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EA Louse or Mythic Rant or EA Rant

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polycounter lvl 19
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adam polycounter lvl 19
Just caught this, thought some of you here may be interested in it:

http://ealouse.wordpress.com/

Here's the opener:
Hi everyone,

I would think myself to be part of some noble cause, like the original EA Spouse trying to save her husband from a hellish work environment at EA. That had a happy ending, however, with tons of publicity and a total change of overtime wages and salaries and how they are handled within the company. I do not expect a happy ending, so I’ll be personal and selfish, and this is just for me.

So just call me EA Louse.

Replies

  • BlackulaDZ
    wow; that was a great read. It's sad to see stuff like this, especially in such a big/well known company. but I guess corruption/incompetence can show up anywhere.
  • Geezus
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    Geezus mod
    I can understand his/her frustration, and everyone deserves a good ol' rant...but naming names is pure idiocy. Too many clues left in his/her rant, and various posts, that will most likely make it easy to identify him/her.

    Incoming lawsuit, imo.
  • Bigjohn
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    Bigjohn polycounter lvl 11
    Yeah, this was an interesting read. WAR is my favorite MMO too, so it's kinda sad at the same time.
  • fearian
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    fearian greentooth
    WAR was a disappointment for me :( I didn't think it came out as bad as Louse made out though. Hope he doesn't get fucked too hard over this but he was pretty careless with what batch of employees he's getting fired with, names etc. (and the ultima facebook thing!)
  • MALicivs
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    MALicivs polycounter lvl 15
    I seriously loved this. Kuddos to the guy, hope he doesn't get identified.
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    This is waaaaay too common in big big companies. It's sad and fucked up. At Microsoft, there's politics on the same level, but there is (usually) someone else to counteract it a bit.
    This read has ruined my morning :|
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    As much as I can accept ignoring the pink elephant baby in the room and just leave, in this case it was a pink elephant stampede so I can fully understand his frustration.

    "So there it is. Rewarding the incompetent. Firing the competent."
  • s0id3
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    s0id3 polycounter lvl 8
    Wow, an interesting read, though I don't think it was fair of him/her to trash Bioware Austin.
  • EzMeow
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    EzMeow polycounter lvl 10
    Sad but sound familiar... Video game industry is ruled by marketing, profit and money more than anything right now... I want to go back in time when video game was made by 1 guy in a room alone with passion u.u;;
  • Lamont
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    Lamont polycounter lvl 15
    EzMeow wrote: »
    Sad but sound familiar... Video game industry is ruled by marketing, profit and money more than anything right now... I want to go back in time when video game was made by 1 guy in a room alone with passion u.u;;
    You can do that now.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    Lulz, talk about bitter :P
    He's not being vague enough, I can tell what department he's in.
  • JacqueChoi
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    JacqueChoi polycounter
    I can sympathize with the working conditions, but it's definitely the wrong attitude to adopt.
  • Calabi
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    Calabi polycounter lvl 12
    What could they do them for anything they've said though? As for them naming names and burning bridges, they wont be able to work for a bunch of plebs so what?

    The more people that speak out about shit like this the more the more likely something good may come from it. Instead of the default sweep it under the carpet until its a really big problem.

    It is pretty funny though, there seems to be a large(or not if your 'finicky')pattern of mismanagements with game developments. It appears full of stupid people whom dont know how to run company's.

    edit: They probably shouldnt have said Swotor or whatever, will be crap though. The fanboi rage looks bad, they'll be getting death threats and worse probably soon.
  • poopinmymouth
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    poopinmymouth polycounter lvl 19
    Lulz, talk about bitter :P
    He's not being vague enough, I can tell what department he's in.

    Sometimes bitterness comes from legitimate grievances. As a former EA Mythic employee I don´t find the article that hard to believe.

    I find it interesting that it is this common that managers can completely fuck over tens or even hundreds of people with their incompetence across the industry, but a grunt naming names of people who will never ever be held accountable is "bad form". What artists need is more solidarity amongst ourselves, not less. Not labeling people as bitter or having an ax to grind. Any of us who have worked more than a few studios knows how familiar situations like this are, and how likely that it's true.

    I mean with all the past shit that the industry has pulled across country, state, publisher, and size of company lines, does anyone really, truly find a situation like this unlikely?
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    people argue with me but I still lay some of the blame on EA, they really think Facebook games are the future, the gold rush has already happened.

    poop: there was huge solidarity amongst the artist at Mythic, my only sadness was that we had gotten so good and efficient at the end and the fruits of our labor weren't seen.
  • JDinges
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    JDinges polycounter lvl 18
    Every company has dirty laundry. It's dangerous business airing it. Hope he can stay anonymous.
  • Calabi
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    Calabi polycounter lvl 12
    JDinges wrote: »
    Every company has dirty laundry. It's dangerous business airing it. Hope he can stay anonymous.

    How is it dangerous? Are they going to set the spanish inquisition on him. They have not let slip any product details or things that are under nda or anything like that(I dont think). Its just procedures or processes, you cant (I dont think, its america, who knows, you cant do anything there), stop someone or sue someone for talking about what EAlouse has.
  • JDinges
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    JDinges polycounter lvl 18
    I just mean you can easily burn bridges in this industry. Even if it's legimate bitching, which it sounds like it is. I'm just speaking from experience ;)
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    well, almost every MMO studio in the US (and Iceland) has some Mythic people in it. I'm on pretty good terms with alot of them, better than burning bridges.

    now I'm all nostalgic for Mythic, those were some good times.
  • Mark Dygert
    I'm shocked... truly I am.
    This seems like par for the course, typical corporate douche-baggery. Or if you ask anyone with a MBA, they'll say this is "perfectly sound business practices", and by that they mean, "in the mad grab for cash no one saw us bury the bodies".

    Recapping his rant:
    Everyone has known for a long time that the game sucks and that the company is mismanaged.
    Yet this guy stays? It's a tough market yadda yadda yadda... bla bla bla... whatever, you're in charge of your own life if you're that miserable, leave. I'm sure picking peas is way more fun than making failed MMO's.
    I know bitching about something doesn't solve any problems, but maybe it will get people talking and they'll do something to improve my situation.
    Maybe the road to freedom really is paved with martyrs? It defeats the purpose of martyrdom to throw yourself on the fire anonymously, so he must be just airing dirty laundry... wow that won't backfire...
    Everyone should be shocked that corporate douche bags act like toddlers around a bag of pixie sticks.
    They admit to it... business school teach them to hit people like pinatas while trying to protect their own. They think that's how the world operates. Those that think differently are suckers, literally you're black licorice lollipop... in a pinata.*

    *I personally don't think that. I know you're all wonderful human beings who stick together and help each other out as much as possible. If only the world operated like polycount it would be a constant costume party instead of a pinata beat down.
  • Vorge
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    Vorge polycounter lvl 18
    now I'm all nostalgic for Mythic, those were some good times.

    Me too, me too.
  • Two Listen
  • eld
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    eld polycounter lvl 18
    oh the "EA Employee" action going on in the blog.
  • d1ver
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    d1ver polycounter lvl 14
    Too bad there are that many companies being so rotten inside.
    Giant Kudos to the fella\lady for doing it. Speak out if you have something to say.
    And I don't want to diminish my approvement of this move, but the fact, that EAlouse waited to get fired before spilling it out and the form that it's in probably could drop some shadow on him.

    I think you've got to stand for yourself all the time, but especially when it could actually change something.

    When I felt f*cked by the suits douche-baggery in a place I worked I actually wrote an open letter to the guy, putting in copy everyone affected by his "not so wise" decision asking for explanation and bringing forward facts. After a brief intercourse I've got a personal latter stating that this won't end good for me and well, some other insults. =)

    I can't say that this approach was very useful, since not much changed, and I actually had to neglect "wise decision" someplaces to do things the correct way, but at least I find it the most honset. And as thing added up I eventually left. So guess I'm in the boat with Vig on that one.

    If you asking questions leads to you being fired, than Hooray - that's definitely not the kind of people I want to be connected with in my life. Onwards and upwards

    Life's always a choice between what's right and what's easy.
  • MagicSugar
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    MagicSugar polycounter lvl 10
    $300 mil on SWOR so far is not too bad in my opinion as long as it can reach WoW like $800 mil/yr revenue.
  • Wahlgren
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    Wahlgren polycounter lvl 17
    Doesnt sound like it will tho. Previews seems cautious. They usually hype like mad. Last one i read said the combat was mnergh and one guy wanted to skip the dialogues all together.

    I dunno. In all honesty i dont think i will sit and listen to dialogue either. I always read ahead and then I dont wanna wait to hear them say it.

    Kudos to the guy for announcing how fucked the situation is. :)
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    d1ver wrote: »
    When I felt f*cked by the suits douche-baggery in a place I worked I actually wrote an open letter to the guy, putting in copy everyone affected by his "not so wise" decision asking for explanation and bringing forward facts. After a brief intercourse I've got a personal latter stating that this won't end good for me and well, some other insults. =)

    Wow, you really do have it rough at your studio
  • PixelMasher
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    PixelMasher veteran polycounter
    hm interesting read, totally gives away what department they work in in all the comments though. shit sounds fucked, but thats like that a most companies, not just game ones. people who have been around long enough to have a decent sized stake of the company are just too hard to get rid of, even if they just fuck the dog all day.
  • aphexx
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    aphexx polycounter lvl 12
    i also find patronage and intrigues are common in higher positions and abstract managing positions. i can say this after ~12 years in business. but i think its common for all industries out there.
    just talk to your friends in other jobs.

    i cannot prove it but i feel that the more the job is away from the actual production of the product, and the higher the wages become, the more potential grows to produce parasites that slowly decompose the success of all involved companies of a deal.
    not that companies always fall by them, but they simply atrophy for the time the imbeciles infesting key managing and communication positions....
    i hope EA Louse can achieve something.

    but i have also some advice to everybody whos bullied by idiots:
    sometimes it can be helpful to talk to persons who even stand above the object of disturbance and who are not driven by incompetence. those persons might be very far away from the actual product but therefore mostly interested in a prospering company. so perhaps take some ballz and give it a try.
  • Xenobond
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    Xenobond polycounter lvl 18
    hm interesting read, totally gives away what department they work in in all the comments though.

    Department? I don't think there were enough artists left to consider calling it a department. If the writer was one of the remaining artists, it'd be pretty easy to spot who it is by just their writing style.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    well, I'll stick my neck out a little. What happened to my good friend Tracy was total shit and I'll have beef with the person/people involved until I'm old and gray. But overall it was a great experience.

    xeno: I'm guessing it's a programmer, the way Mythic's metrics and server engineers were bragged about I get the feeling the engineers thought they were too valuable to be laid off.
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    So, mostly we're defending/feeling sorry for this guy in the thread, but really, isn't he just kinda being a whiny bitch?

    He wasn't abused. He wasn't forced to work absurd hours (or at least he doesn't complain about it). All that happened is that he was hired to do a job, and got pissed off because he didn't agree with what the people who were paying him wanted him to do.

    Welcome to the work force. Being hired for a job doesn't mean you get to be in charge. *SHOCK*
  • arshlevon
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    arshlevon polycounter lvl 18
    As a former mythic employee (before the EA acquisition) i can say that the studio did not have competent high level people. you moved up by the "buddy system" who you where friends with, not what you could do. i dont blame the producer on WAR for acting that way, it was just company culture. the thing that really pisses me off looking back is that i worked with some of the most talented people in the industry, but they were given zero decision making power. they had art directors that didnt know anything about art, producers that before producing video games managed storage units. i have since worked for many studios, from start up to AAA and looking back mythic was pretty much the worst studio. i can say that i did meet great people there and had a good time working with them, but i think most of us didnt agree with the way the games were made. but oh well. i hope all the ex mythic people the best, it gets soooo much better.. maybe poop should make a video about how much better it gets to prevent anyone from thinking thats what game developments like.
  • dtschultz
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    dtschultz polycounter lvl 12
    aesir wrote: »
    Wow, you really do have it rough at your studio

    This made me laugh so hard. I'm sure English isn't your first language, so I don't want to poke fun at you, but damn that is too funny.
  • poopinmymouth
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    poopinmymouth polycounter lvl 19
    aesir wrote: »
    So, mostly we're defending/feeling sorry for this guy in the thread, but really, isn't he just kinda being a whiny bitch?

    He wasn't abused. He wasn't forced to work absurd hours (or at least he doesn't complain about it). All that happened is that he was hired to do a job, and got pissed off because he didn't agree with what the people who were paying him wanted him to do.

    Welcome to the work force. Being hired for a job doesn't mean you get to be in charge. *SHOCK*

    Atlas Shrugged reader spotted.

    Are you really going to pull some market based capitalism bullshit about rational actors here. Why are you pre supposing what he says is wrong, and that he's just being whiny? People with actual experience can tell you that situations like this are not uncommon. I've worked at 7 plus studios now on 3 different continents, and I'll agree with Arshlevon, Mythic was the worst run of them all by a good margin, while having some of the best artists I've worked with in the trenches.

    If what he is saying is true, he WAS abused. The US doesn't have worker protection rights. 100% of the power is in the hands of the employer, which is why companies continue to get away with the abuses we read about every day in a multitude of industries. It took decades and a huge class action lawsuit to address overtime with EA and they have already found ways to mitigate that. Overtime is still ripe, as are withholding bonuses, proper credit, etc.

    This idea that every single person can walk with their feet at any time the situation becomes unfavorable is so laughable it shows how out of touch with the real world you really are. What if they are only mediocre employees, delivering what is asked but nothing special enough to flit around to studios as needed? what if they have a house they can't sell, or kids that need mental stability from not moving, or a spouse in school, or they are foreign and depend on special visa situations? Do they deserve to get fucked in an unfavorable situation unless they are single white men with no roots to keep them in place with an insane resume and portfolio that can land them another job the second they feel like it?

    Could the guy have written in a more mature way? Sure, but if the situation is even partially true, and there is every reason to believe it is from actual past employees or even just experienced developers chiming in that situations like this are not uncommon, the problems with the situation are so long that the tone of his rant are like number 500 on the list. Think of all the employees who's livelihood is ruined by the decline of the studio based on poor managerial decisions. Not everyone will be able to sell their house, not everyone will find another job, not everyone will be able to move with their spouse and/or kids. With the lack of healthcare many of them could find themselves in serious financial problems if they or their family is sick. These are real problems that are reasons to get upset. That a few incompetent managers had their names rightfully sullied and the person ranted in an unprofessional way is such a minor problem it's really ridiculous that a forum full of 3d artists is focusing on *that* of all aspects.
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    No ben, i'm about as liberal as it gets. And I'm far from suggesting he should have quit either. I see no reason he should have quit, nor do I see any abuses beyond suffering the tragic task of being paid to make a substandard game.

    Employers are not obligated to give all of their employees a say in how they run their business, and while I'd hope that they're encouraged to speak their mind, if your boss wants you to do something that you were hired to do, then I see no reason why you wouldn't do it. Even if every artist on the team thinks it's a bad idea, game artists don't become citizens of the company upon being hired, and they don't get to vote en masse and overrule their employers.

    If I ever become lucky enough to run my own company, I certainly don't want to face a revolt every time I want to move in an unpopular direction.

    Worker protection rights? Protect him from what? Poor art direction?


    also david jaffe's view: http://criminalcrackdown.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-response-to-ea-louse.html
  • Two Listen
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    Two Listen polycount sponsor
    Those are some great points poop. It's a shame that in this world today, in order to really feel "free", one has to work themselves to the bone to become the ultimate badass, never have any children, never get a mortgage, - essentially never try to progress to a stable more settled life. You've got to live as a minimalist, with hardly any family - if any.

    I don't work "in the industry" explicitly, but it's common - all over, in any industry, for the CEOs/"founders"/people with executive decision making abilities, to be completely asinine, greedy scumbags with very minimal - if any knowledge, of the developmental process. And it damages a lot of people in a lot of ways.

    Personally, I live the sort of minimalist life style. I don't own hardly anything. "Furniture" is almost a funny concept. And I'm intentionally looking for the cheapest rental property I can find - even if I can afford a little more, because I know it's likely I'll get screwed over. I imagine I'll be living something like that for the next several years, at least. And when I stop, I'll probably wind up regretting it.
  • Jashugan
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    Jashugan polycounter lvl 18
    Well, I think it's just unfortunate that the post was written in such an obviously emotional manner. There are definitely a few smaller points and comments that he/she brings up that undermine the impact of the post. I say it's a shame because most of what was written there is (IMO) a pretty accurate representation of what many(if not most) of us felt and what we had to dealt with at Mythic, but those little things things hurt the credibility. He/she could have also left out some of the more sensitive information (old republic funding and the UO game) and still gotten the point across.
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    @Aesir - It actually read to me by a person who clearly wasn't 'abused' as an employee, but was passionate about what he does - or at the very least passionate to be a developer - and couldn't stand by any longer to see such politics going on.

    A 'whiny bitch' is far to of a conceived notion from this article, but rather someone who really had something to say. Let's not chastise the guy for speaking up against the man, man.
  • JO420
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    JO420 polycounter lvl 18
    aesir wrote: »
    So, mostly we're defending/feeling sorry for this guy in the thread, but really, isn't he just kinda being a whiny bitch?

    He wasn't abused. He wasn't forced to work absurd hours (or at least he doesn't complain about it). All that happened is that he was hired to do a job, and got pissed off because he didn't agree with what the people who were paying him wanted him to do.

    Welcome to the work force. Being hired for a job doesn't mean you get to be in charge. *SHOCK*



    Why is he being a whiny bitch? i think you read this guys post in a "i hate my job" context but the way i read it,its more of comment on the fact that the wrong people in high positions can turn a multimillion dollar project into a total unmitigated disaster. When the project tanks their failure is rewarded with cushy jobs at other studios while the people who put in the hard work to complete a project get toally fucked.

    Ive experienced working under completely unqualified,arrogant and dickish management who's ill informed actions hurt the morale of the team and have had huge consequences to the health of a studio. I think he chose a poor choice of language but then again its completely plauseable,especially in this industry.

    You can say quit if you hate it but as Ben mentioned it isnt so bloody simple. Ive seen alot of well intentioned and exceptionally qualified people in bad situations speak out only to be sacked because they just wanted to improve the company and deliver a better game.


    I think this could hurt the poster for being so specific but this problem of " shit floats" in our industry is huge and im happy it was said.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    Actually there were worker's protection rights in play when I got laid off last year, I don't want to get into details but everything combined, I had no gap in income between getting laid off and moving up to Massachusetts. What happened to the GRIN or RTW guys when their respective studios got shut down?

    Remove WOW from the equation and still say the game was a disaster: a fairly high meta-critic rating and fairly decent subscriber numbers (CCP celebrated when they reached the "horrible" sub numbers of WAR). MMO critics love there Hyperbole, there's only two options, WOW levels of success or failure.
  • Mark Dygert
    What if they are only mediocre employees, delivering what is asked but nothing special enough to flit around to studios as needed?
    Then they should be happy they are allowed to do something they're barely qualified to do while more qualified people stand in line outside. I agree that there isn't enough worker protection in the US but you have to protect the workers from actual abuse.
    what if they have a house they can't sell, or kids that need mental stability from not moving, or a spouse in school, or they are foreign and depend on special visa situations? Do they deserve to get fucked in an unfavorable situation unless they are single white men with no roots to keep them in place with an insane resume and portfolio that can land them another job the second they feel like it?
    I agree in certain cases it can be painful to walk away. I fit almost all of those categories and if I was truly being abused (like I have been in the past), I wouldn't take it. I'd try a lot of things to change the company before getting up and walking out. Most of those things would involve direct dialog with my higher ups and peers. I would probably stay away from anonymous blog posts that don't do much. If all that failed (and it wouldn't at my current company) I would leave. I would work 3 -4 part time jobs if I had to support my family. I would sell my house, my cars, move in with family but I wouldn't work for an abusive asshole and not do anything about it.

    There's eating shit to survive and then there's eating twinkies and making anonymous snarky blog posts about the company you still work for.

    I don't know, maybe he is chained in a cave and was lucky to get a wi-fi signal... but really he sounds like an artist that invested a large portion of himself in his job and the product he made.
  • aesir
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    aesir polycounter lvl 18
    @adam I get that and empathize with him. I've worked with clients who have wanted me to do things that I thought absolutely murdered my ideas. I hated it.

    I didn't go and post an anonymous rant naming the people I worked for and try to destroy their reputations as fully as possible. I'm sure the producers he named were trying their hardest to make a good game too.

    Professionalism matters. He doesn't have any.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    Vig wrote: »
    but really he sounds like an artist that invested a large portion of himself in his job and the product he made.

    I was debating this with one of my former leads from Mythic, the mysterious absence of certain names either means he's an artist that doesn't want to blow his cover OR he isn't an artist and wouldn't know those names because they weren't in the limelight. It's possible he's a mid-level content guy.
  • oXYnary
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    oXYnary polycounter lvl 18
    JacqueChoi wrote: »
    I can sympathize with the working conditions, but it's definitely the wrong attitude to adopt.

    What would be the "right" attitude to adopt? Or is this correct way just more what you would do in such a situation?

    Anyhow Justin is right. He isn't vague enough. Im sure the management has feelers out already tracking it down to one person. I am surprised though a few of the comments are from former or current employees pretty much either backing him up or explaining side points. NOT contradicting him outright.


    Unfortunately whomever artist (I think animator) this is. History shows that whistle blowers usually end up being screwed over. To this person. When the hammer falls. YOu probably will be blacklisted (and those of you can BS all you want about Blacklisting doesn't exist - it does). Look for the smaller companies to hire you.
  • EzMeow
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    EzMeow polycounter lvl 10
    I'm sure we all agree that the tone of his rant isn't really helping him. There's 2 side notes stories that could be left out as well but I think that what matter is the main subject which reflect the industry behavior.
    Still I don't get why people keep focusing on irrelevant details...
  • JO420
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    JO420 polycounter lvl 18
    If some of the recent comments on the blog are true he has been discovered already and fired.
  • cholden
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    cholden polycounter lvl 18
    Put a J in front of EA Louse, and you're jealous! ZING!

    Suck that experience couldn't have been better for ... whoever that is... But to echo Justin, my experience was awesome! I got paid, laid and a career upgrade. But hey, I make lemonade.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    oXYnary: some of it's true and some of it isn't, unfortunately there was a big disconnect between management and the rest of us, I was friends with some of them so I had a bit of an clearer view of things (some of it is shockingly different then the ideas the public has)
  • poopinmymouth
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    poopinmymouth polycounter lvl 19
    aesir wrote: »
    No ben, i'm about as liberal as it gets. And I'm far from suggesting he should have quit either. I see no reason he should have quit, nor do I see any abuses beyond suffering the tragic task of being paid to make a substandard game.

    Voting with your feet. If you don't like it, then leave. Those are conservative views, not liberal, hope that helps. It presupposes that a person can leave at any time and no outside factors could come into play which is demonstrably false.
    aesir wrote: »

    Employers are not obligated to give all of their employees a say in how they run their business, and while I'd hope that they're encouraged to speak their mind, if your boss wants you to do something that you were hired to do, then I see no reason why you wouldn't do it. Even if every artist on the team thinks it's a bad idea, game artists don't become citizens of the company upon being hired, and they don't get to vote en masse and overrule their employers.

    You're making it sound like the boss asked him to make stylized characters when he likes realism. That isn't the case. This is a case of management forcing people to create a substandard game that won't sell. The employees, as future shareholders of the company's well being, deserve and should demand a say in these type of decisions because if you believe the game will fail, you are likely to face unemployment. Plus don't we all honestly want to work hard and put passion into our game? That isn't going to happen if you think the game is going to suck. Employees should get to vote, because as this case, and many others show, the management is not some meritocratic all knowing super gennii that makes perfect decisions that the employees can't understand. You are at the same time positing that employees be super rational actors knowing exactly what is good for them, BUT ALSO too dumb to second guess the upper management.
    aesir wrote: »

    If I ever become lucky enough to run my own company, I certainly don't want to face a revolt every time I want to move in an unpopular direction.

    That's what it comes down to, doesn't it? The American idea that in 5-10 years they will be at the top, so they will protect the top's interest, even when the likelihood of you ever owning a company is zero. (see also: people with no way of every breaching the 100k mark still voting consistently for tax cuts for people that make 250k plus, ie republicans)
    aesir wrote: »

    Worker protection rights? Protect him from what? Poor art direction?

    How about protection *before* he knows he's laid off so he can speak his mind. An ombudsmen, or union, or even a group of employees that don't quiver at the idea of losing their job can and should approach management, shareholders, or owners when they feel bad decisions are being made. We are smart people and if something is so obviously wrong that a bunch of 3d artists can see it, we should have ways to address our grievances without fearing for our jobs. The workers as hopeful future employees deserve a say in how a project is run, unless you hired illiterate buffoons.

    Many countries don't allow you to fire without a 6 month notice, and if you tried to fire a person for bringing up issues, they could go to their employee representative, union rep, or even an outside government agency for protection. When you lack that and have a right-to-work state like VA that allows you to fire for any (and no) reason, a total lack of social programs or health-care, you have essentially blackmail level power over your employees to where they cannot ever complain till situation reaches critical mass, because they literally cannot afford to lose their job.
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