Baldur’s Gate 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us – these are games that bring millions of gamers countless entertaining hours daily. Especially after a stressful day, it’s sometimes just nice to turn on the computer, immerse oneself in another world, and leave the daily grind behind, even if only for a short moment.
No wonder, then, that game development is a dream job for many people. Surrounded by like-minded individuals, developers have the opportunity to turn their hobby into a profession. No reason to complain, right?
Unfortunately, people who have a strong passion for their job sometimes tend to invest excessive amounts of time and energy into their work without being properly compensated or recognised for it. Thus, behind the shiny facades of the most successful game studios lies a grim reality often overlooked: low wages, extreme working hours, and relentless psychological pressure to deliver new content faster and faster.
100-HOUR WEEKS: A NORMAL STATE OF AFFAIRS?
Overtime in the gaming industry has become the norm, especially at larger studios. There’s even a specific term for this issue: crunch. So-called “crunch times” are periods of intense work pressure that often occur just before a game’s completion. During these crunch periods, which can last for several uninterrupted months, developers work long hours, including overtime and weekends, to meet deadlines and finish the game on time. In these crunch times, 80- or even 100-hour weeks are not the exception but the rule. “No one can sustain this for long,” reports an industry insider to Zeit Online. “After twelve hours of work, your body is exhausted. You go to work early, drink a lot of coffee to stay awake. Eventually, you go home, fall asleep immediately, and in five hours, the alarm goes off again. And this goes on for weeks.” Another developer tells Tagesspiegel about colleagues who even brought sleeping bags to the office to sleep there. Leisure time? Nonexistent!
A survey by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) in 2024 shows that about a third of developers experience crunch times regularly. Another 25% of respondents said that while their work required long hours, extended work periods, or overtime, they did not – at least not officially – label it as crunch time. But why do excessive overtime hours seem so unavoidable in the gaming industry?
AN INDUSTRY-WIDE ISSUE?
Crunch is widespread in the gaming industry and affects both large AAA studios and smaller independent developers. Of course, similar problems exist in other creative fields, but several reasons make the gaming industry particularly prone to overworking its employees. For one, too many mistakes are made in planning. Video game development can be extremely complex, especially for high-end titles with elaborate graphics, complex game mechanics, and extensive storylines. Additionally, unexpected problems can always arise that need to be quickly fixed.
However, delaying a release date is critical since the timing of a game’s release is crucial. If the game isn’t finished on time, it can pose significant financial challenges for the team as revenue is only generated through sales. Postponing a release is also problematic for publishers who have already invested in the game. This, of course, increases the pressure on developers to meet the planned deadline. In some companies, there is even a veritable culture of “crunching,” where long working hours are considered normal. But even though this pressure is part of the job for many, these working conditions over time lead not only to significant strain on employees but also to health issues, burnout, and a decline in work quality. Despite all this and the fact that the global video game market is expected to reach about 261.80 billion euros in revenue in 2024, overtime is often not adequately compensated – if at all.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
It is difficult to break out of this crunch culture. In an interview with Radio FM4, Dietmar Hauser, a freelance game developer from Austria, explains that it is crucial for those affected not to remain alone but to seek support within the company, and perhaps even muster the courage to directly address those responsible. As a last resort, there’s always the option of resigning and potentially going public.
Whether public exposure of issues like overwork, abuse, and job dissatisfaction in the gaming industry can actually bring about lasting change remains questionable. Often such topics fade into the background after a while, or the offenders stubbornly claim that all allegations have long been resolved and the problems no longer exist.
Ultimately, the entire gaming community could incentivise companies to improve their work practices and reduce the pressure on their developers. If the gaming community consciously prefers games developed without crunch, it sends a clear message to the industry that it supports ethical standards and the well-being of developers. This could lead companies to change their priorities and focus more on creating a healthy work environment to win the favour of players. Whether this is realistic remains to be seen.
Translated by Anna Smith
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