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I'm actually writing a little bit of the IGDA QOL's report thingy, 5
paragraphs on the state of market changes since 2004 (just need to dig
up some studio-relevant data, painfully - hard to find good figures for
how it's changed for 6 years in the team sizes, budgets etc. for all
market sectors - like how MMO's, internet and casual games have popped
up more).<br>
<br>
I'd say - well, apples and oranges in regards to looking back to 80's
and 90's. The industry has a relatively short life so far, and
development teams have gone up and down depending on the market and
product being made (and crashes and burns, buyouts and mergers, console
releases and PC speed...). It's just a fact that there have been
studios (of whatever size) since forever, and vice versa been
independent one man teams forever, while Quality of Life varies mainly
between places of work; ie companies - I don't know if team sizes have
much to do with it at all.<br>
<br>
Not that you'll ever get a good definition of "worse" and "better"
(actually, as an art form, can games themselves be said to be
consistently getting "worse" or "better", hah! :) ). This is the
problem with something like this - there is no grading system, no union
minimum standards, and the industry has generally a worldwide basis and
is relatively spread out (not centred in one major city) so good luck
going on the basis of quantitative things like pay, holiday time,
bonuses or hours. Some people love overtime (making games!) but others
get forced into it, or even those who like making games and want to
work more hours get terrible conditions to work in, or paltry
compensation in holiday time between projects or money or bonuses or
whatever (this isn't all what QOL is mind you, lots more besides).<br>
<br>
Even if it can be proclaimed that it has "got better" there's no
arguing there must be a way to go if people are still complaining so
vocally. If it has "got worse" you'll find a lot of good examples. The
fact the industry is so much larger - I mean, mega percents larger -
then 20-30 years ago skews things like this bigtime. More of everything
- good and bad.<br>
<br>
Oh, of course this is all historically important and worth attempting
(if rather difficult to without survey data). Once I've finished my
piece for the QOL report, I'll be saying to the lead writer who has the
raw data that she should get it added to a historical archive if the
IGDA agrees (Anyone up for holding a copy with limitations on reading
it or whatever legal stuff might need to be done considering there
might be personally identifiable information there even though it is
technically anonymous? I think leaving it in a vault/storage for X
years unread might be the easiest idea). This would mean it is
available in 2030 to check!<br>
<br>
There is the main problem that, of course, there isn't any survey data
for basically anywhere pre-2000's when they got started. You might be
able to get salary figures and interview people for their personal
working hours (since I bet the timesheets don't match!), but it'd be a
lot of work, and more anecdotal then survey based.<br>
<br>
Still if anyone knows of efforts to look that far back at the industry
as a whole I'd love to know for the QOL SIG :D<br>
<br>
Andrew<br>
<br>
On 25/01/2010 05:38, Devin Monnens wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:9d1cf2d51001242138t35beeb7k9d041dc605dea158@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">There has been a lot of talk lately about the Rockstar
wives and working conditions on my local chapter mailing list. I was
curious if there has been any historical study comparing how working
conditions were back in the 80s and 90s with how they are today. I'm
wondering if conditions have generally gotten worse with greater
complexity of games and larger demands by investors or if they have
improved due to greater self-regulation. This sounded like a historical
question relevant to our SIG.<br clear="all">
<br>
-- <br>
Devin Monnens<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.deserthat.com">www.deserthat.com</a><br>
<br>
The sleep of Reason produces monsters.<br>
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