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Industry Group to Set Video Games Work Standards
Chris Reimer writes "C|Net News is reporting that a new industry group will establish ethics and work standards for video game workers. From the article: 'With an aging work force of video game creators, the game industry is going through growing pains similar to what Hollywood once experienced. Today there are more programmers, artists and producers in their 30s, 40s and 50s, many with families, who are looking for better pay, fewer work hours and improved benefits. PEER will focus on representing these experienced programmers.'" This is more information on an organization that we've previously talked about (related, below).
They don't make new and innovative...they make what sells. And people that play games rarely want something new. They want something that is fun. And whats fun is fun, whether its new or not. Having said that, I think that with the new wave of consoles we are coming upon new things. From the sounds of the new Elder Scrolls, its going to similar, but much better. New, well sort of. And whats wrong with shoot-em-ups? And finally, on the topic, I think that no one ever takes you seriously until you are in your thirties. So it makes sense that has the bulk of the game designers begin reaching the age when they expect to be taken seriously, they expect to be taken seriously.
Where sensible Health & Safety laws fine employers who don't do enough to make sure people don't work over 48 hours a week - and that includes on-call time. In our company, we all do 40 hour weeks. If you do more than eight hours of on call, you *must* get a day off the following week. In our French office, there is someone who is responsible for kicking people out by 18:00, in case they work too long by accident, or get carried away.
Don't listen to big business who say it harms the economy, to have people working like slaves. It does more damage to people and family to let them work those hours. It's amazing that it's a given that there are US laws to stop you poisoning yourself with cocaine, but not against killing yourself with work stress.
john
As I read this, what popped to mind was that they're acting like a union, but they don't want to call themselves a union. It's a sad commentary on unions that you have an organization negotiating with employers (or muscling them) for better pay, benefits, and working conditions for their employees, but it's "not a union."
It is a function of the industry maturing. The days when one or two people could sit down and turn out a killer game are pretty much gone - the technology has gotten too complex. It's also gotten to the point where the ability to hire the "young and foolish" is no longer a plus. The advanced skills needed are in the group of people who no longer feel like working 80+ hours a week.