In this series of materials, we present your anonymous stories from the Big Games Industry Employment Survey 2023. Let’s reflect on the past year together with you and hope that the year ahead brings more success. Thank you for sharing!
In this second article, we have compiled your stories related to challenges and frustrations.
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The year was a “fascinating” year. My friends and I lost our jobs, many of whom couldn’t find them all year. Many got screwed over for money. Then we wanted to flee the country. I didn’t make it (without a job, it’s hard to run anywhere). Then we spent the whole winter afraid that our loved ones would be taken away to war. And the new year began. There should be a picture of a meme with a dog in a burning room and the text “This is fine”.
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EU law sucks for freelancers. You can easily have to become a freelancer with all its drawbacks and zero benefits.
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Many game dev businesses in Ukraine suffer from the toxic environment from the top management. It’s the main reason why it is hard to work here. Not enough empathy for the people from the management/top management.
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The gaming industry seems to have solidified its position, but it’s facing challenges similar to “traditional” professions, such as truck driving. Companies are seeking junior professionals with a minimum of 10 years of AAA experience, expecting them to work 40 hours a week for little to no compensation. When looking for senior positions, the job description is nearly identical, but seniors are expected to be experts in multiple areas (mastering tools like Maya, Max, ZBrush, proficient programming skills, expertise in historical weapons design) and have led numerous AAA projects to completion. This unrealistic expectation, akin to searching for a superhero, is not even a standard Pixar sets. Yet, when companies fail to find suitable candidates at either junior or senior levels, they lament that the industry can’t grow as quickly as it should due to a lack of experts.
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It pains me deeply to witness the decline of the gaming industry. In my youth, I found immense inspiration in games, harboring high hopes for the incredible creations they would become in the future. I always dreamed of contributing to such groundbreaking projects. However, my disappointment has grown as recent years have seen a proliferation of subpar creations. It seems that nowadays, the focus is solely on marketing, with little regard for nurturing innovative ideas.
I hope there can be a shift in influence that would lead to the exclusion of marketers from the gaming industry. Instead, let enthusiasts who are passionate about their craft take the reins once again. This change would bring back the essence of creating games for the love of the medium rather than just for profit.
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This isn’t a sad tale, just a snapshot of my life over the past five years: a continuous hustle. You work, try to squeeze in time with your wife and friends after work, and hit the books at night. It’s a cycle that repeats endlessly. Despite all the effort, when you start job hunting, many companies brush you off due to a lack of experience and a mere bachelor’s degree. It’s frustrating, especially when you know you can do more than recent graduates and you’re certainly more determined. Yet, you persist. Then, out of the blue, you get a call for an interview. Finally, a job! But just as you catch a break, your country’s government decides that war is the latest trend. And just like that, you’re back to square one. I have no clue why I keep at it, but here I am.
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I was a games market researcher. It’s not so easy to find that kind of job nowadays.
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Everything was going smoothly at work — I had finally secured an official contract after a lengthy 3-month process. I was content with my tasks, seeing personal growth, enjoying the camaraderie with colleagues, and satisfied with my salary. However, all of a sudden, everything came to a halt. One day, a girl from HR and my art lead broke the news that we were ceasing work because our bosses had been arrested for alleged financial misdealings related to other projects. 🙁 The team was caught off guard, and the project came to an abrupt stop overnight. I have no idea how it all concluded, but the project was never resurrected. Now, I’m on the job hunt 🙂
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Last work I had, my boss was doing some major shady business, still owes me a ton of money I’ll likely never see. If you feel you’re being used, start looking for a new job immediately, don’t wait, it won’t get better by some miracle.
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All in all, in my experience narrative designers are highly underappreciated, undervalued, and misunderstood. This includes issues related to salary, appreciation, and challenges specific to narrative designers in the gaming industry.
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I don’t really like to work on casino games because I feel guilty that other people will lose their money on them for nothing. It’s difficult to find another remote work as a 2D animator because nowadays almost all games are 3D.
