Working in the games industry...

[Arnoxthe1]

And I mean in a position where you get paid to do it, is a privilege. I hear about Let's Players complaining that what they do is hard and that Youtube just took an even bigger crap on them. While it may be true that Youtube was being pretty unfair, it doesn't change the fact that you are doing something or got to do something you love and be paid for it.

I believe that working in this industry is something that some people don't deserve. I've had to support myself on jobs I freaking hate. I've had to watch as people who are ten times less qualified than I am get paid to write about games or make Youtube videos about them. And then they have the nerve to say that what they're doing is really hard. Screw you. I'll upload videos and you can start washing dishes at Shari's for minimum wage.

And this extends to a whole lotta positions in the industry, Journalism included. ESPECIALLY game journalism actually. For too long have I seen laziness and arrogance. Stupidity and sensationalism. This is flat out unacceptable. Again, you are paid to do something you love and you instead take it for granted. You treat your viewers for granted. And you forget that the only reason why you even have a job is because of those viewers.

You all should know this and act accordingly. You all hold a position that the rest of us don't. That some of us would give anything to have. Remember that. Apply it. Respect the people who respect you and good things will follow. BE SMART.

That is all. Thank you.

 

[tippy2k2]

Could you not argue this about any job that anyone has ever had though?

Example time!

I went to school for Graphic Design. It failed miserably and I owed $80,000 for a piece of paper that was worth about as much as the actual piece of paper. After years of toiling through jobs (including tech support...you haven't hit rock bottom until you work tech support ), I now have my current job that I'm not in love with but I don't wake up everyday hating my life.

However, for a while recently, I have been hating life. I have hated that I owe so much money for a degree that is useless. I hated getting such a small amount of pay ($15 per hour, which will be important soon) for my job. I hated living in my studio apartment because this place sucks donkey.

Then I talked with my former college roommate. He jumped all over the place major-wise, trying to figure out what to do. After six years in college and $120,000+ debt (I didn't ask for specifics but that's what he'd owe if he had my rate. However, I believe that's gone up so it's likely more). The banks have now cut him off; he can't finish his degree even if he wanted to. He works as a nursing home guy making about $9 a hour and has to live with my other former college roommate who is about to be married (therefore he will lose said roommate). He's considering moving away from all his friends here to his Grandparents in Iowa because they're getting older and could use someone to help around the house.

I thought my life was so fucked up...I don't hold a candle to my poor buddy

"tippy2k2, you wild and sexy man, what is your point!?" I hear you ask. The point is that the grass always looks greener on the other side. It's easy for me to sit here and judge that they get paid lots of money for a lot less work and that no one's life could possibly be as shitty as mine but I'm wrong. There's a lot of shit people in the game industry have to put up with (and I'm sure there's a lot more of it than we EVER get to see unless you are part of said industry).

Along with that, don't forget that a job you love is still a job. Just because you like your job doesn't mean you are always going to like the job or like some of the things that come with the job

To use an example; a game reviewer gets to play awesome games for a living. They get to play Mass Effect 3 and The Last of Us and Bioshock: Infinite and it's all paid for! But they also get to play Ride to Hell: Road to Retribution and deal with a bunch of harassment when they dare speak that Zelda deserves a 9.0 rather than a 10.

TLDR?
Life isn't that bad and the grass always looks greener on the other side of the road.

 

[Weaver]

It's weird, I don't even count those as the "games industry". I see it ancillary to it, like a separate games journalism industry or something like that.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Your job is easy and mine is hard... said every person who never did the other job, once you take it professionally there are no easy jobs.

Also youtube is open to everyone, you always have the opportunity to make it on your own and then you will find out just how much grind goes into these things before you get even to a rent paying position.

 

[Blacklight28]

I don't really consider those a part of the actual industry, more of something attached to the community. The closest thing in the industry would be playtesting. Play video games for a living, dream job you say?
Here's a joke:

A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar. A QA tester walks into a bar.

I was going to say more, but:

Along with that, don't forget that a job you love is still a job. Just because you like your job doesn't mean you are always going to like the job or like some of the things that come with the job.

pretty much sums it up.

 

[FPLOON]

Every job is "hard", objectively speaking, however how well you do with said job as well as how serious you do take said job to "heart", that objective "hard" job can become "easy" either within your given spectrum of knowledge and/or the spectrum of others that see you do said job when they subjectively compare your job with their's...

It's funny enough a cartoon reminded me how mundane the cycle of money really is... (It was at the beginning of an episode of Gumball...) I don't really need someone telling me how "hard" their job is or how "easy" it is because it's being told through their "subjective" viewpoint... If you can prove your point to yourself, then congratulations, you are 100% correct and should pat yourself on the back before getting back to work...

That's kinda the reason why I never liked hearing how "easy" or "hard" a job is because all it does, to me, is trying to make me subjectively "jealous" and would want to dispute their claim in some way, shape, or form depending on the subjective outcomes that come from being subjectively "jealous"... And, despite having a "sick" mind for debates that could ultimately be seen as "one-sided", I rather not be involved in them... subjectively-speaking...

I'm getting a bit side-tracked... The point is that you have an opinion about your job, you shouldn't go around comparing it to other jobs unless you, yourself, have tried in in some way, shape or form or comparing it to other jobs all "willy-nilly" and [stuff] unless it's for "comedic effect"... and Youtube, for "better" or "worse", is a "subjectively" always-open employment opportunity for anyone with even a spark of creativity on their side who is willing to sign that "contract" to begin their new job...

(Also, I subjectively don't believe there's such a thing as a "professional" Let's Player... despite being a Let's Player on YouTube... But, that's another story...)

 

[The_Echo]

And then they have the nerve to say that what they're doing is really hard. Screw you. I'll upload videos and you can start washing dishes at Shari's for minimum wage.

See the thing is, having to produce video content for a living is hard work.

Josh Jepson [http://www.youtube.com/JoshJepson], for example, has set himself an eight-hour work day schedule. This is recording a bulk of footage, and combing through that footage in the editing process. Pretty standard fare for channels which upload multiple videos a day (Jesse Cox [http://www.youtube.com/user/OMFGcata], Northernlion [http://www.youtube.com/Northernlion], etc.). It probably doesn't sound like much to you, but it's still hours spent on their job every day.

The Completionist [http://www.youtube.com/thatonevideogamer] literally completes a game every week, on top of having to write, record and edit the review for that game, among other shows on the channel. In addition he has a second channel [http://www.youtube.com/user/ThatOneLaserClown] where he does a Let's Play-type show, produces/directs a Pokémon trivia channel [http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNationalDex] and he does his best to stream on Twitch as much as he can.

And he's said he only makes around minimum wage.

YouTube money's not as good as you might think. And making a living through YouTube is in and of itself a pretty big gamble and not necessarily ever secure.

And this extends to a whole lotta positions in the industry, Journalism included. ESPECIALLY game journalism actually. For too long have I seen laziness and arrogance. Stupidity and sensationalism. This is flat out unacceptable. Again, you are paid to do something you love and you instead take it for granted. You treat your viewers for granted. And you forget that the only reason why you even have a job is because of those viewers.

Honestly I think you're making sweeping generalizations from what I've seen to be the minority in the situation.

While there are some entitled scumbags holding nice jobs out there, that's neither endemic to video games nor as prevalent as you make it out to be.

 

[Mr. Omega]

I believe that working in this industry is something that some people don't deserve. I've had to support myself on jobs I freaking hate. I've had to watch as people who are ten times less qualified than I am get paid to write about games or make Youtube videos about them. And then they have the nerve to say that what they're doing is really hard. Screw you. I'll upload videos and you can start washing dishes at Shari's for minimum wage.

And it's right here that I stopped reading, because that whole thing translates to "I'm miserable and hate my job, so rather than try and get a job that I like, everyone else should be miserable and hate their jobs too."

Others have already pointed out that you REALLY seem to overestimate just how much money these jobs make, so I'll just leave with this: why don't you make those videos if they're so damn easy to make?

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Yeah you just sound bitter and envious of people in the games industry. A job is a job and even if they love doing it and are extremely passionate about it, its still going to be hard work and have its rough times. Just because its nicer than 'washing dishes at Shari's for minimum wage' doesn't mean they can't experience any hardship with it, in fact the games industry is a brutal world to work in.

 

[VladG]

Christ, do you live in a fantasy world...

I, on the other hand, actually do work in the games industry for a major company. Not sure what part of getting paid next to nothing (I still live at home, I can't afford food/rent on my own) to work 8h a day on shitty games that I wouldn't even consider playing, with basically no future prospects is the "privilege".

You've had to support yourself on jobs you freaking hate? Cry me a river, I can't even support myself on my "privileged" gaming industry job that I hate.

 

[mysecondlife]

Working in videogame industry sounds like a nightmare and a lot of times, very unfulfilling to me.

Unless you're that Minecraft guy and Gabe Newell.

 

[Scootinfroodie]

Christ, do you live in a fantasy world...

I, on the other hand, actually do work in the games industry for a major company. Not sure what part of getting paid next to nothing (I still live at home, I can't afford food/rent on my own) to work 8h a day on shitty games that I wouldn't even consider playing, with basically no future prospects is the "privilege".

You've had to support yourself on jobs you freaking hate? Cry me a river, I can't even support myself on my "privileged" gaming industry job that I hate.

Only 8 hours? Really?
Pretty much every dev team member I've ever talked to, be they QA or Team Lead puts in insane hours, and I know when I worked in QA there were a few spots where I was working far more than a 40 hour work week, and it would spill out onto weekends as well. I didn't have to work on a game I'd never play though, at least, and am trying to get another position because I actually like doing it and the pay is suitable for my lifestyle (esp. with OT). It's not my long-term plan though

I agree with the overall sentiment. The OP's sweeping statements concerning the "industry" (with examples that target the media, not the industry itself...) feel like they're really made from someone who hasn't examined the amount of work that goes into his entertainment

 

[Vivi22]

And I mean in a position where you get paid to do it, is a privilege. I hear about Let's Players complaining that what they do is hard and that Youtube just took an even bigger crap on them. While it may be true that Youtube was being pretty unfair, it doesn't change the fact that you are doing something or got to do something you love and be paid for it.

I believe that working in this industry is something that some people don't deserve. I've had to support myself on jobs I freaking hate. I've had to watch as people who are ten times less qualified than I am get paid to write about games or make Youtube videos about them. And then they have the nerve to say that what they're doing is really hard. Screw you. I'll upload videos and you can start washing dishes at Shari's for minimum wage.

And this extends to a whole lotta positions in the industry, Journalism included. ESPECIALLY game journalism actually. For too long have I seen laziness and arrogance. Stupidity and sensationalism. This is flat out unacceptable. Again, you are paid to do something you love and you instead take it for granted. You treat your viewers for granted. And you forget that the only reason why you even have a job is because of those viewers.

You all should know this and act accordingly. You all hold a position that the rest of us don't. That some of us would give anything to have. Remember that. Apply it. Respect the people who respect you and good things will follow. BE SMART.

That is all. Thank you.

So what they do requires a lot of time and effort, but because it's not the sort of time and effort you approve of, screw them? Get over yourself. Sounds like you're just bitter because other people were doing something they enjoyed which, yes, does involve a lot of work to get done on schedule, and you probably aren't.

And for the record, working in the games industry is not a privilege. That is such a load of bullshit I don't even know where to begin. Anyone who wants to can work in the games industry at some level. It's called making indie games. The barriers to entry aren't nearly what they used to be.

And god help you if you work in the AAA gaming industry. If you're lucky you might, and I really want to stress the term might here, get to work for a company that isn't soul crushingly awful, doesn't care more about who you know than how good you are at your job, won't be working in a perpetual state of crunch time for years on end, and won't drive away talented people within five years. Wait, you didn't know that the average person in the game industry leaves the game industry forever after about five years? Well they do. Working in the AAA game industry has historically been an incredibly stressful, soul crushing experience that drives people out of the industry forever. But companies don't care because there are so many people going into game design programs these days that they have a never ending supply of fresh meat for the grinder. Game developers may start out thinking they're doing what they love, but most don't leave the industry that way.

Working in the game industry is a good experience if you're lucky. If you're not, you'll move onto other industries that don't treat you like slave labour and make you work 80+ hour weeks for months, or even years, while only paying you for 40.

 

[Bocaj2000]

No where in your inane rant did you mention a job pertaining to the game industry. Not once did you mention designers, animators, programmers, nor QA. You ragged on Let's Players by minimizing their jobs to and comparing it to your hobby. You then ragged on journalists for producing sub-par content. Yes, some people aren't qualified for their job. Yes, some people don't like their job. Yes, you envy these people. So what? You say all these things, but there's no direction or discussion value.

 

[shrekfan246]

And then they have the nerve to say that what they're doing is really hard. Screw you. I'll upload videos and you can start washing dishes at Shari's for minimum wage.

See the thing is, having to produce video content for a living is hard work.

Snip the rest.

Just to build off of this a bit, everyone who feels like Let's Players have it easy should set up a schedule for themselves by which they consistently play video games for 40+ hours a week every week for ~3 months. Maybe 6 if they're really resilient. Not even necessarily recording and editing and trying to be funny or informative, though that certainly adds on to the actual work aspect of things.

Playing games is fun.

Playing games for a job, or just constantly over a short period of time, becomes tiring. Because, as with anything, it needs to be done in moderation. Unless you're a very special type of person, eventually the games just won't be that fun anymore and you'll need other things to vent with, be it books, films, television, comics, friends, whatever. But it won't be games anymore as long as you're sticking to that schedule, because you'll be burnt out. But hey, it's your job. You have to keep doing it, whether you like it or not.

It's even worse for journalists, critics, and reviewers. At least Let's Players generally have the ability to say "Nope, I'm not playing any more of this game" when they're presented with something that's absolutely terrible. Reviewers have to force themselves to play it through, because it's their job. Every now and then, if they're lucky, they'll be able to pass a review off to another reviewer and make them suffer through it instead, but I think Yahtzee is the only exception I've ever seen to a 'professional' critic presenting his opinion on a bad game by saying he couldn't finish it, and even then he's done it enough times that I could likely count it on both hands.

As for everything else, frankly I'm surprised this thread isn't locked. Rant threads and threads with little discussion value don't usually last this long.

 

[VladG]

Only 8 hours? Really?
Pretty much every dev team member I've ever talked to, be they QA or Team Lead puts in insane hours, and I know when I worked in QA there were a few spots where I was working far more than a 40 hour work week, and it would spill out onto weekends as well.

It depends on the position and department. Project leads and some seniors often have to stay in longer and our department usually deals with fairly complete games (usually a lot of patches and updates) and reasonably lenient deadlines (we do have a night shift too). As a low level worker, I've never had to stay for more than a few minutes over schedule, and weekend/holiday OT is optional and paid extra. And I count myself lucky on that part (and some others too, actually. I know a guy who worked as a tester on Medal of Honor Doorfighter. He actually had to play the same section of a level for DAYS. FUN FUN FUN!)

It's a nasty though that, however shitty my job in the industry is, there are still worse jobs.

 

[stroopwafel]

I personally don't envy those LP'ers or 'professional' Youtubers b/c it does seem to require a lot of time, effort and dedication to be able to generate a revenue that covers as much as basic living costs. Not to mention all the vitrol you'd have to deal with from 'fans'. Another thing is that if playing a game was my actual 'job' I probably wouldn't be able to enjoy it(or enjoy it as much) in my free time.

(Amateur) games media doesn't sound at all appealing to me. Ofcourse like probably everyone here it would be a dream to work on game conceptualization and planning in the actual industry itself like a Hideo Kojima or Shinji mikami and bring a smile to peoples faces with legendary games and have my name immortalized, but alas that's a slim chance.

 

[Racecarlock]

Okay then, you don't get to criticize movies or cars since you've never made them. You also don't get to criticize food since you've never been a chef, and you can't ever complain about houses again since you don't make them.

Hey, I'm just using your logic.