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I can't tell if there's a trace of sarcasm in the comment, so for the avoidance of doubt, I'll link to a pretty good lay read on issues in the game industry. h

I can't tell if there's a trace of sarcasm in the comment, so for the avoidance of doubt, I'll link to a pretty good lay read on issues in the game industry. https://time.com/5603329/e3-video-game-creators-union/ https://time.com/5603329/e3-video-game-creators-union/

quest88 7y ago
That's the game industry. I want to know about this specific company. The original article doesn't say why.
quest88 7y ago
As a side note on the gaming industry: That industry seems notoriously bad so I wonder why people keep joining it. It also seems competitive to get in. So, to me, it seems like people know what they're getting themselves into before joining.
- dblohm7 7y ago
  > That industry seems notoriously bad so I wonder why people keep joining it. Because kids romanticize it and think that their job will involve playing video games all day.
- richdougherty 7y ago
  People want to work on computer games for non financial reasons so they'll take lower pay and accept worse conditions. Similar examples are the film or music industries.
- mattsfrey 7y ago
  Game development is exceptionally fun and engaging as far as software goes, so the supply/demand ratio is much more skewed. I would agree people are likely aware of the worse working conditions and pay etc, but are just passionate about it enough to do it anyway. I was an amateur game developer that always imagined a career in game dev but after learning about the economics of it went with more general commercial software as a career, but I still envy game devs for the work they get to do and their overall satisfaction with that work. --EDIT: It's also worth noting that if you are on the digital content side of game dev like modeling and mapping there's not a ton of alternative options for practicing those skillsets professionally, unlike programming.
- manfredo 7y ago
  Making games is a lot of people's passion. This inflates the supply of labor for game development, which reduces cost (as well as lowering expectations for stability, work life balance, etc.) It's hard to negotiate for good work life balance and wages, when people are enamored with game development and willing to tolerate crunch time and cyclical labor demand.
stickfigure 7y ago
You're probably confusing Glitch (the company that used to be Fog Creek) with Glitch (the video game that led to the creation of Slack). Different company, different industry.
Grimm1 7y ago
The game industry treats people horribly and there is obvious collusion to keep wages suppressed I would expect attempts to form unions there. I'm still however not sold on the idea that tech in general needs unions, but am open to the idea that it may be a variable need company to company for certain groups of people. Just don't make me have to join one, because I am fairly convinced it's not in my best personal interest and same for a lot of other tech workers like me.
pdkl95 7y ago
In addition to this article, a very good video discussing unions in the game industry that includes an interview with Game Workers Unite and testimonials from people working in the industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TSB5YQqDiY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TSB5YQqDiY

quest88 7y ago

That's the game industry. I want to know about this specific company. The original article doesn't say why.

quest88 7y ago

As a side note on the gaming industry: That industry seems notoriously bad so I wonder why people keep joining it. It also seems competitive to get in. So, to me, it seems like people know what they're getting themselves into before joining.

dblohm7 7y ago
> That industry seems notoriously bad so I wonder why people keep joining it. Because kids romanticize it and think that their job will involve playing video games all day.
richdougherty 7y ago
People want to work on computer games for non financial reasons so they'll take lower pay and accept worse conditions. Similar examples are the film or music industries.
mattsfrey 7y ago
Game development is exceptionally fun and engaging as far as software goes, so the supply/demand ratio is much more skewed. I would agree people are likely aware of the worse working conditions and pay etc, but are just passionate about it enough to do it anyway. I was an amateur game developer that always imagined a career in game dev but after learning about the economics of it went with more general commercial software as a career, but I still envy game devs for the work they get to do and their overall satisfaction with that work. --EDIT: It's also worth noting that if you are on the digital content side of game dev like modeling and mapping there's not a ton of alternative options for practicing those skillsets professionally, unlike programming.
manfredo 7y ago
Making games is a lot of people's passion. This inflates the supply of labor for game development, which reduces cost (as well as lowering expectations for stability, work life balance, etc.) It's hard to negotiate for good work life balance and wages, when people are enamored with game development and willing to tolerate crunch time and cyclical labor demand.

stickfigure 7y ago

You're probably confusing Glitch (the company that used to be Fog Creek) with Glitch (the video game that led to the creation of Slack). Different company, different industry.

Grimm1 7y ago

The game industry treats people horribly and there is obvious collusion to keep wages suppressed I would expect attempts to form unions there. I'm still however not sold on the idea that tech in general needs unions, but am open to the idea that it may be a variable need company to company for certain groups of people. Just don't make me have to join one, because I am fairly convinced it's not in my best personal interest and same for a lot of other tech workers like me.

pdkl95 7y ago

In addition to this article, a very good video discussing unions in the game industry that includes an interview with Game Workers Unite and testimonials from people working in the industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TSB5YQqDiY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TSB5YQqDiY