IGDA se mueve

Tras todo el revuelo de las últimas semanas entorno al tema de la explotación de los trabajadores en el sector de los juegos, la International Game Developers Association se moviliza organizando conferencias, desenmascarando que empresas tratan bien o mal a sus empleados y ofreciendo cobertura legal. Se ha sugerido incluso que se convirtesen en sindicato (!) aunque ya ha quedado claro que no va a pasar.

Como muestra de esto cabe mencionar la carta abierta o lo que escribe la directora en la editorial de la Newsletter...

I keep a little sign in my office that says "MAKING GAMES IS FUN". I use it as an emotional barometer. If the sign ever seems ironic or sarcastic, I know that something is wrong with the way I am making games, and I try to fix it immediately.

Unfortunately, recent events (lawsuits, the spouse letter, etc) make clear that there are far too many people making games in an atmosphere that is anything but fun.

Crunch time is a fact of life for game developers. Of course we are going to work late sometimes; we love what we do. Our work is challenging, rewarding, and just plain fun. That said, it is one thing to work extra hours on a project for the sheer joy of it, or to beat an occasional deadline, and quite another to have them mandated on an ongoing basis. Exploitative mandates take unfair advantage of our passion to do great work, and slowly choke that passion to death, leaving behind a burnt-out husk of disgust and regret.

The game industry now has such a reputation for abusing its workers that as an educator, I frequently speak with talented students who have changed their career plans away from the game industry, because the idea of mandatory 60-80+ hour work weeks is repugnant to them. And of course, these are generally the wisest, most insightful students the ones that this industry really needs.

We *must* find a way to reverse this self-destructive trend. As a start, I urge you all to read the IGDA Quality of Life Whitepaper (http://www.igda.org/qol/), and to share your thoughts about how we can work together to stop this plague of joyless overwork. You might start by hanging up a little sign.


- Jesse Schell
Chairperson, IGDA
Professor of Entertainment Technology, Carnegie Mellon University CEO, Schell Games