‘Weekends became something other people did’: Understanding and intervening in the habitus of video game crunch
Critical discourse analysis crunch game studies habitus labor practices media industries press analysis video games
Authors: Amanda Cote, Brandon Harris
Year: 2021
Published in: Converge.
Read me: DOI: 10.1177/1354856520913865. Website.
Abstract: ‘Crunch’ – a period of unpaid overtime meant to speed up lagging projects – is a common labor practice in the video game industry and persists despite many costs to developers. To understand why, we conducted a critical discourse analysis of Game Developer magazine (2000–2010) to explore how industry members perceive and discuss gamework (1) in a publication for developers, by developers and (2) during the first decade in which serious conversations about labor emerge in the games industry. Our analysis found that many gameworkers treat crunch as ‘inevitable’ due to three specific themes: games as an unmanageable creative industry, an anti-corporate ethos, and a stereotypical developer identity based on passion and perfectionism. These constructions – combined with the industry’s project-based nature and cultures of passion and secrecy – build crunch into the habitus of gamework, helping reproduce exploitative labor practices. However, habitus can and does change over time, providing interested employees, companies, and labor organizers a means to intercede in existing work practices. We suggest a multipronged intervention that could build a healthier, more sustainable habitus of gamework.
Bibtex (copy):@article{doi:10.1177/1354856520913865,
author = {Amanda C Cote and Brandon C Harris},
title ={‘Weekends became something other people did’: Understanding and intervening in the habitus of video game crunch},
journal = {Convergence},
volume = {27},
number = {1},
pages = {161-176},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1177/1354856520913865}}Annotation
By Dyon van der Ende, Sam Heslenfeld, Adriaan Pardoel. 🪧Slides.
Crunch culture is a prominent problem in the video game industry. Crunch, defined as working unpaid overtime, is a common labor practice in the industry despite many costs to developers. The research presented is based on qualitative analysis of Game Developer issues from 2000-2010.
Analysis of these issues shows three main reasons for crunching in the game industry: perception of games as an unmanageable creative endeavor, an overall anti-corporate ethos, and the characteristics and identities of developers. Firstly, games are perceived as unmanageable due to different sources of uncertainty. The technology is ever-changing which means that developers have to adapt continuously. Moreover, publishers have a large influence on the development process. If their demands change everything has to be done to adapt and avoid losing funding. Secondly, there is an anti-corporate ethos because many developers have a nostalgic feeling about garage development, making them reluctant to embrace formal business structures. This leads to poor organization and eventually crunching as a solution when things go wrong. Lastly, developers are typically identified as passionate people who love their work. Therefore, they are expected to go above and beyond all the time. They even show pride in their level of commitment, embracing crunch as a positive thing.
The effects of crunch on the industry and individuals can be both individual and systemic. Exhaustion, stress, mental and physical health issues and a high rate of burnouts are all effects of extended overtime. It is mentioned, for instance, that most developers that are active in game development leave the industry in 3-9 years, stating that they are ‘burned out’ or ‘want a better quality of life’. In addition, many employees in the industry believe that the industry’s working practices are unsustainable.
Based on these findings the authors propose several solutions to denormalize the culture of overwork in the gaming industry. One of these is to simply replace the term crunch with the term unpaid overtime, as this is a better description of the labor. Another important suggestion is to embrace business development methods like scrum and agile. Various developers have indicated that this has actually helped out with better managing the process. This is part of a larger advice to developers to see themselves as professionals within a professional industry instead of a romanticized version of a garage developer. As professionals, game developers should move away from the idea that they are not dedicated enough if they demand better working conditions. But since such a culture is difficult to change by individuals, unionization can help with negotiating this. Lastly, the authors note that changing a habitus is challenging and requires a multilayered and longitudinal approach to succeed.