Video Game Developers — Overworked, Underpaid, in Trouble
Work morale is being “crunched” away from passionate game creators
Picture this: a disgruntled staff of developers hunched over computers, hastily typing away at a foreign language of code, hoping to pump out anything before the impending deadline. Pizza boxes scattered throughout the office and empty coffee mugs constantly needing to be refilled. Stress, crying, a lack of escape. This is the gaming industry. The art of creating video games should be glorious. Days, months, more often years of dedication leading up to the point of release — it’s an immense feat that should invoke pride in the creators.
The dedication that goes into masterpieces of gaming is admirable. Whether it be designing, coding, producing, or even testing a game, it is clear that passion is abundant from people working “behind the screen”. While this euphoric hype is indeed an aspect of the gaming industry, more often than not the wave that pushes these passion-filled developers forward is harsh and ruinous, leaving nothing but a husk of what once was a spirited creator.
This intimidating facet of game development is commonly known as “crunch”, and it needs to be purged from the gaming industry.
