We recycle. So what?

[Approx. Trans .: in the original is used the word crunch, meaning something like “work hard to be on time”. The article is written about the gaming industry, but it seems to me that it is applicable to the development of any products.]

Recycling is a regrettable feature of our industry. What to do with it, until someone decides it finally?
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When discussing recycling, we usually argue about whether there are conditions under which they are acceptable - “good” rather than “bad” processing - and what needs to be changed in the industry as a whole to get rid of the “bad” ones. I agree that it would be great if the industry began to change from above: managers could take more responsibility for improving working conditions and providing a more friendly and sustainable environment for game developers. But such changes are likely to be slow and gradual. There are a huge number of studios in the world, and the views of their leaders on solving this problem are sharply opposed. There are too many for unanimous acceptance.

This means that although there are reasons to wait for improvements, there is still a greater likelihood that you will encounter “bad” reworkings in your career, and the longer your career, the higher the likelihood. “If you don’t like it, go away” is a popular song among bad bosses and online commentators, but for various reasons it is sometimes impossible. For example, it may jeopardize your work, and finding a new one will not work out quickly.

Therefore, if you just started working in this industry and met your first “burning time”, or just decide whether to play games after hearing all these horrible reworking stories, here are my thoughts on how “straining” occurs, and how to relive them.

How does work stress arise?

It can occur in a team of any size, no one is protected from it. This happens in large companies and indie studios, with newbies and veterans. There is a stereotype of the evil boss chewing a cigar, ordering his subordinates to work hard to increase profits, and sometimes this is exactly what happens. The only thing that can be done here is to try to avoid such bosses.

But overvoltages can occur naturally, without the intervention of the leadership. For example, a small group of developers decides to stay at work until late in order to meet an important deadline. Studio leaders notice them and, trying to help, begin to order food delivery in the evenings. This gives the rest of the signal about the need to "strain up", and more and more people begin to linger in the office. For those who leave on time, begin to look askance. In these views, it reads: why do you not do your duty like us? Soon the whole studio begins to recycle. Mutual shame drove her into this trap.

Even single-handed developers may feel that it is not their right to break a promise made to customers or fans, therefore they increase the workload. This can be especially dangerous, because people working alone are sometimes considered guilty in such a situation only themselves: they underestimated the complexity of the work, they are not smart enough, they had to prepare better. Without the support of employees or teammates, solo developers can quickly "burn out" physically or morally.

The difference between "bad" and "good"

When industry leaders talk about "good" stress, they usually mean cases of voluntary participation - the team is highly motivated, confident that it is working on an outstanding project, and unanimously wants to invest as much as possible in creating an even more amazing product. It is hoped that such workers will also be well compensated for their processing: overtime pay, bonuses, shares in profits or a fair section. “Bad” processing on the contrary - are mandatory, have no visible end, do not inspire to invest enthusiasm and effort. The situation with bad processing can quickly turn into an indefinite sense of doom, quarrels and psychological damage affecting the personal lives of employees.

It is important that emotional mood can change over time. Stress can be “good” at first: an interesting time spent with co-workers having lunch and games in Mario Kart after compiling the latest build. But having suffered several setbacks, the same project can turn into a sad death march with rare conversations, automatic absorption of food and hatred for employees and the whole world.

You can agree or disagree with my definition. As a developer, you can have your own concept of “good” and “bad” stress. The reasons, benefits and results of processing (or its absence) in different situations are very different, so they should be considered in more detail.

Not black and white

You can define the ratio of the hypothetical worker to the processing as the spectrum between the two limit values. At one end of the spectrum, people are so fanatically committed and indifferent to the alignment of forces and money that they can endlessly recycle without any reason. At the other end are those who do not want to stay in the workplace overtime for a second, even if the small team in which they have been working for several years, creates something magical and is already close to completion. In both of these extremes, there is nothing bad, although the first may be considered “fools” by others, and the second by “assholes”.

Most often, of course, there is something intermediate. In practice, there are good and bad sides to working at the gaming studio. You can respect your boss for one thing, and not respect for something else. Some aspects of the game may be admiring, others disappointing. Someone in the studio inspires you and you think it's good luck to work with them, you try not to communicate with others.

In other words, in something you are proud of your work and consider that it is partly important from the point of view of art. You are not an enthusiastic adept, but not a fully burned cynic. Therefore, the arguments “for” and “against” extra efforts depend on the specific situation.

Recycling for compensation

You can calculate that the promised compensation in the future (for example, a premium after a product is released or a share of profits) is worth unpaid processing in the present. This is normal, but note that such compensation schemes can be quite difficult to understand, and by their very nature, the results cannot be predicted in advance. The amounts are often calculated in mysterious ways that you can never track down, especially in a large company. It is expected that you will accept the conditions and will be pleased with them as a sign of appreciation of the company. Of course, the prize can be good, but it is difficult to understand in advance whether your mournful work was worth what you get at the end.

If working hours without monetary compensation is not your option, the standard compromise is to participate in a scheme with bonuses (often with medical bonuses) and work on an hourly basis. Such a scheme may be acceptable if you are concerned about the possibility of exploiting employees on wages and irregular working hours. Unfortunately, employees with hourly pay in the studio hierarchy are often perceived as “second-rate” people.

As far as I understand, the logic of offering all these privileges such as medical care and bonuses for employees on wages is that they supposedly invest more soul in the final product if they work longer than their salaries provide. An employee seems to be “putting himself on the line” (“skin in the game”), as businessmen like to express. I do not really share this opinion: I worked with many hourly pay contractors who were more concerned with the final result than some of the salaried employees.

It doesn't matter what the structure of your reward is - if you work in a team with an explicit or unexpressed idea “after the game is released, we will all get rich!” Then make an effort and forget about it. Motivating yourself with just the big amount you get, and maybe not, is not a good strategy. If you catch yourself thinking “You need to suffer a little more this nonsense, and I will do everything,” then you are already on a dangerous road. Not to mention that the expectations of wealth are guaranteed barren. Of course, in your case it might work! However, the chances that you will solve all the material issues in your life are exactly that: this is just a chance. Ticket lottery, the probability of winning in which it is impossible to accurately calculate, so take it that way. No matter how lucky you are, if you like the lottery only when you win, in most cases you will be disappointed.

Recycling for the sake of experience

When an employee starts working in the gaming industry, he naturally wants to prove that he has everything necessary for success. He should keep the bar high, especially if he came to a famous and respected studio working on a large gaming franchise. He does not want to let his team down. He has an irrational fear of not liking superiors. He may even assume that the people at the helm know what they are doing.

Some managers are specifically looking for young novice employees who most likely do not have a couple or a family (you need to take into account that when they ask about the family and family status of the candidate for work, they break the law). They believe that this way it increases the likelihood that employees will be able to work around the clock.

I do not know whether the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the company's goals is a valuable feature, but he who possesses it can take on a very heavy load from the very beginning of work. I do not want to devalue the desire to see my goals even in a difficult situation and I understand the motivation to immediately participate in the creation of a large game project. But I hope that you are going to work in the gaming industry for a long time. Therefore, if the only way to develop for you is a series of hard deadlines, you will not learn about other ways to create games. You will think: “That's how games are made,” gradually approaching the catastrophe.

As in the case of financial motivation, gaining trust and gaining experience is an excellent result. But be careful if this becomes the only cause of work.

Recycling for your team

We are all humans. We cannot work with one team every day without feeling a sense of belonging. Even if you are not very enthusiastic about the product, and the rewards are not as great as you are, you can decide that you cannot leave your colleagues to suffer alone. You will recycle with them to demonstrate your support. If you are fully aware of what you are going for, then this is an absolutely acceptable choice.

This situation reminds me of an old cliché from military films: several soldiers are sent to a dangerous and difficult task, not because they believe in a great mission or respect the commander, but because they are attached to each other. They cover comrades and go on the task as a whole.

However, sly bosses know that sometimes these feelings can be exploited for their own purposes, so do not forget about it.

take care of yourself

Recycling affects the physical state, so it is worth tracking the signals given by the body. Standard tip: take breaks. Stretch and take a deep breath. Do exercise. Try to get enough sleep. Do not torment the stomach with fatty junk food too often. And so on.

Recycling can affect the psychological state. It is not always easy to admit that you have a problem. Sometimes for months you feel the senselessness of any actions, or you constantly imagine how cruel you are killing all your employees, or get drunk regularly to cope with all this crap. What do you keep repeating to yourself, again and again?

You can get emotional support from your loved ones. This is true: after all, it is part of a relationship. But if your relationship is out of balance for too long, they become grievous, unfair, and, as a result, unbearable. Many of your employees will sympathize with the fact that your personal life suffers from games (and there is a high probability that their relationship suffers too). But do not let them believe that without this can not do.

Find resources. They exist! Do not deny yourself the help of professionals. One of the side effects of the modern popularity of “literature of revelations” is that many outstanding works of this genre are devoted to extremes. People believe that, compared to the stories they have read, their own problems are not so great, so you need to bite the bullet and cope with them. You know that you will experience difficulties, because you are smart. You think: we will release the game, and everything will be in order again. You just need a little patience.

But do not make a mistake and do not be too persistent. All that you will achieve in this way is to postpone the problem for the future. Be prepared to accept professional help, even if the problem does not seem too terrible. I will give a physical metaphor (it is far from ideal, but I hope you will understand the meaning): a broken leg is much more serious than a sprained ankle. Broken bone usually means getting into an emergency room and months of recovery. On the other hand, a slight stretch eliminates the need for a doctor. You stumble about six weeks with a painful swelling, but then it will pass by itself. Probably.

Despite this, everyone knows that when you stretch your ankle, going to the doctor is a prudent and logical action. None of the friends will say: “What are you, a child? You can’t cope with stretching yourself? ”A doctor cannot cure a sprain, but at least he will make a professional dressing, write out medicines to more easily tolerate the symptoms, and give advice on what to do while you are recovering.

The analogue of the “broken leg” in the psychological state is an obvious, tragic breakdown. But do not think that you can let everything go by itself when you have a “sprained ankle”. Of course, a psychotherapist, psychiatrist or meditation instructor will not be able to get into your head and fix everything. But as is the case with the doctor and the ankle, he can guide you on the right path.

Stress recovery

When the “bad” processing is completed, many people start thinking: “Next time we’ll get better”. I respect this feeling: I think that striving for improvement is absolutely necessary. However, such expectations may tempt. In my own experience, if the team worked hard to complete the game, then chances are great that it will work almost the same on the next game. And it does not matter how much time and effort she spent on “error correction” between projects. I do not think there is any malicious intent in this. The point is that the habits of the team are hard to change. The release of the game through a tremendous overstrain is one of those reflexive habits with “muscular memory” that teams usually have.

Maybe you have a desire to take a break. Take and enjoy! But the vacation after the release of the game, when you just sit and stare at the wall (and this often happens after processing) is not too useful. Increasing your free time alone will not magically restore you. If you were driving a car before the hood began to smoke, the belts were worn out, and treads worn off on the tires, you won’t be able to repair the car just by stopping it for a while. Take active recovery steps that are effective for you. It may be worth remembering why you started making games in the first place. Or you need to choose something completely unrelated to games. Stay "vegetable" for some time, if you want, but do not limit it.

Conclusion

If you work in the game creation industry, then most likely you will sooner or later meet with rework. In some cases, the authorities make them mandatory, in other cases you have to decide whether to invest additional efforts in the circumstances. The reasons may be the support of your colleagues, the belief that you are really creating something big, or the reward promised for doing the work. If you recycle, then find out about the benefits that management receives from your reworkings, and estimate whether it is commensurate with the benefits you receive.

Long processing can easily lead to physical and mental disorders that will damage both you and others. Pay attention to yourself and listen to other people. If you find that dangerous behavior has become a habit, then it is important to recognize it and solve the problem, even if it doesn’t look as bad as the stories you read about.

It is difficult to create a balance between working on projects interesting for you, working with interesting people, suitable rhythm and worthy compensation. The real world is far from ideal and it is not always possible to find a job that satisfies even one of these parameters. But if you can survive in the conditions of processing thanks to the awareness of what you are going to, and controlling your physical and psychological state, then day by day you will successfully develop games.

Safe your travels.