3 ms·

I guess the articles impact is that it's surprising that a company with a track record of producing high quality games would have so many alleged issues on the

I guess the articles impact is that it's surprising that a company with a track record of producing high quality games would have so many alleged issues on the inside. Of course, whether or not you find it surprising is down to experience.

brown9-2 16y ago
I could be wrong but I believe "RockStar Games" is one of those studios/companies that got so huge from their initial success as a small studio and innovators that the company size exploded into several satelite divisions/studios/etc, until the point where it becomes just another Big Corporation. Personally I can't believe how anyone who works in game development can sign up for such an experience knowing all the horror stories and "crunch time" requirements that are out there. It seems to take a huge act of willful delusion going into it to think that you're going to come out the other end with a positive experience. There's an expression about how those in charge only have the power that the people below give them, I can't understand how the rank-and-file in game development are so willing to go from 40-hour to 72-hour work weeks without any extra compensation. There are better options out there for you as an employee.
stonemetal 16y ago
That is the thing though, the rockstar that is famous for pretty much everything rockstar is famous for is in Europe ( Edinburgh, Scotland to be precise.) So it is a little disingenuous to say he is working for a company with a history of quality. He works for a company that was bought by a company with a history of releasing quality products not quite the same thing.
- kenjackson 16y ago
  Except Rockstar San Diego has delivered some great content including the game this article seems to be about. RDR has won multiple 2010 "Game of the Year" awards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dead_Redemption#Awards http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dead_Redemption#Awards), had great reviews, and incredible sales. It's also the same studio that produced the Midnight Club series, one of the best racing series and the one that really brought the open terrain racer to market. It seems like a relatively small studio, but one that has a very solid track record -- at least if you just look at the games it produces.
bmj 16y ago
I've not worked at a game studio, but I have worked at an interactive design studio, and the basic story is the same. The artists, Flash devs, and creative directors put up with a mind-boggling amount of mistreatment[1] from management in order to build up a professional portfolio. There was a high level of turnover in the creative department, however, because once a portfolio was built, the designer would attempt to find greener grasses. [1] 12 hour days were pretty normal for a lot of folks, and our poor Flash dev, who was pretty darn good, often worked for days straight.

brown9-2 16y ago

I could be wrong but I believe "RockStar Games" is one of those studios/companies that got so huge from their initial success as a small studio and innovators that the company size exploded into several satelite divisions/studios/etc, until the point where it becomes just another Big Corporation. Personally I can't believe how anyone who works in game development can sign up for such an experience knowing all the horror stories and "crunch time" requirements that are out there. It seems to take a huge act of willful delusion going into it to think that you're going to come out the other end with a positive experience. There's an expression about how those in charge only have the power that the people below give them, I can't understand how the rank-and-file in game development are so willing to go from 40-hour to 72-hour work weeks without any extra compensation. There are better options out there for you as an employee.

stonemetal 16y ago

That is the thing though, the rockstar that is famous for pretty much everything rockstar is famous for is in Europe ( Edinburgh, Scotland to be precise.) So it is a little disingenuous to say he is working for a company with a history of quality. He works for a company that was bought by a company with a history of releasing quality products not quite the same thing.

kenjackson 16y ago
Except Rockstar San Diego has delivered some great content including the game this article seems to be about. RDR has won multiple 2010 "Game of the Year" awards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dead_Redemption#Awards http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dead_Redemption#Awards), had great reviews, and incredible sales. It's also the same studio that produced the Midnight Club series, one of the best racing series and the one that really brought the open terrain racer to market. It seems like a relatively small studio, but one that has a very solid track record -- at least if you just look at the games it produces.

bmj 16y ago

I've not worked at a game studio, but I have worked at an interactive design studio, and the basic story is the same. The artists, Flash devs, and creative directors put up with a mind-boggling amount of mistreatment[1] from management in order to build up a professional portfolio. There was a high level of turnover in the creative department, however, because once a portfolio was built, the designer would attempt to find greener grasses. [1] 12 hour days were pretty normal for a lot of folks, and our poor Flash dev, who was pretty darn good, often worked for days straight.