Slashdot Mirror
Rockstar Employees Badly Overworked, Say Wives
juicegg writes "Wives of Rockstar Games employees in San Diego recently published an open letter on their Gamasutra blog. The authors say that Rockstar employees are seriously strained by unending crunch periods of 12-hour work days and 6-day weeks. High levels of stress are leading to serious psychological and physical problems for some of the employees. They charge that studio management uses arbitrary, deceptive and manipulative practices to get employees to work more unpaid overtime hours at greater intensity — despite over $1 billion in Grand Theft Auto revenue. Among the blog comments, some current and past Rockstar employees are confirming problems with the studio. 'Ex Rocker' writes: 'What makes R* crunch periods different then any other studio is that they tell you the game has to be finished in 6 months, so let's start our final push to get this awesome game out there! 6 months turns into 1 year, 1 year turns into 2.' Other comments reveal worker hopelessness and general mismanagement at the San Diego studio. This turmoil is affecting development on upcoming games as well."
Read on for responses from Rockstar itself and other members of the industry.
An anonymous reader adds, "Everyone is talking about the fact Rockstar Games has addressed the accusations that it has forced developers at Rockstar San Diego into unpaid overtime to finish imminent titles. But I've noticed that a former GTA3/Manhunt designer (Chris Kruger) has a comment in this piece published Thursday about crunch in studios, suggesting the problem goes beyond Rockstar San Diego and is company-wide.
He says in Develop's Jury-style debate that the damage caused by excessive overtime can upend the out-of-work relationships developers have: 'Crunch is totally damaging, but much more so to the individuals involved. An almost failed marriage in my case. To the company the cost of crunch is very hard to define but any benefit at all is easy to measure. That's why it's such an easy decision to make for most companies. Unless there is a push back and the cost is made clear, it won't change. In my view self regulation doesn't work, and the only real solution is external regulation or utter agreement from the vast majority of staff on how to approach the matter.'
There's no easy way around the topic, but crunch is clearly damaging. When will the management at game studios address this troubling issue properly?"
He says in Develop's Jury-style debate that the damage caused by excessive overtime can upend the out-of-work relationships developers have: 'Crunch is totally damaging, but much more so to the individuals involved. An almost failed marriage in my case. To the company the cost of crunch is very hard to define but any benefit at all is easy to measure. That's why it's such an easy decision to make for most companies. Unless there is a push back and the cost is made clear, it won't change. In my view self regulation doesn't work, and the only real solution is external regulation or utter agreement from the vast majority of staff on how to approach the matter.'
There's no easy way around the topic, but crunch is clearly damaging. When will the management at game studios address this troubling issue properly?"
Christ that is gay.
Oh, back to the topic at hand. Rockstar employees: if you don't like there it find a new job.
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
When you find that magic bullet, please let us know. Meanwhile, corporations with their hands stuffed comfortably up politician's rectums,
Quitting would be a start. Internal organization and negotiation would be another (but not up to union level)
they've managed to convince everyone that unions are bad, mkay? Fucking ridiculous.
While power hungry bozos try to convince people that's better to form a union that's going to totally screw-up relations with employers (ok, in this case, can't get any worse), go against the wish of the majority of the employees (more than one time) and charge them on top of it.
(looks like the government, doesn't it)
Fucking ridiculous.
how long until
I've worked as an engineer for 20 years in an industry famous for it's unions: automotive. I get a smile on my face every time I read articles like this.
First I want to address the tech side of this post. Why is it "IT" this and "IT" that...... as if it's only happening to people who develop games or work on computers for a living? I understand this is an IT centric website (which I read because I write code on the side), but a good cold dose of reality might help IT and programming folks. "Crunch" time goes on it every job that involves bringing a product to market, and it's been going on for hundreds of years. From cars to the bottling industry to programmers, every one has it. A new program launch can take upwards of 4 years and if you're needed on it you're working on it. You really don't have a say short of leaving the company. 14 hours days 6 and 7 days a week are the norm for launches - if nothing goes wrong. Right now I'm on a launch that has been going on for 6 years. This is the reality of working in these industries. Blame the 'managers' all you like, but until someone smarter than everyone who has been in those positions finds a way to make it better, that's just the way it is.
I hesitate to call it whining, but all too often on this site I see just that. I see people who seem to think they are somehow unique in experiencing these problems. I have programmer friends who complain about their 10 and 12 hour days (paid), and yet I'm 8 with an expected 2-3 of casual overtime everyday. I have programmer friends who complain about outsourcing and foreign workers, yet happily drive Lexii' and BMW's.
The IT industry isn't particularly more special that any other engineering occupation - and the other engineering occupations have been doing these things and dealing with them for a far longer time than the fledgling computer-folks have. Mod it trollish if you feel like, but it's time folks realize this is a worldwide problem, and not just some issue the folks in silicon valley have to deal with on a daily basis. It's competition, and competition drives us to gain every edge we can - including pushing assets (people) much harder than we probably should.
With regards to unions, if you truly don't believe that they brainwash their people by telling them what they want to here, talk to administrative assistants who refuse to be called secretaries. Talk to people who literally turn a bolt all day but think they should be paid consummate with engineers who have to take risks and responsibility that could get people killed should something go wrong.
Unions in the automotive industry have served to vastly over-inflate the self-worth of many, many employees. They have also served to protect jobs that should have been eliminated, and to protect people that should have been let go.
Or you could just stop complaining about how expensive American products are in general....
12-hour work days and 6-day weeks
Come on. That is my regular work schedule plus a few more hours in the evening when I feel like it. It's what comes with having exempt pay status. Only in California is that considered inhumane. If they employees don't like it, they should get another job that pays more or has better hours.
Right...and raped women are responsible for their rape.