GAME DEVELOPERS FINDING GAME DEVELOPMENT NO LONGER A GAME

March 30 2009

San Francisco, CA – It was back in 1995 that the beginning of a new era of video games began. That December saw the release of the Sony Playstation, a year later came the Nintendo 64, and those two machines brought the once extremely nerdy hobby of videogames to the mainstream. Since that time game developers and publishers have enjoyed ever increasing profits and nearly uninhibited growth but in the ever struggling economy many in the industry are finding that working with games isn’t really much of a game after all.

That sentiment was no more evident than it was at this year’s GDC where gangs of unemployed roamed the floors of the Moscone Center, looking desperately to regain the fun they once had. Though security officials were mostly tolerant of the indigents, many having trouble distinguishing them from the rest of the gaming crowd, the reality of unleashing ever more poor and desperate ex-game developers on the world has left some uneasy, not the least of which those who fired them in the first place.

“For the first time in 17 years, I have no idea what my next job will be,” said Justin Berenbaum, a former salesman for Capcom who wandered aimlessly around the show floor. “Given how bad the economy is, I'm a little worried.”

Of course many across the country are concerned for their future as the American economy continues to bleed jobs. Many though don’t have the opportunity to wander a glamorous industry event, but instead struggle to keep their children fed.

“Game companies are all having a lot of trouble staying in business, largely because they are finding that they need to pay employees and they need those employees in order to create and distribute product. It’s a hard reality but it is a reality that is finally hitting the gaming industry just as it has every other business over the history of humanity,” continued Hawthorne. “Gaming has had unparalleled growth over the last fifteen years but they are starting to realize that they need to operate just like any other business and be fiscally responsible.”

The history of the gaming industry has been littered with self indulgence and failed companies, none perhaps as infamous as the death of John Romero’s Ion Storm. Most recently Midway Games announced that it would be filing for bankruptcy protection, marking the potential demise of one of the most prominent game publisher in history.

“The unfortunate thing for many developers and publishers is that the United States government tends to enforce things like labour laws even in the time of great economic crisis. Companies like EA have made a fortune by exploiting workers and skirting the basic rules of employment and that likely isn’t going to change even as the economy continues to flounder,” continued Hawthorne. “This would be prime time for that kind of free labour but it just isn’t allowed anymore, no matter how desperate people are for work.”

Indeed many companies, including EA, have cut workforces while simultaneously hiring for other positions. It is widely understood that the majority of those were ‘whiners’. Other companies though are seeing opportunity with those terminations and are scooping up desperate workers for a fraction of their normal fees.

“We've been so busy talking to people that we haven't even touched our lunches,” said Ray Miller, an executive for Realtime Worlds. “Last year, we had two people to staff the booth, and there was more downtime. This year, we have four people, and we haven't had a break all day.”

Very few of the workers seeking employment at GDC are looking for jobs trying to find people looking for jobs, one of the few growth areas of the industry.

“Like in many businesses throughout the country, the biggest growth sector in the gaming industry is in the employment services division, which isn’t exactly what most people dream of when they decide they want to make videogames,” continued Hawthorne. “Hopefully for next year’s conference at the very least we will see expanded hiring in the security department to keep this riff-raff away from the more respectable people in the industry.”    

Douglas Havermore, Games Correspondent  

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