Somehow, these people have managed to adopt a wage-slave attitude toward one of the most remarkable and privileged careers in the world.
It's worth noticing that when the author says "wage-slave," we should take that to mean something more like "sick and tired of working 80-hour-plus weeks unpaid."
I’ll grant that it’s been 23 years since I used an outhouse or had to hunt for dinner, but I’m still thrilled by the incredibly decadent luxury of porcelain toilets and fast food.
Yes, because it's either survival training in the Alaskan wilderness or a slash-and-burn approach to human resources on the part of a game publisher at the end of their credit line. There is no middle ground, per this author.
Listening to them complain about it, you would they think that they are trapped in some disenfranchised third-world country forced to dig for blood diamonds to feed their families.
Right. Because sleeping under your desk or, if you're lucky, in a wiring closet between code reviews with mismanagement does tend to reduce one's visible enthusiasm for crashing the production schedule again. I get that.
To my great shock and disappointment, they never respond to this feedback with any sort of enlightenment or gratitude for my generous attempt at setting them free — usually, I just get rage.
People at the edge of their ability to even maintain, physically, mentally, emotionally – people not making ends meet, let alone their monthly bills – and being told even that isn’t enough to stave off the next schedule crunch, for some reason don’t react super-well to another condescending lecture from mismanagement about how lucky they are?! Shocker.
Apparently people can even “burn out” working too hard to make … video games….
I'll lay odds that it's okay to lose your temper in his shop… as long as you're him.
Making games is not a job — it’s an art.
What’s wage theft, then, Mister? A hobby of yours?
There’s nothing that can compensate people “fairly” for the sacrifices that great art requires.
Why do I get the idea this jerk uses these same persuasion skills, in much the same terms, in his personal life too? “I told you, Mom, we all need to buckle down now, if we’re going to really pursue our best excellence. No flinching next time!”
Anybody good enough to get hired to write games can get paid more to work on something else.
Something tells me that around the time this gentleman has decided to make a hire, he first has to unhinge his jaws to swallow his prey.
Don’t be in the game industry if you can’t love all 80 hours/week of it — you’re taking a job from somebody who would really value it.
Maybe don’t put people through an impossible gauntlet of conflicting expectations and unmet needs to satisfy some fetish for suffering and self-flagellation you think is your art.
Or, if you must and you do, then don’t be surprised what you see if you then look in their eyes.
founder of WildTangent Inc.
That clicks. The world-infamous bloatware vendor to crap commodity-computing OEMs everywhere. Bite me, Alex.
From the article:
It's worth noticing that when the author says "wage-slave," we should take that to mean something more like "sick and tired of working 80-hour-plus weeks unpaid."
Yes, because it's either survival training in the Alaskan wilderness or a slash-and-burn approach to human resources on the part of a game publisher at the end of their credit line. There is no middle ground, per this author.
Right. Because sleeping under your desk or, if you're lucky, in a wiring closet between code reviews with mismanagement does tend to reduce one's visible enthusiasm for crashing the production schedule again. I get that.
People at the edge of their ability to even maintain, physically, mentally, emotionally – people not making ends meet, let alone their monthly bills – and being told even that isn’t enough to stave off the next schedule crunch, for some reason don’t react super-well to another condescending lecture from mismanagement about how lucky they are?! Shocker.
I'll lay odds that it's okay to lose your temper in his shop… as long as you're him.
What’s wage theft, then, Mister? A hobby of yours?
Why do I get the idea this jerk uses these same persuasion skills, in much the same terms, in his personal life too? “I told you, Mom, we all need to buckle down now, if we’re going to really pursue our best excellence. No flinching next time!”
Something tells me that around the time this gentleman has decided to make a hire, he first has to unhinge his jaws to swallow his prey.
Maybe don’t put people through an impossible gauntlet of conflicting expectations and unmet needs to satisfy some fetish for suffering and self-flagellation you think is your art.
Or, if you must and you do, then don’t be surprised what you see if you then look in their eyes.
That clicks. The world-infamous bloatware vendor to crap commodity-computing OEMs everywhere. Bite me, Alex.
Thank you, I was hoping somebody would post a good rebuttal when I posted this :D
Rami Ismail has something to say.