can 'corporate culture' even begin to think such nonsense.

[samhaine.livejournal.com]

The explanation, when he gave that speech, was that the company is heavily into profit-sharing, so more employees means more slices out of the pie. He claims that existing employees would rather work longer hours than reduce their share of the profit. So, it may not be ethical, but it's at least rational.

However, I don't expect that such an opinion is unanimous even if it is pervasive.

[solfox.livejournal.com]

That all depends on the company's success and what their concept of 'profit sharing' is--a $2000 check at the end of the year may be "nice", but if I worked an additional twenty hours a week for that, I just got paid $2/hour for my work.

Even with successful titles, most (not all, but most) gaming companies hardly rake in the cash. I don't know where Epic stands in this regard, but I do know that aside from two titles its success is primarily in licensing (which may/may not be considered eligible for profit sharing), and that it uses capital to buy into other game companies--which one might say is evidence of its success, but may also be a sign that there isn't much remaining to "share". *shrugs*

If I'm to work more than 40 hours a week, I expect to get paid generously, and unless a company is demonstratively successful at sharing that pie, "profit sharing" just doesn't cut it. Make that end of the year check in the multiple tens of thousands, and I'll start considering it. =)

[pleroma.livejournal.com]

A coworker and I went to a nearby restaurant to grab something to eat. When we pulled in, there was a Lotus, a Mercedes-Benz (or some similar car), and another fancy ass car.

We saw some older, wealthy-looking guys with their family and some younger guys about our age or so. When the younger guys about our age or so got up to leave, they hopped in the fancy cars (including the Lotus) and drove off.

We were about two miles from where Epic supposedly is headquartered, so I guess that speaks volumes about their "profit sharing."

[solfox.livejournal.com]

Not really... since it's an assumption that any one of them has anything to do with Epic, at all, much less that even if they did that they were your run of the mill employees whose apparent wealth can be directly attributed to Epic's profit sharing.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Epic is bad, or anything like that... so don't feel pressured to jump to their defense. I am simply saying the proof is in the pudding, and frankly, most don't have any pudding, or have funny ideas about sharing (with lots of legalese and fine print). Epic may be great, who knows (I don't), but in the pervasive "corporate culture" that exists, today--and furthermore, as part of the gaming industry--I'd have to see it for myself, because "great" is a very rare thing, indeed. =)

[shumashi.livejournal.com]

My boss really hates that kind of thinking. We have a strict no overtime policy in the lab. 40 hours a week. That's it. If you need more time, cut features.

[outlawcoon.livejournal.com]

I wish my job had that policy.

Wow 60 hours a week

[rltrlarper.livejournal.com]

I wish I could that few hours.