Interesting read at Gamasutra on Quality of Life issues in the games business.

Crunch time seems to be the biggest issue and I want to say that crunch is exactly what drove me out of the business (twice!). Outside of crunch time there are other issues, but this article does not hit on the biggest issue in my mind, the issue that will assure that I never get back into games again, ageism.

By the time you are 30 in the games business, you are either: Burned out beyond use, moved on to a “straight job” or slowly getting pushed out the door (or maybe not getting in the door anymore).

It sure is nice to hear that crunch is getting better in some studios, it proves that the industry can indeed be taught new tricks. Maybe some of the rampant scum has been pushed out, maybe the “sunshine disinfectant” has done some good, maybe the adults are running the studios now that there is “real money” involved. I would love to hear that the “age thing” is getting better, but I think that is just too embedded in the culture to be addressed, the lack of mention in the article sort of proves the point to me.

Good luck to my friends still mired in the morass of the industry… (heh, I’m out SUCKERS!)