When Long Hours at a Video Game Stop Being Fun

Stross, Randall. (2004). When long hours at a video game stop being fun. In P. De Palma (Ed.), Computers in society (pp. 48-49). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
Unit 3, Article 11

Review by Kim Doyle

In this article Randall Stross reveals the conditions under which entertainment software developers work to remain leaders in the industry. In 2004, when this article was first published, games for video consoles and personal computers had become a $7 billion-a-year business. But, as Randall points out, workers in the business are not happy with the hours they are required to work nor their compensation for doing so. Jamie Kirschenbaum, an employee of Electronic Arts, Inc. the world’s largest developer of entertainment software, filed a class action lawsuit against the company for failing to pay overtime compensation. Working an average of 65 hours a week, once necessary two weeks prior to distribution of a new release, has now become a regular occurrence. “Crunches” as they are called, used to also be accompanied by additional compensation but Kirschenbaum indicates this is no longer the case. Jeff Brown, a spokesman for Electronic Arts, indicated this was not unique to his company. He went on to say that they are interested in the opinions of their employees and conduct employee surveys every two years.

The International Game Developers Association conducted an industry wide “quality of life” survey in 2004 that confirmed that “crunch time” is a regular occurrence in the entertainment software industry. Furthermore, it warned young individuals just starting out how unlikely forming relationships and starting families becomes once working in this business.

Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, after spending a sabbatical as a researcher at Electronic Arts points out how “young” the workplace is. EA had 3,300 employees at this time and reported hiring 1,000 new employees each year. In the past about 10% of its new employees were hired directly out of college, but the plans are to increase this to 75%. Among the reasons for this is the cost savings from lower salaries when hiring from a younger group. The company also realizes that younger employees are also the most “suggestible”. Professor Pausch said he hear managers refer to how “young kids don’t know what’s possible”. As Pausch further points out, however, “they will learn when they get their schedules”.

Reaction

My experience with video based games and entertainment begins and ends with solitaire. As much time as I spend on computers for work and personal use, I have no interest in remaining in front of the screen for recreational purposes. It is therefore quite surprising to me to learn that the industry of software entertainment is a multi-billion dollar industry. While I believe that no employer should take advantage of its workers in the way Electronic Arts and other similar businesses seem to be doing, as this article illustrates, it is ultimately the choice of the worker to remain. Even Kirschenbaum, after filing a class action lawsuit against his employer (EA), he remained with the company. I just can’t seem to muster up too much sympathy for these folks.