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Feature: Why Being a Computer Game Developer Sucks | Login/Create an Account | Top | 238 comments | Starting at #100" | Search Discussion
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1 | 2 | (3) | 4 (Slashdot Overload: CommentLimit 50)
That premise doesn't apply here (Score:1)
by forkboy (jtmogavero@nOsPAm.attbi.com) on Friday August 20, @06:26AM (#1735705)
(User #8644 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
Playing a game you've written yourself is a lot like reading a book you've written yourself.

Sure, you can appreciate the quality and talent (or lack thereof) that went into it, but you already know what will and will not happen, taking the adventure and excitement out of the game.

Not to mention, some of the best commercial games took waaay more than one person to create, what with all the artwork, coding, quality assurance, filming (if the game has video capture), etc that goes into it.

So, we must rely upon the gaming industry to supply us with quality entertainment. Money talks though....geeks are getting tired of putting money into half-assed attempts at unoriginal game ideas. Why do you think software pirating is so prevelant? Sure, a lot of it is because it's underage kids with no money and a lot of time, but mostly, and I know this is the reason *I* cruise the warez sites and friends' ftp sites before buying a game: I HATE WASTING 50 BUCKS ON A POORLY CODED PIECE OF CRAP. If I like a game, I buy it. I won't buy a game and pray that I like it. I work too goddam hard to throw my money away on them. I do a good enough job of that at the bar.


[ Parent ]
Re:Supply and Demand (Score:1)
by forkboy (jtmogavero@nOsPAm.attbi.com) on Friday August 20, @06:07AM (#1735706)
(User #8644 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
14 year old boys may not have a lot of money, but their parents, who are willing to fork out $40-$60 to shut their kids the f*ck up and keep them out of trouble, do.

But I do agree with you, there need to be more intelligently designed games for us old fogeys who are getting tired of Quake-clones, Warcraft clones, and other such unimaginative drivel.
Sure, there have been a few winners that were based off unoriginal ideas, but most of them are just god-awful. Play Sin or Blood lately? Have you even BOUGHT a RTS game besides Star-craft in the last 2 years and not felt ripped off? Not me, man.

[ Parent ]
Re:Bleh (Score:1)
by coreman (reith@racores.com) on Friday August 20, @04:28AM (#1735707)
(User #8656 Info | http://www.racores.com/JimReith/index.html)
But you do have a mass exodus from the industry. I work with several ex-game programmers, most pretty burnt out. The good news is that you've got far greater numbers of easily exploitable teenagers throwing themselves at the misshapened vision of what the industry is supposed to be.
[ Parent ]
Re:Zork (Score:1)
by dadams on Friday August 20, @06:44AM (#1735708)
(User #9665 Info)
Do a search for interactive fiction. You'll turn up tons of links. Here's a good one http://www.ifarchive.org/. There's also a yearly interactive fiction contest
[ Parent ]
Young and exploited, and loving it (Score:1)
by Cooty on Friday August 20, @05:32AM (#1735709)
(User #9783 Info)
Agreed, working on games is quite similar to working on movies. I have only had the luxury of working on computer games (about 3 years now), but sometimes it feels like a weird little pocket of Hollywood.

I know I have been somewhat exploited these past few years. I'm not 19, I'm 27, but the concept is the same. I could make a lot more out in the so-called real world, and in some ways it would be more rewarding. There is probably a much greater temptation for game programmers to jump ship than their Hollywood counterparts, simply because our talents are in such demand in other places. Yet I find I am happy where I am, and that these issues in my own life have become better, not worse.

Yes, game development is sloppier than business development, simply because the competition is fierce and profits are so low. The best games these days come from well-funded companies that have the luxury of elbow room. However, like movies, just having a large budget guarantees nothing. And on the lower budget end, it is like movies too, for every Blair Witch winner you have a thousand losers, some deserved and some undeserved.

Open source game development is a neat idea, but is somewhat hampered by the fact that it is much easier to get engineers for such projects than artists. We may still see some winners in this area.

Alternative publishing sources are a neat idea too. You can check up on how the g.o.d. (gathering of developers) is doing, that may prove fruitful as well.

I do not fault you for the decision to leave, and sympathize with the reasons. If finding a good game development job is a matter of luck, then I am among the lucky, although it took a few years to get to that position. And a few years of software development with published titles and associated experience is an investment in myself, and one that I do not regret, even when there are lucrative alternatives. But I recommend that you do not discourage those who want "in" completely, because even though it is difficult to manage, getting a rewarding game job is much easier than winning a lottery.

Best of luck

Sam Kalat (happy at Red Storm, which does not necessarily agree with anything I post, but probably would today)

[ Parent ]
developers should code games *they* want to play (Score:1)
by tuffy on Friday August 20, @04:34AM (#1735710)
(User #10202 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
Look at Id. Those guys obviously love to play the games they code, and it shows in the amount of fun they provide. But all too often I see the same rehashes of old concepts and I can't help but think if *I* had been working on a game like that, I'd be bored to tears.

Basically, when people code games just to get a paycheck, the result is invariable boring and stale. But when they code games because they want to play them, there's a much better chance of something new and great coming along.

I have a sneaking suspicion that open-sourced games/engines (ala Freeciv) will be appearing soon for that very same reason.

[ Parent ]
Re:Zork (blame Activision, basically) (Score:1)
by tuffy on Friday August 20, @06:36AM (#1735711)
(User #10202 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
For the full skinny on Infocom, head over to this excellent web site. Basically, after Cornerstone (Infocom's ill-fated business software) tanked, then Infocomics (a poor idea from the beginning) came along mainly as an idea from the suits at Activision, and that pretty much ended it.

As for interactive fiction, the Zork games (and almost all of Infocom's interactive fiction) were platform independant. With the data files (included in the "Masterpieces of Infocom" CD) you can play them almost anywhere. I've gone through the entire Zork trilogy on my PalmPilot, for example :)

Oh, and interactive fiction is still being written. Just finding it takes a little work, but it's still going. I doubt it ever truly left :)

Good luck!

[ Parent ]
Exactly (Score:1)
by Trith (jwc_iv@yahoo.com) on Friday August 20, @06:23AM (#1735712)
(User #10719 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
I had more fun playing 4 to 8 person doom2 in 94 in the computer labs on my university than any other game in my life. Why?

Multiplayer was unheard of then. Granted, iceclimber, the orginal mario bros, etc let two people play at once but that is not the kind of multiplayer interface I'm talking about. The whole idea that each person had his own screen was great. The other thing was that 3d-shooter games were new. You put those 2 really big concepts in one game and wow!

I also had more fun playing C&C than starcraft. Why? Because it was one of the first stragity games of that type to allow people to play over the internet. So again, there are 2 news things. One, I didn't have to go to the lab anymore to have the 4 people playing at once since I could use ppp from home. Second, it was a new type of game with a great soundtrack that didn't hurt it any.

Now, everthing gives me the "Been there; done that" feeling that leaves me wishing that subspace would be ported to Linux. Xpilot just doesn't have the graphics and sound. Maybe I should shut up and join that project :)

Good day,

Civ CTP is awesome! Thanks Loki!
Romans 10:9-10
[ Parent ]
I almost cried (Score:1)
by speedbump (dont@demand.my.attention.com) on Friday August 20, @05:14AM (#1735713)
(User #11624 Info)
Waa. Get a job flipping burgers or herding sheep, then.
[ Parent ]
Open Source Computer Game Development (Score:1)
by Cycon (SteveC@nOSpam.innocent.com) on Monday August 23, @07:44AM (#1735714)
(User #11899 Info | http://cogengine.sourceforge.net)
This may be coming in a little late, but anyone interested in developing their own open-sourced video games with the minimum of fuss might be interested in checking out the COG Engine:

http://cogengine.linuxbox.com
[ Parent ]
Game Industry == Publishers (Score:1)
by Stiletto (stiletto_NO@SPAM_.mediaone.net) on Friday August 20, @04:28AM (#1735715)
(User #12066 Info | http://www.pompano.net/~stiletto)
Does anyone know where most of the money from a successful game goes? That's right, it goes not to the people who made the game... It goes to the publishers first, then the distributors, then what is left over trickles into the hands of the developers.

In this way, the once exciting art of making a game has gone the way of TV, movies, and to a certain extent, books.

Until publishers stop insisting on being able to make the creative decisions AND swallowing up all the profits, the game industry will continue to go the way it has been: Hundreds of crappy games, all clones of each other, competing for space on a ten foot long shelf.
[ Parent ]
Zork, MUD's, and Visual Rapid App Design for Games (Score:1)
by MikeFM (moc.liamhsuh@soimgom) on Friday August 20, @10:16AM (#1735716)
(User #12491 Info | http://mlug.missouri.edu/~mogmios/projects/)
I think text-adventures and text-worlds in general are still fairly popular. There are many MUD's, many types of MUD's, and many people who use them. Most of these people don't even remember Infocom and Zork, I'm looking for a PC or Linux copy of Wishbringer myself, but they still find they love these games. These games take the old stand alone text-adventures and add multi-player abilities and some even allow the player to program new parts to the games as they go along. I think this is as much, if not more, the future of games than Unreal, Quake, and Half-life.

In recent months I have done a 180 so that I now think games are perfectly suited to open source design. The majority of games use some other games engine with maybe a few tweaks to it and even new games are usually just small improvements here and there on older engines. With the engines of games as open source research is sepperate from game design and content creation which shortens the time required to create the games and empowers game players to quickly create and distribute their own games based on others. My favorite two games, Quake & Civ II, do this to some point by allowing aspects of them to be programmable and redistributed. Obviously this has helped increase the life cycle of the games as well as creating cult followings.

I am less interested in creating open source engines than open source game libraries that have virtually everything needed to quickly create a bug free game engine of my design. Prehaps even a module game engine that allows you to hook in a module to process your data files (images, sounds, scripts, etc) and then whatever modules you want for your games. A sort of Visual Game Creator. Since IMO the logic of the game should be in a script file, not inside the game executables, creating a VGC shouldn't be that hard. Pick the kind of menus you want to use, pick the type of game it is, add a few chosen extras from the library and compile. Possibly include a simple code editor for creating the default scripts and tools for importing and packaging your sounds, images, and other data. You could start by supporting the basic well established game types: text-based, scroller, card, bricks, 3D, and empire-building games and just add new types as they were invented or someone bothered to add them to the library. I think this would make Linux quickly become the OS to have the most new games coming out for it. They may not use cutting edge new engines, let Id fill that niche and release their code when they move on, but they'd be fun and stable which IMO is what matters most.
[ Parent ]
Re:Might and Magic II (Score:1)
by azz (Spam sucks. azz at gnu.org) on Wednesday September 01, @02:19AM (#1735717)
(User #12928 Info | http://cider.bnet-ibb.de/~azz/)
Can you disable the accelerator? Most boards allow you to. And hey, I've got games that don't work on my 68030. :)

Yep, I've got both an Amiga and a K6 Linux box on my desk. The best of both worlds.

"I want to use software that doesn't suck." - ESR
"All software that isn't free sucks." - RMS

[ Parent ]
Might and Magic II (Score:1)
by ghira on Friday August 20, @04:15AM (#1735718)
(User #13007 Info | http://www.mistral.co.uk/ghira/recmathslibri.html)
Hey, wow. I have fond memories of Might and Magic II myself. The interface was pretty grim, but
I thought that as a game it was better than MM3:
you had to choose your skills and items more
carefully since you could only have very
limited quantities of them.

Still not as wondrous as Dungeon Master, though.
[ Parent ]
Re:Might and Magic II (Score:1)
by ghira on Friday August 20, @11:47AM (#1735719)
(User #13007 Info | http://www.mistral.co.uk/ghira/recmathslibri.html)
No idea, sorry.

I have the Amiga version. It still works,
unlike MM3, which crashes during loading
on my KS 3.1 68060 machine :-(.

Sadly, Dungeon Master and Captive don't
work either. Aaaarrrgghhh.
[ Parent ]
The secret to success (Score:1)
by wilkinsm on Friday August 20, @08:48AM (#1735720)
(User #13507 Info)
I think the real key to any software project is teamwork, not money. If you have 5 or 6 smart people that can work together very closely then you are more likely to succeed than if you are working like a lone ranger. Look at id - You don't just have not just one or two wonderful programmers, you have a whole team that work very well together. Look at slashdot. Look at Linux. Ultimately you need a charimatic leader, but it's unity of the group that makes things happen.

I think more hackers need to learn not to be such loners and learn how to work together better. Open source is a great training ground for this.
[ Parent ]
So, why is this different from anything else? (Score:1)
by BillWhite on Friday August 20, @06:15AM (#1735721)
(User #14288 Info | http://www.griggsinst.com/)
I would believe this is the situation in game companies. I interviewed with a couple the last time I was looking for a job, and I was too expensive for all of them. I was not looking for a raise, and I am not statistically overpaid, if you look at the industry salary surveys, but game companies want people on the cheap.

However, the description of the working conditions - no specs, no documentation, no process, chaotic development - seems to describe all of the companies at which I have worked in the last 15 years.

I personally believe that it has to do with the mistaken belief that "First to market wins." This was true with Microsoft, but they had a monopoly, and they were not averse to acting in restraint of trade to maintain it. I don't think first to market with something that doesn't work always wins, though that is the way companies believe.

The only lesson I think we can learn from this is the lesson we can learn from looking at any commercial venture. Commerce is Fraud.
[ Parent ]
Re:Age differences: nice point (Score:1)
by maphew (patawiatpolarcomdotcom) on Friday August 20, @10:00AM (#1735722)
(User #14702 Info)
I'd like to see the age differences between the people who automatically say "So get another job asshole" and the people with more supportive responses to this guy.

That's a very insightful question. I'd like to see that too. It would also be interesting to compare the amount of development experience (and not just software, but writing or graphic arts too).
[ Parent ]
games industry sequence of events? (Score:1)
by blargney (blargney@usa.net) on Friday August 20, @05:35AM (#1735723)
(User #15534 Info)

It compiles! -> Ship it! -> You're fired!

[ Parent ]
Favourite Games (Score:1)
by maroberts (maroberts@dial.pipex.com) on Friday August 20, @10:42AM (#1735724)
(User #15852 Info | http://www.maroberts.dial.pipex.com/)
I'm really surprised he doesn't like Quake! What could be more satisfying than going online and blowing away one of these 14 year olds he talks about.

More seriously, I find I have to be in the right mood to play specific games

Quake) Desperate Need to Let Out Pent-Up aggression
Civ) Feeling creative - what could be more satisfying than building a civilisation all by yourself.
Other Strategy Games) I'm bored, got hours to kill, I want to control the pace of what I play

The author of this message is 36 going on 14.

On another point, I am a professional software engineer, and I realise that games are often designed from scratch, but I'm not scornful of the design approaches that games companies have used to get the game to work. Just because they don't use Shlaer-Mellor, Yourden, Teamwork, UML or anything else doesn't make the achievement less stunning. I'm consistently amazed that games deliver what they do out of CPUs; something a formal design approach is unlikely to realize.
[ Parent ]
I agree with GnrcMan (Score:1)
by ABEND (coemgen@hotmail.com) on Friday August 20, @06:21AM (#1735725)
(User #15913 Info)
It seems much software is being developed using investors' money. Perhaps this situation parallels the "savings and loan crisis" of the 1980's: A suave CEO schmoozes some financial backing for (fill in the blank) project, pays himself and his buddies fat salaries for a while, and then, suddenly, the development corporation is bankrupt. Ergo, negative profits.
[ Parent ]
Re:Game Developing - An art? (small correction) (Score:1)
by Droog on Friday August 20, @08:45AM (#1735726)
(User #17543 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
>Sure, more people saw films in the 30s than they >do now (cause of the depression) but in the 60s >and 70s and especially the 80s (cause of two >people - Lucas and Spielburg).

This is not true. In the 30's movies were much more popular because there was no television.
[ Parent ]
Re:Interesting, but does not quite make the point (Score:1)
by Droog on Friday August 20, @05:56AM (#1735727)
(User #17543 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
This is just a guess, but perhaps the reason why the games industry is less profitable than other software companies is that, like Hollywood, makes a huge portion of its revenue in the first month of a game release.

Software companies like Microsoft, have a steadier revenue stream since people upgrade their software at different times.

Also, game developers cannot continually make money off of upgrades to games. As Talin said, a game engine had a maximum lifespan of about two years.
[ Parent ]
Independent Game developers (Score:1)
by Droog on Friday August 20, @06:05AM (#1735728)
(User #17543 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
There are still some independent shareware companies that make high quality games. Spiderweb Software (Exile I, II, III, Realmz) and Ambrosia Software (Maelstrom, Apeiron, Escape Velocity) are two examples that I can think of off the top of my head.

Ambrosia, unless they have changed thier practices recently, is also a company that encourages independent developers to work for them. Several of their projects began with independent developers proposing projects and showing code to Ambrosia.
[ Parent ]
Miracles as part of the job... (Score:1)
by Seth Scali on Friday August 20, @05:22AM (#1735729)
(User #18018 Info)
When I worked for a company that was contracted for government work, I was informed that my job was to "make the TAMO Chip work".
When I asked what a "TAMO Chip" was, I was surprised by the answer. The engineers had chosen a very cheap, incapable, and badly designed microcontroller to handle a horrendously complex task, and I was to write the firmware. "TAMO" stood for "Then A Miracle Occurs".
Fascinating stuff, government contracting...
[ Parent ]
Ditto (Score:1)
by ebradway (Eric at Bradway Dot Net) on Friday August 20, @10:23PM (#1735730)
(User #18409 Info | http://www.bradway.net)
My friend (who is reading over my shoulder) and I have been through two different game companies (actually three if you consider the first company before the buyout). While I've never enjoyed a job more, I don't think I'd want to get back into the market. The game market has really closed up a great deal compared to 5-10 years ago.

It's almost impossible for a new shop to take off. You pretty much have to develop a game completely before the distributors take you seriously and the game has to compare to what established shops were producing.

For instance, the first company I worked for made statistically accurate baseball and football games exclusively for the PC. Our boss wanted to go head-to-head with EA and try to add arcade style play and graphics. Well, the investment to make that leap is huge. We tried to do it with a team of 15 people - about 5 programmers and the rest artists and sports experts. We tried to turn out three titles a year - baseball, pro football and college football. We didn't even come close. I later interviewed with EA's division that does the Madden NFL games and found out that they have over 20 people working just on the pro football game alone.

Not to mention the disheartening sight of a streatch Hummer at E3 custom made for EA sports. That damned truck cost more than the production budget of our last title.

I too have moved on to ecommerce development and have experienced all of the benefits that are listed above. Better pay, reasonable hours, female coworkers, and on, and on.

I have also been asked dozens of times what it would take for someone to become a game developer. I always tell them - don't. It just isn't the career it used to be.
[ Parent ]
Hit the nail on the head. (Score:1)
by Mr. Competence on Friday August 20, @04:35AM (#1735731)
(User #18431 Info)
I have worked for a company that has a game division for years and I also have friends that work for game companies and I can tell you that this is exactly right.
Game developers get lower pay and loger hours and more grief than any group of developers I have seen. Ridiculous deadlines are the norm for the industry and often the people making the decisions about the games to make have never played any.
Some of the problem with the status quo is the buyers (least common denominator) who all buy the FPS ripoffs, but much of it lies in the industry sweatshop mentality.

Those who open their minds too far often let their brains fall out.
[ Parent ]
What about mod's? (Score:1)
by cg (anon_coward@yahoo.com) on Sunday August 22, @05:51PM (#1735732)
(User #18840 Info)
Although the games themselves are not free, there is a very active "scene" out there making modifications to existing games, sometimes ending up with entirely new look and feel. With possible exception, most of these are free, and often times, breath new life into games that have become dull with use.
My only experience is with quake mods, I'd have to say http://www.planetquake.com is a great place to look.
[ Parent ]
Get a login, bozo (Score:1)
by Corndog on Friday August 20, @06:06PM (#1735733)
(User #18960 Info | http://www.corndogsoftware.com/)
or are you too scared to show who you are?

Maybe we'll talk again when you become consious.

Retard.
[ Parent ]
You are all retards (Score:1)
by Corndog on Friday August 20, @06:11PM (#1735734)
(User #18960 Info | http://www.corndogsoftware.com/)
I write a response to a pathetic article and get replies which THEMSELVES do not contain any substance! Why the hell do I even bother. Not ONE of you have a mental thought more advanced then a four year old.

I am defensive? HELL YES! Why do such stupid things get said on a site which caters to the 'mentally elite' of society?

Will anyone lacking logic understand my logical arguments? If YOU (whoever is reading this) has any logic, the above statement will reveal it's own answer.

sheesh..
[ Parent ]
Part of the Problem (Score:1)
by MISplice on Friday August 20, @05:21AM (#1735735)
(User #19058 Info | http://members.xoom.com/MISplice/)
Is that at the start of game development you are looking at the newest of the new hardware as well as older equipment..
After development has started.. depending on how long it is in development..
The "state of the art" moduling/gaming environment you were trying to produce is now working on all old compontent.. unless you take more time and money to make sure any new equipment with new features are incorporated into the game..
This in turn is a vicious cycle unless you say enough and punch it out the door for older equipment..
With the advances time tabling about 4 to 6 months as of late it can be very expensive both in time and financial resources to make sure you have all the newest bells and wistles .. especially if a game is in the pipeline for a year or 2.
[ Parent ]
Re:Wow (Score:1)
by magic (matrix@alum.mit.edu) on Saturday August 21, @11:18AM (#1735736)
(User #19621 Info | http://graphics3d.com/matrix)
We found each other mostly by random coincidence; the two "founders" were brothers and hacked together in high school with some friends. That made up the original core development group.

Since then, most of us have wandered in because we were friends of people who wore working on stuff there. There have probably been about 50 people total-- some wander in, write a few lines, and wander out, others contribute to project after project.

Right now there are maybe 10 people doing various things including marketing, testing, art, development, and research. In order to keep new blood coming in, some of us teach summer courses to high school students. This is a good way to help out and inspire little up and coming nerds like you once were, as well as recruiting to keep the company going. The people in college can usually drag their friends in the same frat or dorm into contributing, so we meet a lot of high school and college kinds.

It's pretty hard to attract older people. They are burned out by their day jobs and don't want to work nights and weekends on another project. I find that it is really restorative to work in a good environment, but if you aren't already doing that, it sounds like a lot of work to hold down two jobs. Hey, maybe if we get enough people, some of them can go full time Morgan Systems and make the company really grow. It's always one of our fantasies.

Now that I'm in sales mode, I should have mentioned that dead projects (things that are no longer supported) are released as source so that users who write code are never screwed. They can always write to the company and request new features while the project is supported, and can get the source and fix bugs/add features if the project is gone. I really wish big companies would do that. I understand that there are good reasons for keeping source controlled when it is part of a flag ship product, but ditching users by shutting down support for a product and not making the source or specs available really sucks-- it's not a good way to run a customer relationship.

-magic

[ Parent ]
Re:Ars Games (Score:1)
by angelo (anrkngl.hotmail@com) on Friday August 20, @08:41AM (#1735737)
(User #21182 Info | http://www.lowmagnet.org/)
Take Zelda 64 as an example

Zelda was delayed, missed deadlines, was supposed to come out on the infamous 64DD, and had a serious crash bug on the first head boss..

Oh, that and the game system makes it damned near impossible to beat "phantom shadow beast Bongo Bongo" (though it does have a kickass name)
[ Parent ]
The Faery Tale Adventure (Score:1)
by jslag on Friday August 20, @08:27AM (#1735738)
(User #21657 Info)
What a great game!

Played that on the ol' A500, and it blew my mind. The flipping pages in the intro... freedom to move around unrestricted... day/night/weather(? it's been a while?).

[ Parent ]
Re:Interesting, but does not quite make the point (Score:1)
by laktar (Laktar@hotmail.com) on Friday August 20, @08:25PM (#1735739)
(User #22519 Info | http://www.logicaldisconnect.com/)
I think what changes it is that there are a lot of options out there in computer games, even w/in a genre. Compare this to other software. There are very few word processors comparitively, or full operating systems. And it's pretty much impossible to form a monopoly type thing in games. They become so outdated and there's just so much in variety to worry about.
[ Parent ]
Limited View (Score:1)
by laktar (Laktar@hotmail.com) on Friday August 20, @08:53PM (#1735740)
(User #22519 Info | http://www.logicaldisconnect.com/)
It sounds to me like the guy who wrote this article hasn't worked in the section of the computer games industry that makes good products. I don't know if it's that he's not a good programmer, if he's one of those people who accepts his lot in life w/o trying for any better, whether he's just unlucky, or whether it's the whole age thing, but there are a lot of really excellent games out there and many cool companies making them, including a lot of pretty big companies who /can/ afford to keep their programmers employed. Of course your outlook is going to be that computer gaming as an industry sucks to work in if you've worked on no-name projects that failed, but even if you accept his 10% success rate, then that means that he should've at least worked on a few good games.

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[ Parent ]
Re:Bleh (Score:1)
by toolie on Friday August 20, @04:26AM (#1735741)
(User #22684 Info)
I think the real problem is that the industry is becoming more corporatized. Instead of back in the 80s when the designers had most of the say so, it shifted to the brainless managers. No more creativeness, just get the product out the door by the deadline or your fired and somebody who can do it on time will be hired.

I wouldn't doubt that this is the prevailing attitude in the industry.

[ Parent ]
He should do something... (Score:1)
by Rombuu (rombuu@yahoo.com) on Friday August 20, @04:49AM (#1735742)
(User #22914 Info)
...about that guy holding the gun to his head.

Why don't you come out here, we need some help writing some billing applications. You may find that really stimulating.
[ Parent ]
do shareware (Score:1)
by hugg (hugg@look-at-my-url-to-email) on Friday August 20, @06:09AM (#1735743)
(User #22953 Info | http://www.fasterlight.com/)
If you feel the need to something artistic, do shareware in your spare time (assuming you have some ;-) ). I've been selling my 16-bit game, Comet Busters! for over 7 years and am still getting registrations from all over the world. It's a blast, and it's moderately profitable. All you need is a good idea -- or even a good derivative one!
[ Parent ]
Re:Interesting, but does not quite make the point (Score:1)
by osmanb on Friday August 20, @04:44AM (#1735744)
(User #23242 Info)
I've now worked in the software industry at large, and more revently at a games company, working on an upcoming PC game. While it's true that development practices suck universally throughout the industry, I have to say that game companies are MUCH worse. They've somehow found a way to take the standard (and piss poor) software engineering of most software companies, and make it ten times as excruciating for the developer. Part of this might be because one has higher expectations going in ("Oh wow! I get to write games!") but I think the author has some VERY valid points here.
[ Parent ]
Re:Supply and Demand (Score:1)
by skullY on Friday August 20, @12:15PM (#1735745)
(User #23384 Info | http://slashdot.org/)
I and most of my friends stopped buying games when the Quest (sierra type games) dissappeared.

Ahh, but the adventure genre is coming back. After a long wait, Monkey Island 3 was released. I immediatly bought it and still install windows every so often so I can play it. Lucasarts also released Grim Fandango recently. And, an interpreter for the old sierra games was released (Check freshmeat) so not only can we still play all those old sierra games but we can write our own. Long live the adventure genre.

-skullY (Wishing the netscape forms had a "vi" mode so I can just hit esc1G)
[ Parent ]
Re:Interesting, but does not quite make the point (Score:1)
by Johnathon Walls on Friday August 20, @04:51AM (#1735746)
(User #27265 Info | Youdonotneedtoseemyhomepage.)
It goes even deeper than just the software industry. This happens in virtually every industry in the world. Think back to _The Simpsons_ when Bart & his class go on a field trip, only to find that they can't afford it. The motto of the place is "Sorry, but there's money to be made". Where there is money, there will be business. Where there is business, there will be bad business practices. This is very similar to the idea that after charisma comes bureaucracy. In other words, ideas start out very small and located in one person (Martin Luther King Jr, Steve Jobs, Ghandi, Jesus, and many many others) but becomes bureaucratic and unfriendly when the idea grows. Add to this (in this case) the possibility of becoming rich off of one product, and you get exactly what the author is describing. I don't know of a single industry this doesn't occur in. Enjoy your e-commerce job while you have it. E-commerce is still in its infancy. In 10 years you might find it's very similar to the position you just left. Yes, this will happen to many other similar movements (Linux - probably RedHat is already moving that way).

The only way to escape this is to quit and start your own company. Of course, then you have a different set of rules to follow (like getting enough business to put food on your plate!)

Johnathon
[ Parent ]
Development.. (Score:1)
by sporty on Friday August 20, @05:33AM (#1735747)
(User #27564 Info | http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Thursday January 03, @11:38AM)
It really depends on where you work. I've worked in general web development and databasing... it can go either way. Hell, it can apply anywhere where creativity is involved in any way.

I've worked where I've chunked out code constantly and administered machines. If I did anything creative, no one cared. I was constantly asked to proof text as some people couldn't use their fingers to open Word (sic) and spell check.

But then again, my first job was cool though. Boss and I would go for coffee, people there were mostly nice. We'd discuss what are better methods of doing things.. actually discuss.. not dictate..

I wish I had better examples, but it isn't only salient to the game industry.

[ Parent ]
Re:Development.. (Score:1)
by sporty on Friday August 20, @05:37AM (#1735748)
(User #27564 Info | http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Thursday January 03, @11:38AM)
Woo hoo! comment 69! ;>

Sorry.. couldn't resist..

--
Life's short, play hard.... Ow owowow... stitch in my side!

[ Parent ]
Re:I almost cried (Score:1)
by sporty on Friday August 20, @05:42AM (#1735749)
(User #27564 Info | http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Thursday January 03, @11:38AM)
You got the content, you didn't get the point though.. it's to give insight on the game industry.. at least in his pov...
[ Parent ]
Damnit... (Score:1)
by sporty on Friday August 20, @05:48AM (#1735750)
(User #27564 Info | http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Thursday January 03, @11:38AM)
You know.. the point of this isn't to be a whiney little cry baby. Its to give insight. Imagine if no one ever gave you insight on anything, even without asking for it. You know how many times you will do 'dumb things'? C'mmon people...
[ Parent ]
Re:Game Industry == Publishers (Score:1)
by BeanThere on Sunday August 22, @05:31AM (#1735751)
(User #28381 Info)

"In this way, the once exciting art of making a game has gone the way of TV, movies, and to a certain extent, books"

I very much agree with you here - I would also include the music industry and comics industry - all industries that started out being fresh and full of creativity, but once the truckloads of money started rolling in, degenerated into mass-market over-commercialized tripe.

However, I tend to shift the blame somewhat away from rich producers, to the consumers themselves - until people start actually demanding quality, producers will continue to churn out the same shit again and again. But the sad part is that the market swallows it up; the people all hand over their money like droids, never actually stopping to think that they could (and should) be asking for more than the hundreds of crappy (x), all clones of each other (where (x) could be songs, comics, movies, tv shows, computer games, whatever.) Maybe its what people want. Or maybe our expectations have been lowered to the point where its what we accept.

[ Parent ]
Re:Hey, my job sucks, too. (Score:1)
by Spatch (spatula@!nnuendo.com) on Friday August 20, @05:09AM (#1735752)
(User #28798 Info | http://spatch.ne.mediaone.net)
There could be a thousand of these: "Why being in product support sucks." "Why being a electrical engineer sucks."

Well, yes, but no one ever says "Wow! You're in product support? That's SO COOL! I've got great ideas for the business. How can I get in on it, too?"


[ Parent ]
Gender Ratio in the Workplace IS IMPORTANT (Score:1)
by rdmiller3 on Friday August 20, @04:55AM (#1735753)
(User #29465 Info | http://www.sonic.net/~rdmiller/ | Last Journal: Tuesday December 18, @09:25PM)
Don't gloss over the comment on gender ratio.


It's a social aspect which can directly and drastically affect morale regardless of anyone's marital status.

[ Parent ]
Your Illusions (Score:1)
by FutileRedemption (zdv7@yahoo.com) on Friday August 20, @08:12AM (#1735754)
(User #30482 Info)
Oh! Did he question your illusions?
Oh! Bad guy he is!
Really!
[ Parent ]
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