I've had coworkers with the same mindset as Jordan. They've all changed their mind after a few years for various reasons; You have to work when you don't feel like it, there are company politics involved which makes you less willing to sacrifice for them, you see coworkers get off easily while you have to stay there and work and sometimes do the stuff they should be doing. Jordan probably hasn't experienced any of this yet and once you get older, your view of things change. Also, you get tired more easily and the risk of getting burnt out increases as well.
Sometimes you simply need to experience it in order to understand it.
This actually made me reconsider going into the gaming industries, though I've [lightly] been into this same situation. I run a modding team, and I, too, have to work when I don't want to, but I guess working on an AAA title like ... idk, BF3, isn't comparable to free-time modding.
Watch Ben Hur, think of crunch as the part where they go to "ramming speed"....
If you want a long and good career in games, be professional, be friendly, keep your skills up to date, and avoid crunch like the plague. And if you really have too much energy in yourself, spend it on improving your own skills - you may need them when looking for the next gig.
I'm sticking to hobbyist game development for the time being. A large reason for this is simply location. I live out in Arizona, and the large-scale game development industry is essentially dead out here. There used to be a couple of big houses, but they have all closed down in recent years. 2XL is one of the only mid-range developers still operating, and they aren't exactly going on a hiring spree in the current economy. (not to mention the competition for jobs there would be incredibly stiff)
My only real options are to move elsewhere, or work in another industry for my day job and do game development as a hobby. At the moment I'm opting for the latter. I like living out in the desert, and I'm not terribly enthusiastic about moving elsewhere. While large-scale development is dead out here, the indie scene is actually picking up a fair amount. (for obvious reasons) Two AZ locals actually made it into the PAX 10 this year.
It's a matter of priorities. I'm more interested in working on my own projects than being an industry insider. But then, I've never been as much of a team player when it came to game design.
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This actually made me reconsider going into the gaming industries, though I've [lightly] been into this same situation. I run a modding team, and I, too, have to work when I don't want to, but I guess working on an AAA title like ... idk, BF3, isn't comparable to free-time modding.
If you want a long and good career in games, be professional, be friendly, keep your skills up to date, and avoid crunch like the plague. And if you really have too much energy in yourself, spend it on improving your own skills - you may need them when looking for the next gig.
My only real options are to move elsewhere, or work in another industry for my day job and do game development as a hobby. At the moment I'm opting for the latter. I like living out in the desert, and I'm not terribly enthusiastic about moving elsewhere. While large-scale development is dead out here, the indie scene is actually picking up a fair amount. (for obvious reasons) Two AZ locals actually made it into the PAX 10 this year.
It's a matter of priorities. I'm more interested in working on my own projects than being an industry insider. But then, I've never been as much of a team player when it came to game design.