Making Video Games Is Not a Dream Job

Post by cgag » Fri, Apr 05, 2019, 8:50 PM UTC

CM30 wrote: post #97

> For many kids who grew up with controllers in their hands, being a game developer is a dream job, so when it comes to talent, supply is higher than demand This is basically the reason for low wages in quite a few 'passion' driven industries. If a job is something enough people want to do, then talent is cheap and plentiful and companies can provide low wages and poor conditions that for every person who quits, ten…

Post by gridlockd » Fri, Apr 05, 2019, 8:51 PM UTC

enraged_camel wrote: post #399

gridlockd wrote: post #367

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently, everyone is a victim these days simply by making life decisions they end up regretting. Nobody is responsible for anything concerning themselves anymore. The idea that these people are entrapped is a bunch of nonsense. We're not talking about people that have zero alternatives besides scraping at the bottom of a barrel. We're talking about people that are already well-paid and would be even higher paid if…

>>Apparently, everyone is a victim these days simply by making life decisions they end up regretting. Nobody is responsible for anything concerning themselves anymore. No one makes decisions in a vacuum. People's behaviors are informed by their upbringing and circumstances, most of which they have no control over. Studies show that people are deeply affected by those around them, and their role models (whether those…

Post by conanbatt » Fri, Apr 05, 2019, 8:55 PM UTC

slg wrote: post #397

sokoloff wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I walk by a window and don't break it, am I taking work away from glaziers?

That is stronger language than I would use, but yes you declined an opportunity to increase the demand for glaziers. I imagine your are trying to allude to the glazier's fallacy [1]. However that is only a fallacy from the perspective of the entire economy. An extra dollar spent on a glazier is going to benefit the glazier. The problem for the economy at large is that the dollar might have otherwise been spent on the…

Post by DangitBobby » Fri, Apr 05, 2019, 9:01 PM UTC

rossdavidh wrote: post #390

DangitBobby wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is why, in this case, unionization isn't just (to paraphrase) ignoring that there's not enough demand. One intended result is that it would forcibly remove the option of externalizing the consequences of intentionally under-utilizing the labor pool. It prevents bad behavior (behavior that should already be illegal IMO). Freely exploiting your workers because they have no bargaining power should always discourag…

While I certainly agree, the historical record suggests that unionization often requires a certain amount of labor scarcity in order to happen in the first place. Of course, enough scarcity and the workers won't see the need, perhaps because there isn't any, but in cases of superabundance of labor it is extraordinarily difficult (usually impossible) to successfully unionize. I certainly agree that unions can make a b…

Post by trashface » Fri, Apr 05, 2019, 9:07 PM UTC

rubicon33 wrote: post #294

It's incredible reading through the comments on this post and nobody seems to see the game industry for what it is: the canary in the coal mine. Programming within the game industry is sliding rapidly toward blue collar, and you'd be a fool to assume the problem is contained. The problem for programmers is simple - Supply and Demand. Thanks to a massive publicity push from big tech, the public is being sold - hook li…