Crunch is one of the largest labor problems in the gaming industry. The Co Presidents of Publisher Naughty Dog have now come to the bang-hard overtime of the industry - and completely misses the target. A comment by Gregor Elsholz.
Naughty Dogs Co-President Evan Wells and Neil Printant have expressed themselves in an interview at Crunch working culture and the possibility of trade unions in the gaming industry. Your comments witness to a misguided work and responsibility and make it clear why the problem is still not solved.
Gaming industry: untenable working conditions
Crunch describes the work situation for publishers, which usually occurs shortly before the release, in which the employed absurd overtime must complete against small or no reward. The crunch working culture has established itself with many developers and expresses itself in a often monthly intensive pressure situation within a team , which forces all employees to significantly longer working hours.
At Naughty Dog, the problem is unfortunately known only too well. Before the release of The Last of US 2, last year was reported several times by unbearable working conditions at the Publisher: employees often had to work through more than twelve hours a day and seven days a week. Nevertheless, Wells and Printant Unions are not for the right means to prevent crunch , but encounter the topic on disappointing vague way.
Crunch Culture at Naughty Dog: No solution in sight?
In the interview, wells doubts that unions could be a solution to crunch. He says that could frustrate some employees , if they are likely to work only 40 hours. There were workers who would like to miss the fines from their work and they would feel restricted by such a solution.
Druckmann later complements that Crunch is too complex for a single solution - it would always be someone on the track. Instead, you need several approaches to tackle the problem. (Source: GameInformer)
Crunch: Worker protection absolutely necessary
Of course, it is always a meaningful idea to search for several solutions for a problem. However, should also first understood the problem and after that, care should not be taken to make the second or third step before the first.
Crunch culture is essentially exploitation of employees who suffer from extreme pressure situations. Thus, Crunch without question is a worker's right problem and the most obvious solution for this would be to give the workers right and more protection - as it would be possible by a union.
Naughty Dog boss is part of the problem
Based on such a legal basis, individual cases and individual needs could be addressed, as stimulated by pressure man. Without a union workers in the gaming industry continue to depend on the benevolence of their managers. And as the last few years have proven, there are unfortunately less than survival resources in Survivor mode of The Last of US 2 .
Wells shows exactly this problem with his statement just aptly: to meet the massive problem of crunch culture with the attitude that some workers would like to work a little longer, is condescending and harmful . Not only is the responsibility for an intricable working atmosphere to transfer the completely false shoulders, but additionally strengthens exactly the internal stress situation that accounts for the crunch culture.
In our video we show you what we gather in August in the editorial office:
It remains to hope that Naughty Dog and the industry generally find a way from crunch culture. In any case, workers' rights must be strengthened and employees are protected from excessive overtime - a union would be a meaningful step without a question.
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