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Role Of Precarity In The Video Game Industry

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Precarity in the Games Industry
Creating widely consumed creative content like video games can often be described as a dream job; one that is often taken advantage of by a consumerist ideology as many people see working in the game industry as the job of a lifetime. High-profile creative work is rarely available and is even less often a lucrative option; however the gaming industry is one of the few to offer such an opportunity, and because of that, jobs are highly sought after. The companies managing this sort of labor often take advantage of this attractive offer by making use of individuals that can and will give anything to work in the video game industry and ultimately generating a stressful, unstable, and precarious sort of labor force. …show more content…

When working under a big name game company such as EA or Bethesda, designers are put under pressure of generating the next big name title for them, the next iteration of Elder Scrolls, FIFA 16, or add-on downloadable content instead of new, more original works. With the kind of pressure imposed with the long work hours and lower wages common in creative fields of work, subtracting, or at least restricting the actual creative output that makes the job of a game developer so desirable ultimately leads to a situation of precarious and unfulfilling …show more content…

It is an all too common story these days, where a former higher-up designer, being fed up with the lack of creative input he has in or how he does his work, jumps off the corporate ladder and creates his own independent studio. With this strategy, there are a number of risks, sacrificing a secure income and a cushy position under a studio with an already successful name in favor of artistic freedom. With most indie start-ups, there is always a struggle for money, and for many indie game studios, a financial boom may not come on that long-awaited release date. A creative gone rogue, crafting an experience of their own design, one that is meant to be shared, despite the possibility of economic failure, is a capturing character that weaves a full narrative around his actions and likely misadventures within the realm of the production process and management of an independent title. It is also not an uncommon plot, as many documentaries are centered around this role already such as Indie Game: The Movie (Dir. James Swirsky, Dir. Lisanne Pajot, 2012) and GameLoading: Rise of Indies (Dir. Anna Brady, Dir. Lester Francois, 2015). This type of underdog narrative easily commands the attention of the American viewer and has been the inspiration behind many

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