Management and Organizational Studies Publications
Title
IGDA 2009 Quality of Life Survey: Facts and Discussion about Hours of Work in the Game Industry
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
Summer 7-2012
Abstract
The following paper explores the issue of unlimited, unpaid overtime (UUO) in the video game industry using data from the 2009 Quality of Life Survey administered by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). This data is supplemented by interviews with video game developers (VGDs) conducted in Montréal, Québec, Canada in 2008 by one of the authors and also a previous Quality of Life survey administered by the IGDA in 2004. The paper begins with a brief sketch of the industry paying specific attention to issues of UUO. This is followed by a description of the data and the results. The paper closes with a discussion about the challenge that UUO poses for the video game industry and explores alternative theories for why such high levels of UUO exist.
Notes
Presented at 4th Global Conference: Videogame Cultures and the Future of Interactive Entertainment. Oxford, UK. July 13-15.