EA Spouse talks about life as a PC game developer

Long LONG hours

Published on November 11, 2004 By Draginol In PC Gaming

This is definitely worth reading. Here at Stardock, we rarely work crazy hours. 40 to 50 hours per week is more typical for most people here except during crunch hours where it might go up to 60 hours for a few weeks.

But what you're seeing at EA and other game companies - 80 hours per week - is pretty typical in the game industry.

Comments

Spc Nobody Special

on Nov 11, 2004

This completely sucks. I worked 90 to 100 plus hours working or in class a week for one summer while finishing my last bit of college, and got to the point I couldn't see, think, or act straight.

Not only is this mistreatment of their employees, but it's sure to interfere with the quality of their work, one of the things I've always enjoyed about EA in the past. They always made the best games; I especially loved their Medal of Honor series. They deserve comp time at the least.

Madine

on Nov 12, 2004

If you work 80 hours a week you're basically a slave...

bjwbell

on Nov 12, 2004

Grr. So much for my dream of being a game developer (:

Jim Lawless

on Nov 12, 2004

It appears that a class-action suit is in the early stages against EA:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11/11/news_6112998.html

SSG Geezer

on Nov 14, 2004

Although there have been long periods of time when the unit I was in was required to work those 70-80 hour weeks, there was at least the knowledge that it was important, and after the crisis was over then the 1+ hour lunches and liberal holiday schedule would catch up. This was in the peacetime Army though.
It appears from the nearly 2000 responses that EA does suck , and I feel for their developers.

LDiCesare

on Nov 21, 2004

That's quite awful. Crappy management. They haven't understood yet that if you manage correctly, you don't need to work more. Someone who has been working 90 hours for 2 weeks is unlikely to be able to think of a clean way of doing something, and will end up programming and debugging something in 12 hours where 10 minutes of thinking (had he had the ability to think not destroyed by stress and fatigue) would have let him find a solution to implement in 3 or 4 hours.
These guys should get out of business.

Spartan

on Jul 24, 2006

80 hour weeks are the norm here in Japan for most businesses. Moreover highly motivated young single staff will do 90+ to show their commitment to cause and gratitude to be able to work.

V1m

on Jul 24, 2006

30 minutes of good thinking is more valuable than 12 hours of being slumped at your desk as a sleep-deprived zombie.

kryo

on Aug 26, 2006

[spam-bots keep resurrecting this thread... locking it now]

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