Alex St. John: to create games is not to roll bags, so don't complain about crunches
At the beginning of the week, one of the authors of DirectX said that the creators of games do not have such a hard job. And in general, game dev is an art. And if you don’t like it, then get out of the profession. We tell you what reaction it caused.
The background is as follows: the VentureBeat resource published an interview with the head of IGDA Kate Edwards, the essence of which was that crunch is a serious problem. Developers must fit into a normal working day or receive compensation. The article caused a resonance and generated several materials with conflicting points of view from industry veterans.
The author of the first article was Alex St. John, the creator of the Microsoft DirectX platform, the founder of the WildTangent game publishing house and a developer with 23 years of experience. St. John believes that modern developers like to try on the image of a victim and complain about unbearable working conditions. But there is nothing to complain about: the career of a developer is one of the most wonderful and privileged in the world. The same principles cannot be applied to this traditionally irregular work as to a dull office existence, and therefore it is foolish to expect that the working day will be standard, from 9 to 5.
Describing modern-day slaves, St. John uses the word “wage-slave”. Literally translated, these are “wage slaves”, those whose motivation is solely money. This approach is not just wrong, it contradicts the very concept of the creative profession. For those who adhere to this view of the specialty, St. John advises to do something else. Do you think that you are locked in a dull job where they are forced to make video games for 40 hours a week? Go away, find something that you really like. “To my great shock and disappointment, they [developers] never rejoice in response to my words and do not thank me for my generous attempt to free them. They usually get into a rage,” St. John sarcastically reports.
The complaints of developers cause particular bewilderment, he believes, given that the profession of a developer does not involve significant efforts. “I know that many people will be offended by me now, but I’m saying this so that at least some will wake up and shake off the shackles from their brains. I can’t even imagine how blinded technical specialists are, since they think that the few hours they spend moving the mouse waiting for money is really harsh, strenuous plowing.”
Besides, St. John is sure that creating games is not a job. This is art.
And masterpieces of art are not created from under a stick. You will not be able to make an interesting game if you are surrounded on all sides by people who complain about their unhappy lot, as if they are some unhappy workers at a factory in Cambodia who are forced to work for big white brother for a dollar a day. This does not mean, St. John notes, that it is impossible to make games in a measured manner and without crunches. But this means that when you make a game, you need to give everything you have to this activity. And hope that’s enough.
And if you want to be paid “honestly” and to go home at five, then you should change jobs and go into software production. You don’t have to stay in the gaming industry if you can’t work 80 hours and still continue to love your job,” advises St. John. It’s better to make room for someone else who truly appreciates the profession.
An article full of such extremes could not go unnoticed. Rami Ismail, co-founder of Dutch indie studio Vlambeer, replied to St. John with his own text.
Firstly, says Ishmael, I can’t believe that crunch is still a problem. This is in 2016! Secondly, crunch can really unsettle an employee and prevent them from enjoying their dream job.
The passage about workers who simply “move the mouse in anticipation of money” was expected to cause particular indignation. “If your job is just to move the mouse back and forth, then it is clear where such conclusions come from. Nevertheless, game development implies something much more. Programmers are constantly working at the limit of their mental capabilities, creating and optimizing extremely complex codes. Modelers and artists create without stopping, using the most sophisticated software in order to create high-quality art that should not only look beautiful, but also which can then be reanimated and with which it will be convenient to interact. Musicians are constantly coming up with new ways to intertwine gameplay and sound. Designers endlessly try to improve the communication of the game with the player, work with feedback, test – they are at the forefront of those who study the interaction of man and machine,” Izmail reports.
Despite the fact that game development is really an interesting and generally privileged occupation, it is an exaggeration to talk about modern developers as “wage slaves”. Only studio creators can afford not to be “wage slaves”. In all other cases, employees of gaming companies have the right to demand a standardized working day and – yes! – salaries. And this is normal, Ismail is sure.
What St. John calls “wage slaves,” other people call “normal working relationships,” he concludes.
To contrast work and art, the indie developer sums up, is not right. “Passion and self-care are not two opposite extremes. Monet was an artist. It was his job. And he created art. Shakespeare was a writer. It’s a job. He created art. Marina Abramovich is a performance artist. It’s a job. She creates art,” Izmail reports.
At the end of the article, he responds to St. John’s words that it is necessary to make room for someone who “truly values the profession.” “Yes, no problem! With your approach to the industry, they will burn out very quickly,” concludes Izmail.
Source: VentureBeat
