Obscure

How time flies when your working endless crunch time and sleeping on developers living room/office floor trying to get games finished. I have just completed my 20th year in the computer/video games industry and thought I would share a few survival tips.

1. Buy an inflatable mattress. They roll up really small but make sleeping on the office floor a lot less painful.
2. Look for employers who don’t expect you to sleep on the office floor as a matter of course. The “badge of honour” of constant crunch/mandatory overtime is really just a sign of bad management. There are well run companies out there and with a little effort you could be working at one of them instead.
3. Network – make an effort to go along to industry events. Especially the more social ones such as IGDA chapter meetings (www.igda.org) or Polygons (www.pixel-lab.co.uk/polygons/) style networking/social events. The more people you know the more likely you are to hear about good companies and job openings.
4. Pay attention to the financial health of the company you work for. Companies don’t suddenly go bankrupt; it takes time and there are signs to watch for so don’t get caught out and end up being made redundant with zero notice.
5. Don’t get stuck in a rut. Think about what you want to do in the future then take steps to achieve it. Spend time learning new skills or updating existing ones so that you can make the jump when your ready – don’t expect other people to push you into the jobs you want.
6. Listen to your inner self. If there is a voice screaming that you are unhappy (or even just moaning endlessly that work is boring) – do something about it. Game development is often hard work but that is OK if you enjoy it. That same work will quickly become soul destroying if you are unhappy and if you don’t take steps to change things it can lead to a serious life crisis.
7. Don’t  ever work for free (unless you own part of the company). The people asking you to do so are the ones who will benefit from your efforts.  If someone wants you to help get their company started or help them survive a difficult patch, don’t be afraid to ask what’s in it for you. Your normal salary (paid late) isn’t an acceptable answer – If you do help a company succeed/survive you should get a bonus or even a share of the company. If it fails and you end up out of a job at least you will know that you made that effort for a good reason. – Oh yes, make sure you get any agreement in writing.

I really enjoyed the years I spent making games, despite the hard floors and long nights. When I realised that I wasn’t enjoying it I moved to focus more on the business of making games, rather than the process. I have since refused requests to produce games because I know that it would be a mistake and that I (and the game) would suffer.  For those who follow (proper) Football – it’s better to be Gary Lineker than Paul Gascoigne.