Why don't video game people unionize?

poly_troubleshoot

It's no secret that game developers are overworked, underpaid and exploited. It should go without saying that what is happening at Activision Blizzard is absolutely discussting and I can't see a case for thinking otherwise. At first I thought the reason was that there were too many people who could replace experienced workers demanding better pay. But after reading through a few old threads it is very clear that this is not the case.

I figured someone would have asked this question before. And of course, they did.

https://polycount.com/discussion/216749/unionize

According to this poll, most people on this forum are pro union. Most people in the industry are artist. So that begs the question, what is stopping you!? After reading through the thread, people are saying that unions can not form for 3 reasons

1: A wide variety of skillsets
2: Corrupt union leaders
3: Companies leaving the country

I don't have any experience in the game industry, so I would like a bit more information on the first one? Why would a variety of skillsets prevent everyone from mutually benefitting.

I keep hearing people say the last 2, but no one has given any real life examples of this happening. According to the FEE ( https://fee.org/articles/the-corruption-of-union-leadership/ ) , the issue with unions is that not all the workers will agree with the unions decisions and it makes life harder for corporate and corporate will make less money because all the workers are now working less and making more. Isn't the WHOLE FLIPPIN POINT!? And I have NEVER heard of a corporation moving out of the country because of Unions. I'm not saying it doesn't happen. It's just that I have no basis for backing this claim.

I think the video game's industry's fear of unions is unfounded and the people who say the have personal experience with "bad" unions are either hopped up on too much pro corporate right wing news or people who SIMP for management at their own expense. Am I wrong? Can I have some real world examples of how you personally lost money or a time a union leader did not have your interest?

Alex_J

1. people are afraid of change. that's just a rule. 
2. people without financial security can't take risk

Union doesn't solve every problem and creates new problems but I think anytime you make life harder for the psychopaths that's gonna be generally better for the majority who actually care about each other.

poly_troubleshoot

2. people without financial security can't take risk

Can you elaborate on this? I get that a lot of developers don't have financial security. But what risk is being taken when creating a union? Aren't people always at risk of being fired on the spot anyways?

Zi0

poly_troubleshoot said:

2. people without financial security can't take risk

Can you elaborate on this?

You might get fired which means you have to live from your savings or your partners income. If you have a mortgage on a house + you are paying for other things like your kids education etc and you really need your income you cant risk loosing your job.

poly_troubleshoot

Zi0 said:

You might get fired which means you have to live from your savings or your partners income. If you have a mortgage on a house + you are paying for other things like your kids education etc and you really need your income you cant risk loosing your job.

What kind of excuse is that!? That is the whole point of a union. They exist make it so it's harder for them to fire you in addition to exploiting you. You have every reason to establish them but you are refusing to. This is like that episode of the Boondocks where the little girl worked herself to death selling lemonade so she could get the pony some rich asshole promised her and we all knew she wasn't going to get it. A woman at Blizzard took her own life because she was sexually humiliated. Bobby Kottek's name was on the Ebstine flight logs. And everyone was just ok with that. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you people! I'm going to be real with you. If you take a job at AB or you continue to work there and you don't demand unionization, and you just passively accept the conditions they give you, then you are more than a doormat to me. You are complicit in those crimes against the aforementioned victims.

Alex_J

the only reason most people do anything is because lots of other people are doing it.  doesn't matter what it is, good or evil. 

basically the more noise there is about unions, the more likely it is going to happen. People who don't take risk as a root part of their personality are just never going to do that. People who go to work for big corporations aren't looking to grab the reins of responsibility and take bold risk. They just want to make art and leave all the rest of the bullshit to whoever else.

anyway, in general i think shaming can be a good thing, but it is better to do it to actual people in person. Somebody should go with a megaphone to the people having a walk out and ask them if they are just gonna go right back to work tomorrow. Ask them if they've really accomplished anything. 

i dont know much about it, maybe they are doing more than that. It's good they are doing ssomething anyway. 

Taylor Brown

@poly_troubleshoot what has the experience been like unionizing your workplace?

Larry

At least in my country in Europe, certain unions give you 80% of your salary for quite some time, 1,5 years if i am not mistaken, if you find yourself without a job.But you have to have been working for at least 6 months to join that plan, and it has a small yearly fee. I honestly don't care how useful or not a union is, you can never have too much financial security. Or can you (pointing eyes on Elon Musk)

Ashervisalis

@poly_troubleshoot Yo, chill out a little.

If someone answers your question about unionizing, saying it's for financial security, it's an absurd leap to reply with crap about pedophile human traffickers, calling people here doormats, accomplices to crimes, and asking "what the fuck is wrong with you people?"