https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj Notecards en-us 2019-02-13 15:24:00 UTC 2025-12-02 17:54:33 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Playcontrol.png ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851051 Link:]]> 2019-02-13 15:28:23 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851051 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851231 Link]]> 2019-02-13 15:28:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851231 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851382 Link:]]> 2019-02-13 15:28:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851382 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851556 Link:]]> 2019-02-13 15:29:09 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851556 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851745 Link:]]> 2019-02-13 15:29:23 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330851745 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330852827 “A survey conducted by the IGDA in 2015 found that 62 percent of developers said their jobs involved crunch and of those nearly one-third said crunch meant 50-59 hours of work a week... most common reason for developers leaving the video game industry was "poor quality of life." ”]]> 2019-02-13 15:30:59 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330852827 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330853170 “What steps can studios take to avoid crunch? ...after considering studio culture and the desire to be a team player so no one is let down. "Most, if not all of these people are your colleagues first and foremost so that communal peer pressure plays a much greater role in getting you to push than the decisions coming down from the hierarchy," admits Nosek.”]]> 2019-02-13 15:31:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330853170 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330853493 “ "Crunch has been prevalent in the games industry for decades, and while it’s not unique to the games industry, it has become a negative practice that has perpetuated for too long... It burns people out, discourages them from continuing in the industry, and has seriously negative effects on physical, mental, and social health." ”]]> 2019-02-13 15:32:05 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330853493 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330853729 The main point of the article is that their is a common problem in the video game industry where the designers passion for game making is used against them in order to push them harder and farther than they’re comfortable. Though the problem isn’t easy to fix since the designers also receive “communal pressure” to work harder from their colleagues, and want to make sure that they do their part.]]> 2019-02-13 15:32:30 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/330853729 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332671519 “...game studios... work their employees aggressively in pursuit of creating lavish virtual simulations for an industry now estimated to be worth $36 billion. Yet unlike Hollywood, which has had... unions for decades that protect workers across fields like screenwriting and voice acting, the game industry is largely decentralized. Studios exist all over the world, subject to disparate labor laws... ”]]> 2019-02-19 13:49:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332671519 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332671692 “...issues... unions could help with... included more inclusive policies for minority and LGBT employees like gender-neutral bathrooms, more transparent and proactive policies around workplace harassment aimed at holding management accountable, and improved industry-wide standards around benefits like internship compensation, severance, and healthcare.”]]> 2019-02-19 13:50:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332671692 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332672009 “...interrogating attendees’ knowledge of unions and trying to poke holes in the concept that unions are bulletproof protections against the game industry’s many perils... unions may control which jobs its members take and which projects their employers pursue... could be used to prevent studios from staffing up adequately... raised concerns about union abuses in unrelated industries... as evidence that unions can abuse their power.”]]> 2019-02-19 13:50:43 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332672009 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332672135 “...“The only reason that a lot of non-union commercials or episodic television or movies mirror working conditions is because those working conditions unions set become standard.” ...first contracts are rarely “home runs” for workers, but that they form the basis for further bargaining and help workers build better projections over time through renegotiations.”]]> 2019-02-19 13:51:02 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332672135 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332706762 “...Telltale was a studio of under 100 people, small... the win established Telltale as a successful developer that valued storytelling and character development above all else... tripling its headcount over just a few years... capture the attention of some of Hollywood’s most well-loved franchises, delivering spinoff games... that focused on narrative and emotional investment instead of action or bombastic set pieces.”]]> 2019-02-19 14:47:27 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332706762 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332707329 “...the success of The Walking Dead spurred the company to expand rapidly: in order to suit both its growing ambitions and keep investors happy... “We went from a small and scrappy team to kind of a giant studio full of 300-plus people,” says former Telltale programmer and designer Andrew Langley... “You walk around the office, and you don’t really recognize anybody anymore.” ”]]> 2019-02-19 14:47:56 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332707329 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332707697 “Former employees describe Telltale in its early days as a small, tight-knit group with a strong sense of camaraderie. New hires trickled in slowly. Upper management had been much less involved in the day-to-day, and developers were given more freedom to do their jobs as they saw best.”]]> 2019-02-19 14:48:26 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332707697 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332707914 “...a lack of communication among employees bred confusion. “Very rarely people were writing things down on a wiki or a confluence page or any sort of documentation,” says a former employee. “People were shifting so often that you would hear a version of a story that was actually weeks old, and the person telling you has no idea because that’s the last thing they heard.” ”]]> 2019-02-19 14:48:47 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332707914 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332708759 “One of the defining characteristics of labor issues in the video game industry is that companies tend to treat workers as disposable. If you are a good artist but you don’t want to deal with the crunch, the culture, or the job insecurity, don’t worry — someone else will. And yet, people still long for these jobs. They want to make games.”]]> 2019-02-19 14:49:56 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332708759 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332709243 “Individual developers have to build their lives around the studios they work for. They have to move to certain cities and work specific hours that often include 14-hour days, weekends, and sleeping at the office. And the companies on the other side of those bargains don’t feel the need to make any guarantees or to offer any protections.”]]> 2019-02-19 14:50:33 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332709243 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332709541 “It (Telltale Games) kept its staff on and in the dark about its precarious financial position, and then on Friday, September 21, it laid off 250 people. The company was trying to secure a last-minute funding deal. When that fell through, it didn’t have enough money to pay out severances to its staff.”]]> 2019-02-19 14:50:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332709541 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332710321 The main message of this article is that the video game industry can and does take advantage of how many people have aspirations to be a video game designer. They pick and choose only those that are talented and willing to put up with poor treatment to achieve their dreams. Thusly, video game designers are treated unfairly and are often overworked to the point that they become depressed, and or, retire early. ]]> 2019-02-19 14:52:20 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332710321 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332710925 “...most contractors work on-site for an hourly rate that starts at $15. They are often treated like employees, but without the benefits and protections... Many contractors are frustrated that they can't land a full-time position. Some of the contractors... feel mistreated and even mislead by managers who dangle the possibility of full employment, but rarely follow through... this is known as "employment misclassification." ”]]> 2019-02-19 14:53:19 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332710925 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332711260 “Some contractors choose to live this way, and they enjoy the freedom and variety it offers. High-end contractors can earn more than $100 an hour, working from home.”]]> 2019-02-19 14:53:53 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332711260 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332711735 “Due to tax and employment laws, companies can only employ contractors for a limited time. There are also restrictions on contractors' activities, such as attending company meetings. According to contractors Polygon spoke to, these regulations are widely flouted, with part-timers treated much the same as employees, right up until their contracts are terminated.”]]> 2019-02-19 14:54:32 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332711735 ndealey001 https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332712012 “If a company is audited or there's a misclassification lawsuit, one of the first questions is going to be whether the contractor was invited to company meetings, company excursions and official social events. To keep inside these red lines, savvy employers exclude contractors from community events.”]]> 2019-02-19 14:54:57 UTC https://padlet.com/ndealey001/aoshd23yq8aj/wish/332712012