EA Spouse tells her story. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

FngKestrel · 11-11-2004, 01:50 PM

Not sure if this belongs here or not, but it seems like the right place.

Someone with a live journal by the name ea_spouse tells her story and issues with EA's mentality.

This has been posted on slashdot and some other sources, AFAIK.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/

irateplatypus · 11-11-2004, 02:05 PM

thanks for the link, a good read...

this sort of thing is frustrating, but i don't think it is rare. we, in the tech sector, have been putting up with a substandard working environment for years. the problem is that unionization isn't practical as well as stiff competition for jobs. if gamers decided to boycott games coming from these puppy-mill type development conglomerates, i'd get behind it.

Coppertop · 11-11-2004, 02:05 PM

And this is one reason why I don't work in the gaming industry. I enjoy life outside of work. Even if overtime was paid for those 45-odd hours each week I doubt it'd be worth it. So how close to your experience is this, FngKestrel?

00111000 · 11-11-2004, 02:07 PM

It's pretty much dead on. When I was first in the game industry I was in QA..the lowest rung on the ladder. I pulled 80-90 hour weeks 10 months out of the year and slept in my cube probably 6 days a week. The longest week I ever pulled was 103 hours when we finaled Falcon 4. The only good thing during that time was Californina still payed overtime and doubletime so I was rolling in cash but I no time to spend it or do anything with it.

A good buddy of mine worked on the past few sims/urbs games and recently left EA because of these tactics. He would work 20 hours a day for months, ship a game, get a month off and then go back to the same grind again.

I get comments all the time like "oh, your job must be so easy and fun...you make and play games all day!" I just smile and nod, I do love what I do and am damn glad I'm not pumping gas or busting my ass doing construction(nothing against you blue collar guys!). But in the end it comes down to it being a job and a very demanding job. Missing a ship date usually equals thousands of dollars in sales and execs do not like that at all.

There are some perks though...get to see all the newest games before anyone else, work with some real interesting people. Seeing new technology is always a blast also.
_________________

FngKestrel · 11-11-2004, 02:29 PM

Yeah, I had to post this because I've done QA at EA. When I started working there, it was like, "Dude, I'm working at EA!" At the end, it was, "Man, all I want is a 40 hour work week."

00111000: I was definitely in a same boat. I tested almost all the Sims titles that came out in 2002. That was a long year. When I was done, I was able to pay for my eye surgery out of pocket because I had made so much money and had no time to spend it.

I know people at EA who have talked to me about returning there as an artist instead of QA. It's definitely something that would probably good for my career, but I have to wonder about its affect on my general wellbeing. One thing is that when I was in QA and pulling those hours, we all looked forward to the day where we would be in production, and we imagined that everything would be better. It's unfortunate to find out that that's not the case.

I've talked to people about the pros and cons of unionizing, but it's definitely a mentality of, someone else will take your job if you don't want it. For testers, it's definitely regarded as unskilled labor, which I would argue is a fallacy. The testers I know are at the top of their game, consistently, in a position that has huge turnover and incredible mind-numbing effects.

That being said, I refuse to get out of the game industry, for now. But I do hope that the industry matures a bit more. I remember reading in an interview in PC Gamer, to paraphrase Bruce Shelley, I wish some of these people would take some of their experience points in industry and put them into maturity.

The industry needs to look to the long term and understand that you prepare for the future by taking care of your employees.

joeyaz · 11-12-2004, 04:01 AM

EA workers readying class action lawsuit against EA
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11...s_6112998.html

Cynthetiq · 11-12-2004, 06:26 AM

I didn't work for EA, but did work for Disney Software in the early days of gaming pre Falcon 4(

).

QA did suck and was lots of hours.

The environment is becoming more and more like a TV production environment without the guidance or fules set forth by the production unions.

crossova · 11-12-2004, 07:37 AM

wow! i didn't know slave labor existed in the IT industry like that. Im on the lowest rung of the IT ladder myself (HelpDesk Support) but i'd be damned if they asked (attempted to force) me to work past my 5pm work time.

I feel sorry for those who have to work hours that were described in that blog.

scott_p_1 · 11-12-2004, 10:19 AM

Wow, that's pretty scarey. EA came to my university a few weeks ago with their "Liason Dude" (or his job title was something similar, but did have 'Dude' in the title). In fact, I have their recruitment pamphlet on my lap right now. I had heard that working in the game industry was grouling.
Makes me wonder if I should still apply for some jobs there. I know there's a lot of competition for jobs in the industry right now, but would I really want to work something like that?

Either way, great information for somebody like me who was considering EA as a possibility for employment (still may, but it's certainly not as high up on the list now)

FngKestrel · 11-15-2004, 11:29 AM

More livejournal about EA and the gaming industry. Is this just rampant everywhere?

http://www.livejournal.com/users/joestraitiff/

theburner · 11-15-2004, 11:43 AM

This practice is rampant everywhere. My buddy at Bungie was putting in 7 day a week gig's since June for Halo2. Damn near 80 hour work weeks.

One must remember however, that the game studio's sometimes (depends on title) pay a bonus based on how the game sells. My bungie buddy is about to double his salary this year with the bonus. Do the hours suck? You betcha. Will he complain when he gets a 100K bonus check? Probably not.

CityOfAngels · 11-15-2004, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irateplatypus

...if gamers decided to boycott games coming from these puppy-mill type development conglomerates, i'd get behind it.

I haven't bought an EA game since the old Madden Games for Sega. I perfectly content with my ESPN NBA games from Sega. So in essence, I am boycotting EA, I just didn't realize I was.

Locobot · 11-16-2004, 12:02 PM

No wonder EA so consistantly produces complete drech. That's no way to foster creativity.

heccubusiv · 11-16-2004, 05:10 PM

That really sucks, my friend got a internship for EA games and he loved it, he said he got to play video games all day as long as he got work done on time and he could rent out 2 pieces from their huge game library a day... i guess that how they suck in people

merkerguitars · 11-19-2004, 10:39 PM

My friend used to do QA for sierra, pulled alot of hours and was rolling in the cash, but like most of you said, how can you spend it when all you do is work? He said if you work nintendo or microsoft it's hell, get paid as low as possible and get worked the hell out of you without overtime. I have heard there are many factors that make game companies pull such horrible hours is because of, people retiring early so that are hardly anybody really experienced working there and that all of a sudden they decide they need to bust ass around christmas time.

11-11-2004, 01:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
FngKestrel Junkie	EA Spouse tells her story. Not sure if this belongs here or not, but it seems like the right place. Someone with a live journal by the name ea_spouse tells her story and issues with EA's mentality. This has been posted on slashdot and some other sources, AFAIK. http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/

11-11-2004, 02:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
irateplatypus can't help but laugh Location: dar al-harb	thanks for the link, a good read... this sort of thing is frustrating, but i don't think it is rare. we, in the tech sector, have been putting up with a substandard working environment for years. the problem is that unionization isn't practical as well as stiff competition for jobs. if gamers decided to boycott games coming from these puppy-mill type development conglomerates, i'd get behind it. __________________ If you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves. ~ Winston Churchill

11-11-2004, 02:05 PM	#3 (permalink)
Coppertop Getting Medieval on your ass Location: 13th century Europe	And this is one reason why I don't work in the gaming industry. I enjoy life outside of work. Even if overtime was paid for those 45-odd hours each week I doubt it'd be worth it. So how close to your experience is this, FngKestrel? Last edited by Coppertop; 11-11-2004 at 02:13 PM.. Reason: typo

11-11-2004, 02:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
00111000 Psycho Location: Mostly standing in a blue semi-circle	It's pretty much dead on. When I was first in the game industry I was in QA..the lowest rung on the ladder. I pulled 80-90 hour weeks 10 months out of the year and slept in my cube probably 6 days a week. The longest week I ever pulled was 103 hours when we finaled Falcon 4. The only good thing during that time was Californina still payed overtime and doubletime so I was rolling in cash but I no time to spend it or do anything with it. A good buddy of mine worked on the past few sims/urbs games and recently left EA because of these tactics. He would work 20 hours a day for months, ship a game, get a month off and then go back to the same grind again. I get comments all the time like "oh, your job must be so easy and fun...you make and play games all day!" I just smile and nod, I do love what I do and am damn glad I'm not pumping gas or busting my ass doing construction(nothing against you blue collar guys!). But in the end it comes down to it being a job and a very demanding job. Missing a ship date usually equals thousands of dollars in sales and execs do not like that at all. There are some perks though...get to see all the newest games before anyone else, work with some real interesting people. Seeing new technology is always a blast also. _________________ __________________ - And so he says, 'I don't like the cut of your jib.' And I go I says, IT'S THE ONLY JIB I GOT, BABY! -

11-12-2004, 06:26 AM	#7 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	I didn't work for EA, but did work for Disney Software in the early days of gaming pre Falcon 4( ). QA did suck and was lots of hours. The environment is becoming more and more like a TV production environment without the guidance or fules set forth by the production unions. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

11-11-2004, 02:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
FngKestrel Junkie	Yeah, I had to post this because I've done QA at EA. When I started working there, it was like, "Dude, I'm working at EA!" At the end, it was, "Man, all I want is a 40 hour work week." 00111000: I was definitely in a same boat. I tested almost all the Sims titles that came out in 2002. That was a long year. When I was done, I was able to pay for my eye surgery out of pocket because I had made so much money and had no time to spend it. I know people at EA who have talked to me about returning there as an artist instead of QA. It's definitely something that would probably good for my career, but I have to wonder about its affect on my general wellbeing. One thing is that when I was in QA and pulling those hours, we all looked forward to the day where we would be in production, and we imagined that everything would be better. It's unfortunate to find out that that's not the case. I've talked to people about the pros and cons of unionizing, but it's definitely a mentality of, someone else will take your job if you don't want it. For testers, it's definitely regarded as unskilled labor, which I would argue is a fallacy. The testers I know are at the top of their game, consistently, in a position that has huge turnover and incredible mind-numbing effects. That being said, I refuse to get out of the game industry, for now. But I do hope that the industry matures a bit more. I remember reading in an interview in PC Gamer, to paraphrase Bruce Shelley, I wish some of these people would take some of their experience points in industry and put them into maturity. The industry needs to look to the long term and understand that you prepare for the future by taking care of your employees.

11-12-2004, 04:01 AM	#6 (permalink)
joeyaz Tilted Location: Az	EA workers readying class action lawsuit against EA http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11...s_6112998.html

11-12-2004, 07:37 AM	#8 (permalink)
crossova Psycho Location: new york	wow! i didn't know slave labor existed in the IT industry like that. Im on the lowest rung of the IT ladder myself (HelpDesk Support) but i'd be damned if they asked (attempted to force) me to work past my 5pm work time. I feel sorry for those who have to work hours that were described in that blog.

11-12-2004, 10:19 AM	#9 (permalink)
scott_p_1 Crazy	Wow, that's pretty scarey. EA came to my university a few weeks ago with their "Liason Dude" (or his job title was something similar, but did have 'Dude' in the title). In fact, I have their recruitment pamphlet on my lap right now. I had heard that working in the game industry was grouling. Makes me wonder if I should still apply for some jobs there. I know there's a lot of competition for jobs in the industry right now, but would I really want to work something like that? Either way, great information for somebody like me who was considering EA as a possibility for employment (still may, but it's certainly not as high up on the list now)

11-15-2004, 11:29 AM	#10 (permalink)
FngKestrel Junkie	More livejournal about EA and the gaming industry. Is this just rampant everywhere? http://www.livejournal.com/users/joestraitiff/

11-15-2004, 11:43 AM	#11 (permalink)
theburner Canadian Beer Ambassador Location: Cumming, GA	This practice is rampant everywhere. My buddy at Bungie was putting in 7 day a week gig's since June for Halo2. Damn near 80 hour work weeks. One must remember however, that the game studio's sometimes (depends on title) pay a bonus based on how the game sells. My bungie buddy is about to double his salary this year with the bonus. Do the hours suck? You betcha. Will he complain when he gets a 100K bonus check? Probably not. __________________ Take Off Eh!

11-16-2004, 12:02 PM	#13 (permalink)
Locobot is awesome!	No wonder EA so consistantly produces complete drech. That's no way to foster creativity.

11-16-2004, 05:10 PM	#14 (permalink)
heccubusiv #1 Irish Fan Location: The Burgh	That really sucks, my friend got a internship for EA games and he loved it, he said he got to play video games all day as long as he got work done on time and he could rent out 2 pieces from their huge game library a day... i guess that how they suck in people __________________ Fuck Ohio

11-19-2004, 10:39 PM	#15 (permalink)
merkerguitars Buffering......... Location: Wisconsin...	My friend used to do QA for sierra, pulled alot of hours and was rolling in the cash, but like most of you said, how can you spend it when all you do is work? He said if you work nintendo or microsoft it's hell, get paid as low as possible and get worked the hell out of you without overtime. I have heard there are many factors that make game companies pull such horrible hours is because of, people retiring early so that are hardly anybody really experienced working there and that all of a sudden they decide they need to bust ass around christmas time. __________________ Donate now! Ask me How! Please use the search function it is your friend. Look at my mustang please feel free to comment! http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthread.php?t=26985