Game Design Jobs to Change, Thanks to a Wife
By Alex Russel
Computer game design had always been an industry where you suffered long hours for the joys of being in cool jobs that promised stock options down the road.
As game design becomes a multi-billion dollar industry, stock options have dwindled and designers are so burned out that one of their wives, frustrated with her exhausted husband, took her grievances to the public.
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"My significant other works for Electronic Arts, and I'm what you might call a disgruntled spouse."
That's the opening salvo of an online essay that rocked an industry. Posted last November, an anonymous wife of a computer game designer at Electronic Arts was sick and tired of her husband having to work 85-hour weeks.
With no overtime, no compensation time, and no end to the extended hours in sight, enough was enough, and this heroic wife took to the blogs.
Game Design Jobs to Change
The effect was enormous. Since its inception, game design had always prized itself as a cool field to work in and in many ways it still is. What fan of computer games wouldn't want to have a hand in designing games that now make more money in the US than movies?
This success wasn't only thanks to a game's popularity. Companies like Electronic Arts historically never paid overtime. Designers got their salaries and were expected to work late as delivery deadlines approached. The reward, for a time, was stock options, a ping-pong table in the hallway, and - sometimes - extended vacations once a product was delivered.
Game Design Career in Turmoil
Once the go-go days of the Internet boom died, the stock options disappeared and the ping pong table was folded up and put back in the box. But (surprise, surprise) overtime pay didn't make an appearance to replace those perks until the anonymous wife's already legendary blog entry.
The New Face Of Game Design Jobs
Thanks to the entry, in the last few weeks employees who used to grin and bear it are now speaking up. Now, companies like Electronic Arts are beginning to re-evaluate their compensation culture.
In the end what is happening is that game design is going from a start-up industry staffed by entrepreneurs with a direct stake in the product they deliver, to a multi-billion dollar industry where designers are now one of thousands in multinational conglomerates. Just like in many other big industries, designers (while still loving the work they do) want to make sure they get paid their fair share. All it took was the anonymous wife of a game designer to set the record straight.
Despite it All, Choose a Game Design Career
Despite the controversy, or even because of it, a game design career is still one of the greatest careers out there, especially if you have an artistic bent. Countless colleges and adult learning schools can prepare you for these cool jobs and now you'll get paid fairly, too.
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About the Author
Alex Russel is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY. Lucky enough to grow up in Europe with family all over the world, he has been a consummate traveler his whole life. Since graduating from Syracuse University he has worked at many different media companies in fields as diverse as film, TV, advertising, and journalism. He holds a dual bachelor's degree in English and History.
