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Inside Rockst*r Games

blog.zerodean.com

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Re: Inside Rockst*r Games

#21

Post by _delirium »

trafficlight wrote: post #19
mrcharles wrote: post #15

Rockstar is well known within the industry as the worst place you could possibly work. People who've worked with ex-Rockstar employees have always known. When the EA Spouse thing came out, a lot of us wondered when something would finally break about Rockstar. But Rockstar has a secret -- that secret is that they are sued regularly over working conditions and abuse, and they always settle. The settlement comes with a…

I had no idea about Rockstar. I've heard for years about EA's shenanigans and thought they were the worst. Why do people allow themselves to be treated that way?

I think the game industry has some of the same trouble as Hollywood--- a ton of people who see it as their glamorous life dream, and are willing to work in bad conditions in hopes of somehow becoming the next Will Wright.

Re: Inside Rockst*r Games

#22

Post by mrcharles »

trafficlight wrote: post #19
mrcharles wrote: post #15

Rockstar is well known within the industry as the worst place you could possibly work. People who've worked with ex-Rockstar employees have always known. When the EA Spouse thing came out, a lot of us wondered when something would finally break about Rockstar. But Rockstar has a secret -- that secret is that they are sued regularly over working conditions and abuse, and they always settle. The settlement comes with a…

I had no idea about Rockstar. I've heard for years about EA's shenanigans and thought they were the worst. Why do people allow themselves to be treated that way?

For the same reason that anyone ever stays in an abusive relationship, because that is exactly what working for Rockstar is. Some people are strong enough to realize that they need to break free, others simply buy the statements coming from abuse and believe that they aren't good at their job, that no one else will employ them, that the rest of the industry is just as bad, if not worse.

What disturbs me most about Rockstar is more about the physical working conditions though. I think everyone working at a job will eventually deal with the kind of poor management and emotional abuse that was described in this article. But I've heard stories about offices that are in the middle of nowhere, horrible neighborhoods, musty and poorly ventilated. I heard one story of mold on the walls, and another about the company not paying to heat or cool an office space.

I honestly can't explain how rockstar continues to hire people, except for the appeal of working on a rockstar game. Personally, I have enough good friends and coworkers who are ex-rockstar that I have boycotted rockstar games. I cannot in good conscience continue supporting the company.

Re: Inside Rockst*r Games

#24

Post by tjarratt »

kevingadd wrote: post #3

I keep hearing stories like this from different studios, and most of the time, they're studios that released games I really enjoyed. I would assume the stories are exaggerated or untrue, but they always ring true with my personal experience in game dev as well. I think stories like this are rooted in the fact that the feedback cycle for large-budget video game development is completely broken. For small game projects…

You would be surprised how many known bugs an average game has when it ships. I'm sure the last week before GM is a very hectic week for those individuals that are determined to increase quality without breaking the game, but there are only so many hours in a day.

Also, I think you confused Bethesda with Obsidian Studios. They both ship buggy code, but fans seem to be more forgiving of Obsidian.

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