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Read the last sentence before taking quotes out of context - "being a lead is all about responsibility". If you're the lead and things start going south on you

by ajg1977 15y ago

Read the last sentence before taking quotes out of context - "being a lead is all about responsibility". If you're the lead and things start going south on your project then you'd better be prepared to start leading and taking on whatever is needed to get your game shipped. I know it's cool to preach about working smarter instead of harder, but getting a game out of the door and into a box usually requires large doses of both.

joelburget 15y ago
I agree somewhat. Yes, a lead has more responsibility, and will work as hard as the other team members. Sometimes they may have to push to get the product shipped. That is a completely different thing than four hours of sleep a night for years.
- agavin 15y ago
  It's all of the above. As lead you have to fill in, to do what no one else wants to do, to keep try of all the things that need to be done in the say 48 hours to the next deadline and sort them by priority. But you often have to work just as long as the longest worker on the team if only out of solidarity. It's important that no one can ever say to you: "You took it easy, while I did the work." This principle is why Caesar, Alexander, and Napoleon were all beloved by their men. They dug in there with everyone else. Slept on the ground. Rode first into battle. All that. It seems silly, but don't underrate it. I can't tell you how many times someone would come to me at 4 in the morning before a deadline and say how much they appreciated that I was there. No one wants to feel used.
potatolicious 15y ago
The game industry puts this type of workload on more than just leads and managers - the rank and file toil for long hours with miserable pay (compared to the rest of the industry). There are a few exceptions to the rule - studios where life resembles something like normal, and crunch time is an anomaly, not year-round. They are few and far between though. I grew up in Vancouver where EA has its largest studio presence, and the number of burned out game devs I've met is a little scary. Video games is like Hollywood - it's glamorous, and has the tendency to suck in some great talent, chew them up, and spit them by the curb 2-4 years down the road. And this will not change so long as there's a lineup of talented artists and developers out the door and around the block waiting for their crack at what may just be the worst working environment known to software-dom in this country.
- stmartin 15y ago
  Games are the worst type of time waste, a dopamine inducing addiction that is extremely difficult to get rid of. Fortunately, it's mostly kids that are hooked on it and they have plenty of time to waste. The whole lot of them outgrow it (as I did). Video games serve no purpose whatsoever other than to line someone's pockets with money.

by ajg1977 15y ago

joelburget 15y ago

I agree somewhat. Yes, a lead has more responsibility, and will work as hard as the other team members. Sometimes they may have to push to get the product shipped. That is a completely different thing than four hours of sleep a night for years.

agavin 15y ago
It's all of the above. As lead you have to fill in, to do what no one else wants to do, to keep try of all the things that need to be done in the say 48 hours to the next deadline and sort them by priority. But you often have to work just as long as the longest worker on the team if only out of solidarity. It's important that no one can ever say to you: "You took it easy, while I did the work." This principle is why Caesar, Alexander, and Napoleon were all beloved by their men. They dug in there with everyone else. Slept on the ground. Rode first into battle. All that. It seems silly, but don't underrate it. I can't tell you how many times someone would come to me at 4 in the morning before a deadline and say how much they appreciated that I was there. No one wants to feel used.

potatolicious 15y ago

The game industry puts this type of workload on more than just leads and managers - the rank and file toil for long hours with miserable pay (compared to the rest of the industry). There are a few exceptions to the rule - studios where life resembles something like normal, and crunch time is an anomaly, not year-round. They are few and far between though. I grew up in Vancouver where EA has its largest studio presence, and the number of burned out game devs I've met is a little scary. Video games is like Hollywood - it's glamorous, and has the tendency to suck in some great talent, chew them up, and spit them by the curb 2-4 years down the road. And this will not change so long as there's a lineup of talented artists and developers out the door and around the block waiting for their crack at what may just be the worst working environment known to software-dom in this country.

stmartin 15y ago
Games are the worst type of time waste, a dopamine inducing addiction that is extremely difficult to get rid of. Fortunately, it's mostly kids that are hooked on it and they have plenty of time to waste. The whole lot of them outgrow it (as I did). Video games serve no purpose whatsoever other than to line someone's pockets with money.