It's already here, actually. I just read this article by a spouse who's SO works at EA at some programming type job. I've always known about the longer hours that the games industry normally has compared to the 9 to 5 world of database programming, but this article really brings out an extreme case that doesn't seem to be the rare exception. It seems very much like the norm.
For those of you not in the know, EA is this huge publisher of games for a several different platforms including PC, XBox, PS2, and Gamecube. Their games range from the popular The Sims to the all the serial sports games. There's a splattering of other types of games in there too. I don't know them all right now, but I think I will start to make a list of all EA published/produced games for obvious reasons.
According to the article, the SO got a job at EA and started working normal 40 hour weeks. Then, what the management called "pre-crunch mode", he began to work a required 6 day, 8 hour/day work week. That was only the beginning. Pre-crunch turned to a heavy crunch mode of almost 90 hour weeks. It would appear in some version of the labor laws, software developers are exempt from getting overtime pay. So, the SO is only getting his normal salary for the extra 50 hours he puts in. And would you believe the xmas bonus is out of the question?
This is one of the many problems of working for a publicly traded game development company. The profits is all that matters and everybody below the executives bend over, like it, and always ask for more. This is probably the norm for other public companies as well, but I'd like to just stick with EA and their horrible unethical treatment of their assets.
In the comments of the source article, some people had called out for a boycott of EA games. Doing a search, I could not find an actual movement to hit EA where it would really hurt. Am I actually suggesting a boycott of EA? I don't know. I am torn between hurting the mechanical monster and, at the same time, hurting the innocents working within the machine. The games industry is a highly competitive section of entertainment filled with huge publishers who like nothing more to gobble up the smaller, innovated companies. The employees that EA would dump should they actually feel the effect of a boycott would have to merge into some other behemoth that would probably do the same thing to them. Or they live off some sort of unemployment. Neither doesn't sound good to me. Doing nothing is worse though.
From this, what I can do is stop buying games produced by EA until they change their practices. Though this won't ever hurt them. What I'm also going to do is start a list of EA produced products that I will maintain for the use of my readers to see which games EA has produced. It is up to you to buy them or not. If you simply must have this game and can with a clear conscience accept the fact the product you want was produced through 90 hour work weeks, go ahead and get it. Water off my back.
I really hope I don't have the chance to read more about this happening at other game publishers. I like playing games and I'd hate to be forced by their labor practices to make games for myself. Oh, I want to do that already. heh Really, think about it. This is just a step that we as consumers can control what we get instead of closing our eyes and offering our hands.
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