Crunch Time in the Games Industry
polycounter lvl 12
Hey fellow Greenteeth,
I wanted to discuss Crunch Time when it came to working on games in the industry. I've been working at a small indie studio for about 4-5 months now and I just had my first major crunch. I work roughly 70+ hours throughout the past week.
So I was just wondering if Crunch is still a very valid thing throughout the industry? I know this changes from situation to situation and how different studio cultures are. But, are 70 hour work weeks almost expected when it comes to having a studio job?
Definitely interested to hear what you guys have to say, and feel free to share any tales from your Crunch experiences!
I wanted to discuss Crunch Time when it came to working on games in the industry. I've been working at a small indie studio for about 4-5 months now and I just had my first major crunch. I work roughly 70+ hours throughout the past week.
So I was just wondering if Crunch is still a very valid thing throughout the industry? I know this changes from situation to situation and how different studio cultures are. But, are 70 hour work weeks almost expected when it comes to having a studio job?
Definitely interested to hear what you guys have to say, and feel free to share any tales from your Crunch experiences!
Replies
At these studios 'Crunch' isn't mandated, but a LOT of people take extra time to ensure their work is the absolute best it can be within tighter deadlines (only works at studios that grant a significant amount of autonomy).
Which in turn creates a culture of people staying late, so the people who LEAVE early are often perceived as the weaker links on the team, or unable to keep pace with the people who regularly stay an extra few hours.
Learn to estimate your working speed correctly is vital, I've seen so many interns and juniors take on an impossible deadline because they are so eager to impress and they've ended up suffering for it. If you don't think that a timeframe is realistic, speak up about your concerns. 9 times out 10 the producers will come up with a solution.
I've worked in the games industry for almost 10 years and haven't had any major crunch periods. Yes I do a few extra hours here and there before a milestone but it's nothing that is going to destroy me.
That being said, I'm generally doing 45-50h weeks on my own..
Google is a "lifestyle provider"
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-07-22/thirteen-months-of-working-eating-and-sleeping-at-the-googleplex
I hope not. More time in the studio = less time improving as an artist on personal work :thumbdown: (this depends on the studio/project of course).
From my experience so far, crunch has been caused almost entirely by mis-management/lack of planning.
I should add at the that I've only worked 2 weeks of crunch out of over 4 months here. Not unreasonable at all and I have a great work / personal balance. Pretty good overall :thumbup:
Exactly this.
Crunch isn't necessary. Crunch is a failure of the studio to plan properly and accordingly.
If you work at a studio where crunch is planned ahead of time, be very afraid. This, by far, is the worst thing a studio can do.
Accidents happen, sometimes things slip and you have to work hard to make up lost time and hit your deadlines. But producers and management should never say "We're gonna crunch in 2 months, we expect everyone to do 60+ hours a week." It's unfair and unsustainable, and makes your employees frustrated.
If that is because you feel you have to, rather than because you personally want to, then cut that the fuck out - you're being exploited.
If a project is scheduled in a way where a studio thinks they can take advantage of "free work" for a 10 dollar dinner that's horrible for you.....I just don't subscribe to that line of thinking. The worst is when producers come around asking who is staying late with their little clipboard trying to run the guilt train to get people to put in free work.
If your co-workers look down on you for "only" putting in your 8 hours a day then that's not being an elite and passionate artists, that's called being an asshole/having no life.
I think because this industry is always putting the passion for games at the forefront of every studio culture and PR interview people are able to easily be taken advantage of. I know I was like that in the first few years of my career. Then came a crunch where I was working 60-80 hours a week overtime for several weeks, and at the end, not a single compensation day was given. not a single free day off. That was the day I stopped working for free and have never looked back. No one has ever called me out on it, especially at larger companies.
To be honest, I work to save money to travel and enjoy life. Living to work and stare at a screen for 12+ hours a day isn't what I would consider living. I love what I do and am super happy making games, but at the end of the day I expect to be paid for what I do, and a $10 dinner for 2-3 hours or more of extra time isnt worth it.
There are exceptional circumstances that can require extra hours but it generally seems to be the exploitation of people who are passionate about their work. You tend to see a lot of this in creative fields.
My boss (and Earthquake too) have told me to go the fuck to bed before lol. It is absolutely recognised that past a certain point, working more hours per week actually makes you less productive.
My family as suffered enough of me working every weekend.
this.
And if you're a coder, it's even worse. Not just your raw productivity sinks, but you also become more likely to make mistakes which create more problems down the road if they're not immediately found.
this is wise. having a solid two days of r+r is amazing for your mental health, your physical health, your social life, and your productivity.
I hear you Almighty_gir, all it takes is the guts to stay firm even if its mean to look your boss in the eyes to show how serious you are. Be strong guys.
You really think that it's crunch? Or maybe the fact that the skillset of a good artist or programmer often commands more in other industries?
No.
I stopped crunching like that after I left that place, I did do a couple of overnighters at Sony. I had responsibilities to my health both mental, physical, emotional and my relationships with friends/family.
Now I do a solid 40 hours a week. I do about 20-30 hours a year OT... maybe. Even when I THINK I need to work OT/Crunch, I present my tasks to my manager and he will say "Nah, we can deal with that tomorrow/next Monday, go home.". Which is very unlike Japan-based/Japanese game companies.
...and as you grow older and more mature you start to realize at what amateur level many companies are managed.
Henry Ford proved that working 8 hours a day, five days a week is the most productive schedule. It's a solved problem even though many people would like to pretend it isn't.
Also, if you have a family you can forget about putting in 70+ hour weeks. Unless you want your kids to hate you and your wife to say adios. Divorce is a lot more expensive than finding a new job.
Now that I have a kid, I notice that a lot of movie and songs are written about absentee fathers. Cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon, little boy...etc.
Just for shniggles, here's my crunch history:
2 1/2 years, company A - 60+ hours a week standard. I worked 80ish hours a week for one five month stretch on a demo for a new IP. Only took three days off for that 5 month stretch.
4 years, company B - Each year, 40 hours a week in Nov & Dec, 50 hours a week in Jan, 60+ hours a week in Feb-Apr, 70+ hours a week in May - Sept, Oct around 50+ a week.
On one project I stayed up for 36 hours straight, three times.
The last project I worked 100+ hours a week for a month, only slept about four hours a night.
Two years after I left the studio was shut down. CEO admitted in public that crunch had destroyed the studio. He called it "deathmarch".
2 1/2 years, company C - Mostly a 40 hour work week. The last two months there I was working 60ish hours a week. Told them I couldn't come in one weekend (I really couldn't) and they looked at me like I had just stangled a puppy.
5 1/2 years as an electrician - Mostly 40 hours a week but hours are random. Usually 7 am - 3 pm, but did 3 months starting at 5 am and six months working 3 pm - 11 pm. The last project was 8 months of 10 hour shifts of intense physical labour plus 2 1/2 hours of driving each day. At home, I would often fall asleep on the floor or in my computer chair.
Current - Back working on games. Almost zero crunch.
well, the underlying message is that those people probably reflect on what mattered in their life - or what should have. And it's usually friends and family and not putting in crazy work hours for the man.
And that's exactly the perspective young people miss. Many do crunch just to realize later it's been a waste of time. Will you be lucky enough to have worked on a game that stands the test of time? Maybe if you crunched for Civilization you can be proud. But what about all the other "great" titles long gone and forgotten?
Even if you're not dying, would you look back and think "it was worth it"?
It varies by company. You have to find or start a small company where the majority, including investors and owners, realizes there is no long-term value in crunch.
One thing I would LOVE to know though... Rockstar are famous for their crunch. Is that real or just a rumour?
when you are tired you finish stuff in 10 hours that you would have been able to finish in 1 if you were not tired, even when you think you don't have time to sleep I promise you it's worth it to take a couple of hours of sleep instead of working with a tired brain that makes mistakes and fall a sleep every 5 minutes and forget what you are doing.
I understand a little bit of crunch(like a few hours extra a week) is necessary some times. As long as the company I am working for can guarantee that my extra work hours are necessary to hit the targets - well then Im ok with doing it. If theres no goal in sight or obvious target to hit and Im asked to do overtime, well then Im annoyed!
I've never worked at a studio where any part of upper management stayed for crunch- and these fucks get the bonus, the credit...and you get laid off as soon as they don't need you.
It's on par with freelancers working for shit money, it brings down the rest of the ecosystem.
One of the first question you should ask a studio you are interviewing for is "what is your crunch policy?" and if it is anything less than "We are adamantly opposed to crunch" or "We compensate you with overtime pay" move on.