These articles are about the treatment of game developers by big publishers - I think we're seeing something starting here that harkens back to the organized labor movement in Hollywood back in the 1930's.
livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/
gametab.com/news/174082/
I'm not exactly a labor union fanatic - and generally I believe that market forces should dictate things like salary and benefits. Working hours, conditions, safety, and those issues are certainly in organized labor's field - that's how they got started in the slaughterhouses in Chicago. Mental anguish has already been used in the courts as a means to compensate victims, and I wonder how long it will be before big companies like EA realize that their profits and earnings are at risk if they perpetrate, encourage, or even turn a blind eye to uncompensated 60+ hour workweeks.
Lawsuits are brought against the big boys first - like EA, Sony, and Microsoft. Unfortunately their mistakes may very well dictate how the rest of us do business. Believe me, this will not be pretty - but it is essentially inevitable. If you run a small studio - make damn well sure your staff is happy, or you may find yourself dealing with a union in your own shop.
That will probably put most small shops right out of business, unless you move to India or Russia. No matter what happens, this will get a lot uglier in the coming days.
livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/
gametab.com/news/174082/
I'm not exactly a labor union fanatic - and generally I believe that market forces should dictate things like salary and benefits. Working hours, conditions, safety, and those issues are certainly in organized labor's field - that's how they got started in the slaughterhouses in Chicago. Mental anguish has already been used in the courts as a means to compensate victims, and I wonder how long it will be before big companies like EA realize that their profits and earnings are at risk if they perpetrate, encourage, or even turn a blind eye to uncompensated 60+ hour workweeks.
Lawsuits are brought against the big boys first - like EA, Sony, and Microsoft. Unfortunately their mistakes may very well dictate how the rest of us do business. Believe me, this will not be pretty - but it is essentially inevitable. If you run a small studio - make damn well sure your staff is happy, or you may find yourself dealing with a union in your own shop.
That will probably put most small shops right out of business, unless you move to India or Russia. No matter what happens, this will get a lot uglier in the coming days.
Mr.Mike
Author, Programmer, Brewer, Patriot
Author, Programmer, Brewer, Patriot