Video game industry

[Kanaric]

This describes the software industry in general.

Pretty much describes the modern game industry in the fullest and explains a lot as to why most games sucks absolute dick lol.

BTW don't get a job in the software industry, its entirely for the purpose of selling a product to as many of people as possible and maximizing profits so you get no benefits, minimum pay, and salary yet you have to work 60 hours a week if not more.

The software, and i'm sure even more so the game industry, is BY FAR the worst industry to work in.

The reason why I post this here is that in most new industries they do not have a "union" background. You are literally slave labor. I work no where near as hard and get far better benefits at a grocery store or in the military than I did when I tried my hand at that . If you ever want to gain respect for unions, or career fields where they are supporting, you work in a place like this and realize that its the employers job to not only treat you like garbage but to get as much work out of you as possible with little help to you because they can fire you in an instant and hire someone immediately. This is how most fields in modern america work due to union busting and why the American Dream is dead. You need two salaries for your family and have TV raise your kid and have no life because of it. If you ever want to life the ideal "american dream" life its ironic that the military is one that offers this because its foundation is when america wasn't a hellhole to work. Though its still the military, you have to do things that could be considered "slavelike" its not nearly as bad as reality outside. Other jobs like construction work where I have a number of friends make a good wage and have benefits. A job with a college degree (IT or software industry) you get paid 1/2 of what they do and have 0 benefits due to it being a post-union job. IDK why people are against unions in general when they are getting ed by it, it makes no sense that people would be against hourly pay, benefits, and the ability to have power against a company whose idea of profits is more often than not ing over their employees.

Compare the film and video game industry, same goals, same entertainment segment. I would MUCH rather be a gaffer or something like that in Transformers 3 or some schlub working in that industry than some slave making the next CoD. Its funny that I could go out work as a tuckpointer for my friend and make more having no degree than I did with a degree + experience in the IT and software industry where you are supposed to be "smart". I remember when schools lied to our faces saying a college degree was required for success and high pay when my friend makes 100k+ a year and has a GED and i've never made 40+ as a civilian when I spend almost 40 on a degree from a prestigious school. I wish I dropped out of school and went with his, education means literally nothing in America as all educated work is seemingly the slave industries and people wonder why nobody values education. The only people I know personally who make money and have a degree are chemists and people who work in law or medicine.

[Vanoi]

How is this political?

[Kanaric]

People believe in union busting and this is the result.

I can't understand why the average person is anti-union and I dont know how the corporations brainwashed the republican base who are more often than not these people who have no healthcare into thinking that they are bad for america especially considering how the "good old days" they always talk about most of the jobs int he US were union and people could pay for having a family with a stay at home wife and have all the healthcare they wanted without the government stepping in with like obama care.

The root of all of the problems we have today in the workplace in the US is a result of union busting. Illegal immigration, low wages, Obamacare/no healthare....

All new industries have no union base so they can pretty much treat workers how they want especially in todays economy where its a companies market for workers. People are paying a premium for an education entering wage slave hour industries with no healthcare meanwhile my friend in a union industry makes 100k + benefits and makes overtime.

The same goes for government workers as well, teachers making 20k a year and we wonder why our education system is so horrible.

This has everything to do with politics.

[HissingNewt]

I can't understand why the average person is anti-union

Because they look at Detroit and GM and don't see good things. They look at the political influence unions wield that allows them to get out of Obamacare and wonder why they're being treated better than the rest of us. That's why.

[xcorps]

You reallllly dig crazy hyperbole.

[mrmouth]

I want to work in the video game industry bb. Show me your bb.

[Count of Montesano]

Sorry Kanaric but I'm completely confused by your post. Did you go from the software industry into the military, or are you contemplating joining the military? I'm proud of my service in the US Army, but the military ain't no cakewalk. You have to deal with pretty horrible conditions in the field, put up with bad food, and sometimes abuse from superiors that would never be tolerated in the civilian world. And that's the situation in peacetime. I was lucky in that I only served in peacekeeping operations in Korea and Bosnia. I can't believe the stress the troops are undergoing in Afghanistan.

You are correct that the video gaming industry doesn't pay that well for the amount of hours required. But that's also true if you're the average actor, musician, or writer. I have a friend who now works creating video game graphics. She used to work in CGI for movies and told me that the software industry is far more lucrative than Hollywood. For years she worked 60-70 hour weeks for less than 30K a year, although she did get free food on set and some expenses paid when working on location. Part of your "pay" is getting a chance to see your name in the credits of a game.

The good paying jobs in tech involve creating software for medical billing, telecommunications, manufacturing, etc.

I'll be the first to agree with you that there's a huge power imbalance in America versus workers and companies. I'll also agree that power imbalance is pretty bad in the entire global economy. But you can still make good money as a white collar worker. Also, the grass isn't greener on the blue collar side. For every $100K worker, there's 2-3 who are making minimum wage or nothing at all. The recession hit blue collars the hardest.

[Ramashan]

I have a love hate relationship with unions, mostly because of my experience working in the film industry. I do have a friend who works in gaming, there were times where we would not see him for long stretches and he would return telling us that he pretty much lived at work for several days. He worked on the original Medal of Honor series and now works up at Lucas Ranch as a designer.

I myself just got off a stretch of work between April 1st and May 5th where I worked a little over 320 hours for the month. Took me about two weeks to recover and I get no OT. I work in video and event production.

When I worked in the film industry, worked my way from a Locations PA to 1st Camera assistant before an injury forced me out, although its unionized, you are not automatically entered into the union when you start. You have to work. I can't count the number of free gigs I did or 18 hour days with minimal turn arounds, sleeping in Penn Station sometimes working 48+ hours straight because of double booking myself.

The union does give the company rules it has to follow, and once your in or work under those rules, its freakin awesome. I once made $2000 in two days work due to overtime, meal penalty, and turn around bumps. Thing is, I was still working 8 straight hours before eating, an 18 hour day, and getting only a 6 hour turn. So, you still work, its just that you get paid for it.

Bottom line is, for certain jobs it can not be about the money, it has to be about the love of the job. Within reason of course. With deadline based industries they just solve everything by throwing money at the problem and make the workers work.

By the way, a Gaffer is a key job on a set that earns quite a bit of money, they are essentially the DP's right hand man in terms of lighting, head juicer more or less. Crap job would be a PA, you have to get to set before everyone, eat last, leave last, and literally pick up everyone's garbage and take flack from just about everyone (sometimes) but these folk typically are trying to work they're way in and learn the ropes, but, still, they get paid really well. But a lazy PA is a fired PA.

Anyone, I don't know if this ads anything to the conversation, its just some comments on my experience.

[Thema'zandaar]

First off, let's differentiate between video game industry and software industry.
Secondly, I don't know where you get your info, but I am in the software industry and it pays pretty well. Yes, you do need to put in long hours and be on call but you get paid for it. I also attended a recent info session in my former university and a software developer is in fact pretty well off, close to the top in fact, considering other professions.
I know there are some shmucks out there who offer next to nothing but any well-established company pays pretty well.

[beckyolt]

Lol, awesome video Kanaric +rep.

That teaches us a lesson: It's FAR better to play videogames than to develop them.

Seriously, people who work at videogame industry should get extremly good payments... since it's a very hard and demanding work, and makes a lot of money for the companies. But like you said, Videogame developers are basically slaves.

[Count of Montesano]

Lol, awesome video Kanaric +rep.

That teaches us a lesson: It's FAR better to play videogames than to develop them.

Seriously, people who work at videogame industry should get extremly good payments... since it's a very hard and demanding work, and makes a lot of money for the companies. But like you said, Videogame developers are basically slaves.

Not all payment is received in dollars. Video game development is a "glamor" profession, meaning you also get rewarded in bragging rights and the chance to see your name in the final credits.

It's also simply a question of supply and demand - lots more people want to work in the industry than there are jobs. It's a misnomer to say that video games as a whole make tons of money. Unless you're talking about a top title like WOW or Halo or the Sims, most video games do not turn a huge profit.

Finally, a lot depends on what studio you're working for. I have friends over at ArenaNet (makers of Guild Wars series) who work hard but are well compensated. I also know people who were at EA and talked about how much it sucked.

PS - my experience in the video game industry includes working as a freelance journalist. I've also worked as a web producer/content writer for the Xbox/Games for Windows team.

[xcorps]

What exactly is so "hard" about sitting at a computer all day. I do that on my days off.

[justicar5]

What exactly is so "hard" about sitting at a computer all day. I do that on my days off.

thats like asking whats hard about driving: nothing if you are doing it to relax, a lot if you are a truck driver.

Programing (especially high end programming) is a pita, so much thought has to go into it, (I did a little years ago, when I was attempting university and even that was a major challenge, even with the help I was getting)

[Ramashan]

What exactly is so "hard" about sitting at a computer all day. I do that on my days off.

It really does wear you down man. Usually your problem solving the entire time and then there's the exhaustion factor and the stress of getting the work done because eventually a deadline will be looming.

I did a 32 hours shift once at a computer editing and I was just a walking zombie when I was done and you start dreaming about the work. The other factor is, who wants to sit in front a computer for all those hours, even if they are paying you? It does get old working 15 hours a day 4 weeks in a row. You feel like you have no life. Sure, the money could be good, but what's the point if you don't have the time to do anything with it.

So, you zombie out for a week, then go and buy some nice stuff and take a vacation until the next round. But, I gotta tell ya, it does cause a little strain on relationships sometimes.

Unions are good for regulating these things and making sure people get paid. What they're not good for is protecting people and keeping people out. Much of my wear down work was on non-union gigs in order to get the hours in order to get into a union, and once there, work is not gauranteed,

[xcorps]

According to Game Developer Magazine’s annual salary survey, the median salary in the video game biz is $73,000.

OP:

Cry me a river. Slave labor my pimpled white buttocks.

It really does wear you down man. Usually your problem solving the entire time and then there's the exhaustion factor and the stress of getting the work done because eventually a deadline will be looming.

I did a 32 hours shift once at a computer editing and I was just a walking zombie when I was done and you start dreaming about the work. The other factor is, who wants to sit in front a computer for all those hours, even if they are paying you? It does get old working 15 hours a day 4 weeks in a row. You feel like you have no life. Sure, the money could be good, but what's the point if you don't have the time to do anything with it.

So, you zombie out for a week, then go and buy some nice stuff and take a vacation until the next round. But, I gotta tell ya, it does cause a little strain on relationships sometimes.

Unions are good for regulating these things and making sure people get paid. What they're not good for is protecting people and keeping people out. Much of my wear down work was on non-union gigs in order to get the hours in order to get into a union, and once there, work is not gauranteed,

Don't get me wrong, I was being hyperbolic, of course. But it was in context to the OP crying about the "slave labor" in the VIDEO GAME industry. I have no doubt that it's a high pressure high demand industry that takes a lot out of a person. It's nothing any different or any more (or less) difficult than any other profession.

But consider that most people don't become garbagemen for the love of garbage, or line cooks for the love of cooking.

[Gaidin]

What exactly is so "hard" about sitting at a computer all day. I do that on my days off.

Ever done applied math? Physics? Graphics programming? Hardcore memory management? Network programming? Artificial intelligence?

Now I'm not saying that every game has to do all of these things, much less do them well(though some do), but if you're making such a comment it's apparent you don't have a damn clue what goes into doing these things(much less doing them well).

[xcorps]

I will pass that on to the next bricklayer I run into.

"Man those guys in the casual wear in the AC sitting in a chair pecking on a keyboard all day are totally slaves."

[the_mango55]

I will pass that on to the next bricklayer I run into.

"Man those guys in the casual wear in the AC sitting in a chair pecking on a keyboard all day are totally slaves."

I built a tiny outdoor patio in my spare time, it was fun and easy, what's so hard about that?

[chamaeleo]

I will pass that on to the next bricklayer I run into.

"Man those guys in the casual wear in the AC sitting in a chair pecking on a keyboard all day are totally slaves."

The median expected salary for a typical Bricklayer in the United States is $45,709. Applies mortar to bricks and scrapes off excess. Lays and stacks bricks neatly in order to build walls and various structures. Requires a high school diploma and 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Has knowledge of commonly-used concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job. Works under immediate supervision. Typically reports to a supervisor.

http://www1.salary.com/Bricklayer-salary.html

Considering the bricklayer's already got ~5 years of experience/raises (closer to retirement, too) and is a unionized Journeyman by the time our prospective programmer's student loan payments kick in and his job hunt intensifies, I'm not sure a bricklayer would disagree with your assessment. Masonry's actually pretty fun and satisfying. Coding, not so much.

[kentuckybandit]

I remember when schools lied to our faces saying a college degree was required for success and high pay when my friend makes 100k+ a year and has a GED and i've never made 40+ as a civilian when I spend almost 40 on a degree from a prestigious school. I wish I dropped out of school and went with his, education means literally nothing in America as all educated work is seemingly the slave industries and people wonder why nobody values education. The only people I know personally who make money and have a degree are chemists and people who work in law or medicine.

Hehe, I do hear you on that. Four years for a BA in History and half way through my MA I simply stop because there is literally no school in the state hiring a full time social studies teacher. Ironically at the same time I am wasting all this money on degrees I am slaving away in an Amazon.com warehouse where I end up getting paid decent money and great benefits. To top it all off I now have enough years of plant experience that I am now looking at 40k+ a year jobs, if I am lucky enough to get hired for the position I am currently in the running for I will make more money than my wife, who has been a teacher for 6 years and has her National Board certification.

Moral of the story is, it doesn't always work like we planned, but in the end you just gotta pull up the straps and get to it. You may not be doing what you hoped you would be doing but if you can support your family and still have enough money and time to duff around here on forums, life ain't bad.