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What Are the Key Workforce Issues in the Video Game Industry?

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IT Professionals Australia WHAT ARE THE KEY WORKFORCE ISSUES IN THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY? EXCESSIVE BURNOUT AND GRADUATE SUPPLY V LACK OF BUSINESS OVERTIME - UP TO OVERWORK - DEMAND MANAGEMENT 100-HOUR WEEKS “CHURN AND BURN” SKILLS Competition for jobs after Excessive unpaid overtime Many employers have graduation with many Gaming startups need is standard in the industry a culture of “crunch”, graduates forced to work more than good game to ship games on time. meaning extended periods as low-paid interns. Lack development skills - also Workers are forced of long hours - studio of jobs also encourages need product development, to deliver content in managers must be forced graduates to seek jobs marketing and general unrealistic timeframes. to have realistic deadlines. overseas meaning we lose business management skills. some of our best talent.. WORKERS LACK OF JOB ON THE SPOT NO PROTECTION FOR UNDERPAID - SECURITY SACKINGS WORKERS WHERE NOT PAID EVEN STUDIOS FAIL MINIMUM AWARD Disparity in job security Contractors often have no RATES across game worker roles, unfair Collapse of unsustainable with developers and artists dismissal rights. studios with unpaid wages Disparity in job security generally safe while quality outstanding is an ongoing across game worker roles, assurance testers and event issue. with developers and artists organisers are laid off as generally safe while quality needed - need fairer hiring assurance testers and event practices. organisers are laid off as needed - need fairer hiring practices. LACK OF GENDER DIVERSITY SHAM CONTRACTS While women are around 50% of players, they are Game developers who are not salaried employees live severely under-represented in games creation and design - contract to contract. Many freelancers and contractors according to the ABS, at the end of June 2012 only 8.7 per have no rights with one-sided unfair contracts. Many cent of the digital game developer workforce was female workers report accepting sham contracts. There is no (ABS, Film, television and digital games 2011–12, cat. conversion of contractors to employees after a period of 8679.0, June 2013). time - the industry needs to set hourly wage floors - have national rates cards and an agreed contract template Sexual harassment - some game studios have covered accepted by industry and contractors to avoid a race to up sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. the bottom. Emma Kinema in the USA helped to organize the May 2019 walkout at Riot Games over its handling of sex discrimination. There are problems with gender-based violence in video- gaming. Online trolling of women gamers/game developers/players is a major problem. HOW IS THE VIDEO GAMING INDUSTRY STRUCTURED? SIZE AND EMPLOYMENT BULK OF GAMING GLOBAL VALUE OF STATUS OF WORKFORCE STUDIOS INDUSTRY Roughly 1,300 full-time-equivalent Melbourne is the centre of the IGEA (Interactive Games & workers are employed in game industry, followed by Sydney. The Entertainment Association - the peak development in Australia - around largest studios include Wargaming industry association representing 900 full-time equivalent employees in NSW with around 90 workers and the voice of Australian and New - but loads of contractors and Sledgehammer in Victoria with around Zealand companies in the computer freelancers - so around 600 full-time 70 workers. Most game studios have and video games industry) - cited an employees. fewer than ten employees. These estimate that placed the global value studios produce “indie” games or of the interactive game industry A reduction in the size of the act as contractors for larger game in 2014 at approximately US$77 Australian industry further to the companies. Small studios are billion. According to IGEA, the same GFC (2007/8) and the number of occasionally extremely profitable - research forecasted that the value people employed in it means there is e.g. Melbourne studio House House of the industry would grow to US$96 a potential over-supply of graduates is made up of just four people and billion by 2018. The GDAA (Game in interactive games development. produced the hit “Untitled Goose Developers’ Association of Australia) Game” which sold over a million estimates the annual growth rate for copies. the industry as almost 10 per cent. GOVERNMENT SUPPORT ROLES THAT MAKE UP THE SIZE OF THE AUSTRALIAN GAMING INDUSTRY INDUSTRY COMPARED Government support for the industry INTERNATIONALLY is inconsistent. Some states like NSW As well as game developers and provide no financial support and game designers, there are journalists, Australia’s video game development other states like Victoria subsidise e-sports professionals, PR and industry is small compared to the game development from funds Marketing people and streamers and world’s largest industries, which, in previously reserved for film and Youtubers. order of size, are in the United States television. of America, Japan and Canada. Workers involved in game production can join Game Workers Unite’s aim is to build a unionised game Professionals Australia under our current rules. Workers industry - a single union for all developers, including are eligible to join Professionals Australia if they have a programmers, artists, designers, and producers, with minimum 3-year IT degree or are employed or usually subgroups within the union representing disciplines. In employed in a professional position which requires the Australia, where the industry is smaller, Game Workers exercise of professional skill, knowledge or expertise … Unite wants to include esports professionals and as defined in the Australian Standard Classification of marketing staff as well. Occupations First Edition Major Groups 2 (2707-11 to 2707-25). Professionals Australia is committed to working with GWU to bring this about..
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