The author of the article, Matthew Burns, worked hard on such game franchises like Halo, Call of Duty and Destiny. He is a writer and game developer from Seattle.



Ahoy, or working with full effort in trying to reach deadline (in English-language programmers slang - crunch) is a regrettable phenomenon in our industry. And until someone comes up with a solution to this problem, what should we do with it?
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In the controversy disputes, we are talking about whether there are circumstances under which it is permissible — that is, whether there is a “good” and a “bad” emergency — and what the industry must do in order to cut back the number of “bad”. I agree that it would be useful for the industry to change from top to bottom. Managers can usually take more responsibility, help improve working conditions, and make game development a pleasant and stable job. But such a change will be slow, and it will go in parts. A huge number of developer studios around the world are controlled by people who think differently - there are too many of them so that they can come to an agreement and introduce changes.

This means that even if there is a reason to believe in an improvement in the situation, there is a chance to stumble into a “bad” job in my career, and the longer the career, the more likely it is to meet him (and not once). “If you don’t like it, bring it down,” as bad bosses and Internet commentators like to say, but because of a lot of factors, sometimes it’s just impossible - if, for example, you lose your job and you’re not able to quickly find another.

Therefore, if you have recently entered this industry and have fallen into your first hard-on, or if you want to play games, but are worried about horrible stories about carpentry, here are my thoughts on the occurrence of this phenomenon and how to survive it. if you really run into it.

How are trawls?

Aral can start in teams of completely different types and sizes; there is no species that is immune to it. He can come to big teams and indie developers, new recruits and experienced veterans. Often, we imagine an evil person chewing a cigar, giving everyone a hint at the top to maximize the amount of work they have invested in the dollar, and sometimes this is what happens. On such a boss is best not to work at all.

But an emergency will happen in a natural way, without orders from management. For example: a small part of the team begins to linger at work in order to finish off the remaining part before an important milestone in development. The studio managers notice this, and in trying to help, they start ordering the delivery of dinner to the office. This strengthens the faith of the workers in the offensive of the all-embracing, and more and more people remain after work. Those who leave on time feel the slanting glances of those remaining on themselves - why don't they try the same as we do? And soon the whole studio goes into the all-rounder mode. They were just shaming each other.

Even individual developers can decide that they need to keep the promise given to customers or fans, and drive themselves into emergency mode. This can be dangerous, because people working alone are only inclined to blame themselves for this situation: they underestimated the complexity of the work, they are not smart enough, they just needed to know ... Without colleagues and team members who could support it, a loner, entering the state of trampling, can quickly be in trouble.

“Bad” and “Good” Avraly

Speaking of "good" avralah, refer to voluntary cases where the team is strongly motivated, makes something that they think is cool, and everyone wants to work more to make the final product amazing. I hope that this also means that employees feel that they are normally paid for processing - with the help of a simple surcharge, bonuses, a percentage of profits or company shares. And vice versa, a “bad” job is mandatory, there’s no end in sight, and it doesn’t inspire enthusiasm or the desire to do it. Developers who have fallen into bad rush jobs are falling into a state of doom, rivalry with colleagues and psychological problems affecting their privacy.

What is important, the meaning of emotions may change over time. Abraham can begin as “good” - a fun time spent at dinner, getting to know your colleagues, playing Mario Kart during the compilation of the last build. But there will be several failures, and now this project turns into a suicide march, where very few people speak, there is no taste of food, and all colleagues quietly hate each other and the whole world.

One can agree, one can argue with these non-strict definitions. You, as a developer, decide what “bad” and “good” jobs mean for you when you build your career. The reasons, rewards and results of all-around-one's hands (or lack thereof) can vary greatly in different situations, so it’s worth considering the details.

Not just black and white

The ratio of a hypothetical worker to abraham can be located on the segment between the two extreme points. At one end of the scale, there are fanatically devoted people who spit on social aspects and money, and therefore are ready to go all the way, to non-being, for no reason. On the other hand, those who refuse to work even for a second more than they were supposed to, even if their small team, with which they have been working for years, are doing something magical, and have almost reached their goal. By themselves, these extremes are not bad, but at the same time, the person from the first option will seem a fool to many, and from the second one - a goat.

Of course, most cases will fall somewhere in the middle. In practice, it usually happens that you work in a game studio, and something good and something bad is happening there. You more or less respect the boss, but not 100%. There are wonderful moments in the game you are working on, but there are some disappointing ones. Some people with whom you work inspire you, and you consider it a great success to work with them, and you would not like to communicate with some at all.

In other words, you are to some extent proud of your work, you believe that it has some kind of artistic value. You are not a credulous fanatic, but not a complete cynic (hopefully). Therefore, the pros and cons of additional work are evaluated depending on the current situation.

Robber for reward

You may decide that the reward in the future (bonus, part of the profit) compensates for the lack of processing fees. Okay, but only the calculation of these rewards is often difficult to understand, and by their nature their magnitude is difficult to predict. The volume of such compensation is often calculated in a strange way that you will not fully understand - especially in large companies. You will be expected to accept them with gratitude as a sign of appreciation from the company. The bonus is a good thing, but it is difficult to foresee in advance whether it will be a decent payment for a difficult journey.

If processing at no additional cost is a useless thing for you, it is usually customary to refrain from participating in bonuses (and often from receiving medical insurance) and work for an hourly rate. This is a suitable option if you are worried that you will be exploited, forcing you to work without compensation. Unfortunately, hourly workers are often seen in the studio as second-class employees.

The logic of reinsuring medical insurance and bonuses for those who work for a salary, apparently, is that you are more worried about the final product if you are ready to spend as many hours as necessary, working for a fixed salary. You have “selfish interest,” as some entrepreneurs say. I do not know if I believe in this logic - I worked with a large number of hourly contractors, who were much more worried about the final product than some of the workers who received a fixed rate.

It doesn’t matter how your salary is built - if you work with a team that is considered to be that after the game “we will all be rich!”, Try to forget about it. Motivating yourself with a big compensation that may or may not happen is not the best strategy. If you think: “I need to suffer this garbage a little more, and then I will finish everything,” you are already in a dangerous situation. I'm not saying that waiting for wealth is guaranteed to disappoint you. You can succeed! However, the chances that you earn enough to change the material component of your life remain just chances. This is a lottery, the probability of winning in which it is impossible to accurately calculate - therefore, it should be treated accordingly. It doesn't matter how lucky you are, but if you enjoy the lottery only when you win, in most cases you will be disappointed.

Avral as a means of gaining experience

When you are just starting your development career, it’s natural to try to prove that you are worthy of success. You are under pressure to show yourself, especially if you are lucky enough to be in a well-known and respected studio working on a large franchise. You do not want to let your team down, you have an irrational fear of the boss's frustration, and you can even believe that the people in charge of you know what they are doing.

Some leaders specifically look for young workers who, in their opinion, are likely to be lonely (keep in mind that questions about the family and marriage of a candidate for an interview are illegal [at least according to the laws of some American states - note.]). They believe that such employees are more likely to spend days and nights in the office.

Whether the employee’s consent to be killed at work for the company is a positive trait, or not, such factors increase the likelihood of falling into the trap of a new job right after the start of work. I do not want to dismiss the desire of the employee to finish everything to the end, even in a bad situation; I understand the motivation to add a game with a great name to my track record. But I would like to hope that the work in the gaming industry will last for some time, and if your experience will consist only of a set of hard labor, you will not have a clue that the game can be done somehow differently. You will think “Well, that's how games are made,” and burn at work.

As in the case of financial motivation, acquiring a reputation and experience at the end of a job is good, but be careful if this turns out to be the only reason to work.

Abraham for the team

You are a person, and you cannot work in a team without generating some kind of camaraderie. Even if you are not particularly fan of your product, and the payment does not meet your expectations, you can decide that you will not leave your comrades to suffer alone. You join the break with them to demonstrate support. If you know exactly why you are working, this choice has the right to life.

This situation reminds me of an old cliché from war movies. A group of soldiers is sent to a difficult and dangerous task, not because they believe in higher ideals, or because they respect the commander, but because they are loyal to each other. They protect each other, they are together.

Sly leaders can sometimes play on this feeling in their favor, so be careful.

Take care of yourself

Ahoy is a physically difficult thing, so study the signals that you receive from your body when it feels bad. Standard tips for office workers apply here: take breaks, pull muscles, breathe, exercise, sleep well. Do not litter the stomach with fatty and harmful snacks. Etc.

Avraly can badly affect the mind. It is not always easy to recognize the existence of a problem. It may have been a few months, and you feel that there is no point in anything, or you constantly imagine the killing of your colleagues, or you often drink, just to cope with difficulties. What kind of phrase do you say to yourself?

You can increasingly contact your partner for emotional support. And this makes sense, it is part of the relationship. But if your relationship remains skewed this way for too long, they become burdensome, unfair and very difficult to maintain. Your colleagues will sympathize with you when you ruin your privacy because of the games (most likely they have the same problems). But do not let them convince you that this is a necessary rite of passage.

Seek out resources. Do not be fooled and do not reject professional support. A side effect of today's fashion on articles with revelations is the fact that many of them describe extreme working conditions. You may think that compared to them, your story is not so bad, so you just need to grit your teeth and deal with your problems as a professional. You do experience it all, you are not an idiot. You think: after the game comes out, everything will be fine. I need a little patience.

Do not make a mistake and do not build yourself a stoic. This only postpones the problem. Be prepared to accept professional help, even if the problem does not seem so terrible. If you illustrate it through a physical metaphor (not ideal, but hopefully affordable): breaking a leg is worse than stretching a bundle. Broken bone is a visit to the emergency room and months of recovery. On the other hand, with stretching, a visit to the doctor can be avoided altogether. You have six weeks with swelling, but it will pass. Maybe.

But everyone knows that it is reasonable and logical to go to the doctor with stretching. None of the good friends will tell you: "What are you like a little, you can not cope with stretching?". The doctor will not be able to get into your body and correct it, but he will professionally bandage, prescribe the correct treatment and give advice on care.

A mental problem similar to a broken leg is an obvious, dramatic nervous breakdown. But if you do not have it, do not think that you can leave just so without attention smaller problems similar to the stretched bundle. Of course, your therapist or psychologist or meditation teacher will not get into your brain and will not straighten it, but as in the case of a traumatologist and stretching, they will help you to make sure that you are on the right path.

Life after trawling

At the end of the trawl, the first thing teams say to themselves is “We will do better next time”. I appreciate this intention; I think it is absolutely necessary to try to improve myself. But I would hold my expectations. In my experience, if a team went down to rush job to finish the game, it’s likely that they will have almost the same hijack and the next time - no matter how much time will be spent on “correcting the processes” in between. I do not think this is the result of malicious intent. Just collective habits are hard to change. Completion of the game in the hard work mode is one of those things that penetrate into the muscle memory.

And you can take a vacation. Take and enjoy! But a vacation after the release of the game, when you mostly stare at the ceiling - which is very easy to roll after crashing around - will not help you as needed. Just free time will not cure you. If you were driving the car at maximum speed until the oil pan began to smoke, the belts did not wear out and the tires were not worn out, and then left it to stand - she herself would not fix it. Take active steps, suitable for you, for recovery. It could be something that will remind you why you even associated with the development of games, or something not related to games. If you want, lie a little on the couch, but not limited to this.

Conclusion

If your career is in the development of games, someday you will surely run into an all-rounder. In some cases, the authorities will force you to do this, but sometimes you will decide whether the circumstances require additional work - whether you want to support the team, whether you believe that you are doing something extraordinary, or working for a reward. If you get to the workmanship, consider the benefit that your employer receives because of this, and consider whether your benefit corresponds to it.

Long trawls can lead to health and mental problems, and this can harm you and your environment. Take care of yourself, listen to other people's feedback. If you find that you are doing something harmful, it is important to recognize it and cope with it, even if it does not seem too bad compared to other people's stories.

It's hard enough to balance the work on the desired project, work with nice people, enjoy the process and get a fair reward. The world is not perfect, and it is not always possible to find a job that satisfies even one of these parameters. But if you survive in the time of trawling, understanding what you are getting involved in, and not worsening your health and psychological state, you can continue to develop games further.

Safe your travels.