As a game art student, I'll likely end up in the games industry. Although I don't really mind witch field I go into, weather it be film or game. With the current financial climate, I really need to review the current health of the industry and how it's going to change over the coming years.
From the outside, the industry seems to be doing fine. Games sales are high and console sales seem to be steady. People want games. I think with games becoming more popular, top companies, such as EA, will struggle to struggle, whereas smaller indie type companies might fall under the pressure.
In terms of employees health, I read an article entitled; "Rockstar Spouse accuses dev of pushing its employees to the brink". It explains how Rockstar San Diego employees claimed working conditions within the studio had become increasingly intolerable. According to a poorly worded letter published by Gamasutra, employees are expected to work 12 hour days, including Saturdays, or face disciplinary action. Conditions, said the letter, have steadily deteriorated since March of 2009, causing employees to suffer from stress and associated health problems. This shows that there is a lot of stress within the industry in order to churn out the games before the deadlines. Until the climate is stronger, this kind of thing could occur more often within the bigger companies.
I read that 2009 was in second place for the amount of industry turnover, surpassed only by 2008. This being said it has come as a psychological blow to the industry, which has suffered uninterrupted growth for years. I just hope that when I apply for a job, that the industry is even stronger, and that high pressures don't affect me for the wrong reasons.
From the outside, the industry seems to be doing fine. Games sales are high and console sales seem to be steady. People want games. I think with games becoming more popular, top companies, such as EA, will struggle to struggle, whereas smaller indie type companies might fall under the pressure.
In terms of employees health, I read an article entitled; "Rockstar Spouse accuses dev of pushing its employees to the brink". It explains how Rockstar San Diego employees claimed working conditions within the studio had become increasingly intolerable. According to a poorly worded letter published by Gamasutra, employees are expected to work 12 hour days, including Saturdays, or face disciplinary action. Conditions, said the letter, have steadily deteriorated since March of 2009, causing employees to suffer from stress and associated health problems. This shows that there is a lot of stress within the industry in order to churn out the games before the deadlines. Until the climate is stronger, this kind of thing could occur more often within the bigger companies.
I read that 2009 was in second place for the amount of industry turnover, surpassed only by 2008. This being said it has come as a psychological blow to the industry, which has suffered uninterrupted growth for years. I just hope that when I apply for a job, that the industry is even stronger, and that high pressures don't affect me for the wrong reasons.
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