> But this is a problem outside the game industry too
There is definitely a parallel in film and animation as well.
Underpaid, worn out talented people are legion in production and post-production.
> “You’d get a lot of people coming right out of school, going, ‘Oh I really want to prove myself, and I really want to make sure that they see that I’m contributing,’(...) They either worked themselves out and would get sick or would become bitter.”
Part of this happens because management does its job well in the first place, that is stretching resources to the max. But let's not forget it happens with the tacit consent of the burned out crew.
Unrealistic optimism, the excitement of being part of something big, the belief that this "crunch" is only temporary are also to blame. All that is understandable and unfortunately, these seem to be a part of the creative process.
> “[People who] take a lot of pride in this product are the people who are going to kill themselves. And those are the people you really don’t want killing themselves because they have the most value in the company.”
Perhaps more transparency is needed on the part of the crew or communication/education with their peers—especially with freshly graduated ones. One of the issues is that everybody knows this is toxic yet tends to accept the situation assuming this must be how production works.
There is definitely a parallel in film and animation as well. Underpaid, worn out talented people are legion in production and post-production.
> “You’d get a lot of people coming right out of school, going, ‘Oh I really want to prove myself, and I really want to make sure that they see that I’m contributing,’(...) They either worked themselves out and would get sick or would become bitter.”
Part of this happens because management does its job well in the first place, that is stretching resources to the max. But let's not forget it happens with the tacit consent of the burned out crew. Unrealistic optimism, the excitement of being part of something big, the belief that this "crunch" is only temporary are also to blame. All that is understandable and unfortunately, these seem to be a part of the creative process.
> “[People who] take a lot of pride in this product are the people who are going to kill themselves. And those are the people you really don’t want killing themselves because they have the most value in the company.”
Perhaps more transparency is needed on the part of the crew or communication/education with their peers—especially with freshly graduated ones. One of the issues is that everybody knows this is toxic yet tends to accept the situation assuming this must be how production works.