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Sounds like you have an interesting perspective. Was there any specific events that led to you changing your opinion? What do you think about the future of the

Sounds like you have an interesting perspective. Was there any specific events that led to you changing your opinion? What do you think about the future of the games industry?

bsenftner 6y ago
Actually, it was working at one specific studio I will not name. The working conditions were absurd - a low rent building with no ceiling between the workers and the roof, the roof had birds that routinely crapped on people's heads and not a single thing was done about it. The building was surrounded by homeless camps, and going to lunch was both risky and overly expensive as the places to eat were all high end hipsters joints. The studio owners openly discussed how much money they were making (tens of millions) while being aggressive dicks to all their staff. At one point there was an "engine crisis" and one of the lead engineers fixed the situation by bringing in his own home made game engine from before being hired, and he recreated the in-production game himself over the weekend to prove his engine could handle the situation - the studio owners refused to pay him for his engine and threated legal action if he took it back. That was it. I was openly showing management displeasure and they found a reason to fire me soon thereafter. I went into VFX and never looked back. As far as a future for the games industry - they need a whole #I_was_enslaved_too movement. I won't even get into the difficultly in getting anyone in the game industry to recognize the need for better industry ethics across the board - in every aspect, every nook and every cranny of the industry it is corrupted pretty extreme.
- mekkkkkk 6y ago
  That sounds like a nightmare. I'm glad you got out. It's so sad to hear these stories. Game development has such great potential to be a stimulating workplace in the mix of tech, storytelling and art. On paper it is a fantastic blend. Alas, everyone I've spoken to that's been in the industry has similar horror stories to share. The workforce seems to be regarded as expendable. Investments dictates strategy that ends up being anti-consumer. Maybe this is the same thing that happens in TV or music, when you have big money combined with an endless supply of dreamers that wants to be part of it no matter what? For someone who is interested in making games (like yours truly), the only viable way forward appears to be the hobbyist/indie route. To ever get discovered without a herculean effort and a massive dollop of luck seems quite unlikely though.
  - bsenftner 6y ago
    Put your creative energies into interactive digital art. Seriously. Museums are hungry for digital art, and the "digital artists" out there are not very sophisticated, technologically. Exercise your intellectual art mind-fuck muscles a bit and you could make a name in the serious art world.

Sounds like you have an interesting perspective. Was there any specific events that led to you changing your opinion? What do you think about the future of the games industry?

bsenftner 6y ago

Actually, it was working at one specific studio I will not name. The working conditions were absurd - a low rent building with no ceiling between the workers and the roof, the roof had birds that routinely crapped on people's heads and not a single thing was done about it. The building was surrounded by homeless camps, and going to lunch was both risky and overly expensive as the places to eat were all high end hipsters joints. The studio owners openly discussed how much money they were making (tens of millions) while being aggressive dicks to all their staff. At one point there was an "engine crisis" and one of the lead engineers fixed the situation by bringing in his own home made game engine from before being hired, and he recreated the in-production game himself over the weekend to prove his engine could handle the situation - the studio owners refused to pay him for his engine and threated legal action if he took it back. That was it. I was openly showing management displeasure and they found a reason to fire me soon thereafter. I went into VFX and never looked back. As far as a future for the games industry - they need a whole #I_was_enslaved_too movement. I won't even get into the difficultly in getting anyone in the game industry to recognize the need for better industry ethics across the board - in every aspect, every nook and every cranny of the industry it is corrupted pretty extreme.

mekkkkkk 6y ago
That sounds like a nightmare. I'm glad you got out. It's so sad to hear these stories. Game development has such great potential to be a stimulating workplace in the mix of tech, storytelling and art. On paper it is a fantastic blend. Alas, everyone I've spoken to that's been in the industry has similar horror stories to share. The workforce seems to be regarded as expendable. Investments dictates strategy that ends up being anti-consumer. Maybe this is the same thing that happens in TV or music, when you have big money combined with an endless supply of dreamers that wants to be part of it no matter what? For someone who is interested in making games (like yours truly), the only viable way forward appears to be the hobbyist/indie route. To ever get discovered without a herculean effort and a massive dollop of luck seems quite unlikely though.
- bsenftner 6y ago
  Put your creative energies into interactive digital art. Seriously. Museums are hungry for digital art, and the "digital artists" out there are not very sophisticated, technologically. Exercise your intellectual art mind-fuck muscles a bit and you could make a name in the serious art world.