Spurn the computer game industry • Hacker News Board

Re: Spurn the computer game industry

#51

Post by xabotage » Sun, Jan 15, 2017, 10:48 PM UTC

Pica_soO wrote: post #49

xabotage wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By that I mean, given that artists and game developers are often underpaid and exploited, proprietary tools only exacerbate the situation because the artists are forced to pay whatever price the vendor names (even if the company buys the licenses, it just means less resources left to hire more people to alleviate the insane overtime). Independent shops or freelancers are especially at a disadvantage when they have to…

I have yet to see the longest,most delicious Stallmann sandwich, from which we all shall eat, once we leave our jobs. I have a full time job and a side-project (game) and nothing else. If open source would really have a plan to supply income, food and roof for people contributing, they would come. But just standing there, yelling at the mining-pit "You are all wage-slaves" with empty pockets, that attitude gains alti…

Not sure what "empty pockets" means with an engineer's salary using FOSS tools day in and day out. When was the last time you had to purchase a programming language? A Unix terminal? What makes you think FOSS tools only create FOSS products? When products become tools for other products, opting for the open source tools increases the margin used to feed the "wage slaves".

Re: Spurn the computer game industry

#52

Post by eximius » Mon, Jan 16, 2017, 12:30 AM UTC

Animats wrote: post #10

There's a lot of work inside an AAA title. Most of it isn't programming. Back in the 1990s, the big problem was technical - building an engine that could handle a big complex world. That's mostly solved. Now it's mostly large amounts of artwork, plotting, sound, character movement, and construction. That takes lots of hours. As for "spurn the computer game industry", that should apply to jobs. The working conditions…

Eh, it is solved up to a certain scale/fidelity. Space sims like Star Citzen push the boundries in scope while VR will quickly push the boundries in fidelity.

Re: Spurn the computer game industry

#53

Post by erikpukinskis » Mon, Jan 16, 2017, 12:44 AM UTC

jakebasile wrote: post #35

This article boils down to "stop liking things I don't like!". I play games for the fun of it, not for the ideology of their licensing. > Most commercial computer games are not only proprietary software, but also require proprietary platforms such as Microsoft Windows and Steam. This means you do not have the ability to understand or maintain your computer. I understand my gaming machine very well. I don't often dive…

Just because something provides net value does not mean it's not wasteful. People drink bottled water, but it's still wasteful.

Re: Spurn the computer game industry

#54

Post by erikpukinskis » Mon, Jan 16, 2017, 12:48 AM UTC

60654 wrote: post #42

I make games, and see stuff like that occasionally. The problem is that a game is not just a piece of software. It's a creative work that people pour years of their life into. Both on the code side, but also on design, art, audio, writing, etc. Suggesting that games should be free is like suggesting that books or art should be free - and yet people wouldn't suggest that, right? We understand that art and creative wor…

Do you really think the games industry is primarily creative work? It seems like mostly production to me... Just applying labor to making something that conforms to social expectations about how games work. From the outside, it seems a tiny fraction of people experience their work as a genuine outlet for expression of their dreams and ideas. Even in the "creative director" role it seems rare for someone to have real freedom to express and explore. Is your experience different?

Re: Spurn the computer game industry

#55

Post by 60654 » Mon, Jan 16, 2017, 3:59 AM UTC

erikpukinskis wrote: post #54

60654 wrote: post #42

I make games, and see stuff like that occasionally. The problem is that a game is not just a piece of software. It's a creative work that people pour years of their life into. Both on the code side, but also on design, art, audio, writing, etc. Suggesting that games should be free is like suggesting that books or art should be free - and yet people wouldn't suggest that, right? We understand that art and creative wor…

Do you really think the games industry is primarily creative work? It seems like mostly production to me... Just applying labor to making something that conforms to social expectations about how games work. From the outside, it seems a tiny fraction of people experience their work as a genuine outlet for expression of their dreams and ideas. Even in the "creative director" role it seems rare for someone to have real…

I can't tell whether you're trolling or not, so I'll assume that you aren't.

It's the same as in other areas of human endeavor - the larger the business, the more constraining it's going to be. An executive at EA is closer to an executive McDonald's - your concern will be with market fit, scalable processes, reproducible results, etc. Not creativity.

But if you're a designer / developer at a small studio (or a team inside a big company that somehow managed to secure independence - it does happen!) then you're more like the executive chef at a local gourmet restaurant - you can stretch your creative muscles and do interesting things. However, the price is that you will probably never become a household name and a global brand. And whether that price is fair is entirely up to you.

PS. And if you want games that don't conform to societal expectations, you should really check out all of the avant garde / zinester games that are being made outside of the mainstream. There's a lot of boundary-stretching work being made if you look for it.