Rockstar Employee Wives Startin’ Somethin’
Apparently Rockstar have taken up the “Chinese sweatshop” approach to game development; or at least that’s what the wives of the people working there seem to think.
The ladies have written up a lengthy letter regarding exactly what their concerns are. Among these, they cite various cases of overwork, underpay, various holidays and weekend days being taken away and increased physical and mental stress from lack of time off.
While cases of companies violating civil rights are not exactly hard to find, the fact that incredibly talented, hard-working individuals are being sucked dry and tossed aside is absolute SHIT. Making videogames is incredibly complex, and creating an environment of constant stress is not conducive to the production of quality games, which Rockstar have a history of making. (Ok maybe not Manhunt but shut up I’m trying to make a point here!)
While this story might not be as rubbish if it was some lower tier development company, the fact that a AAA, multi-million dollar company is cutting back on employee benefits and is citing no reasons is complete bollocks.
When I started my uni course I read a lot about working practices in game companies, they’re nearly all like this. Never enough time and an endless list of bugs and updates means people have to work like made towards the end of the development cycle. It’s just, depressingly, part of the job.
I heard EA employees used to sleep under their desks. I’m not even joking.
@wardrox: But we can’t feel bad because it’s EA, right? RIGHT?
Reilly, your title put that fucking song in my head.
EA does something far worse. They keep moving their employees around so no one ever gets too good at their job. They do this because they fear programmers deciding to leave EA to start their own projects.
As a side effect, it is also hard to get any decent tech support.