EA Spouse talks about life as a PC game developer

Long LONG hours

http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/
from JoeUser Forums

This is definitely worth reading.  Here at Stardock, we rarely work crazy hours. 40 to 50 hours per week is  more typical for most people here except during crunch hours where it might go up to 60 hours for a few weeks.

But what you're seeing at EA and other game companies - 80 hours per week - is pretty typical in the game industry.

34,465 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
This completely sucks. I worked 90 to 100 plus hours working or in class a week for one summer while finishing my last bit of college, and got to the point I couldn't see, think, or act straight.

Not only is this mistreatment of their employees, but it's sure to interfere with the quality of their work, one of the things I've always enjoyed about EA in the past. They always made the best games; I especially loved their Medal of Honor series. They deserve comp time at the least.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
If you work 80 hours a week you're basically a slave...
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Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
It appears that a class-action suit is in the early stages against EA:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11/11/news_6112998.html

Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
Although there have been long periods of time when the unit I was in was required to work those 70-80 hour weeks, there was at least the knowledge that it was important, and after the crisis was over then the 1+ hour lunches and liberal holiday schedule would catch up. This was in the peacetime Army though.
It appears from the nearly 2000 responses that EA does suck , and I feel for their developers.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
That's quite awful. Crappy management. They haven't understood yet that if you manage correctly, you don't need to work more. Someone who has been working 90 hours for 2 weeks is unlikely to be able to think of a clean way of doing something, and will end up programming and debugging something in 12 hours where 10 minutes of thinking (had he had the ability to think not destroyed by stress and fatigue) would have let him find a solution to implement in 3 or 4 hours.
These guys should get out of business.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
80 hour weeks are the norm here in Japan for most businesses. Moreover highly motivated young single staff will do 90+ to show their commitment to cause and gratitude to be able to work.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
30 minutes of good thinking is more valuable than 12 hours of being slumped at your desk as a sleep-deprived zombie.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
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