Less crunch is expected developing video games than two years ago. But a remarkable number of positions are waiting for those overtime hours.
Are we talking about crunch again? Indeed, it was not for nothing that it was one of the greatest stories of the 2019 the fact that these practices of putting developers working full hours without being paid for months are made more public.
Crunch is not necessary to draw a game
Between the stories that have been brought to light and unions like Game Workers Unite, it seems that the conditions of video game developers are improving. And there are even examples like the creators of Dead by Daylight who boast of having eliminated the crunch in their way of working.
But what do developers really think of the gamedev sector? Luckily for them, it seems that crunch is starting to be less common, according to the IDGA body, after surveying 1 people. The data say their jobs expect fewer intensive shifts than years ago. The data is as follows:
- 34% say they do not receive any compensation, while 33% say they give them days off in the future or pay them for food, but only 8% say they are paid.
- 35% say they sometimes work longer hours than normal but do not rate it as a crunch.
- 19% say they work between 60 and 90 hours per week during crunch periods, a figure that is lower than 53% in 2017.
The IDGA report says that in general, the seasons of intensive workdays in gamedev are decreasing and labor rights are beginning to be respected, such as compensating with money or free time. But these figures only collect about 1 experiences and can vary greatly if we go to large studios such as Electronic Arts, Bethesda or Activision. The habit of having workers spend 200 hours a week for weeks or months to polish the game doesn't appear to be going away. We have the case of Cyberpunk 2077, was delayed five months but they announced that the overtime will not have an impact on better days for CD Projekt RED workers.
Source: GamesIndustry
