As a leader in the games industry it is our responsibility to take a stand against the exploitative and unethical and unsustainable practices of “crunch time.” Forcing employees to work excessive amounts of overtime because of approaching deadlines with no additional financial compensation is bad for employees and the industry alike. It is my duty as President of Electronic Arts to put the health of my employees first. This remains true even when there are voices within the industry who believe crunch time is acceptable.
EA’s History with Crunch Time
Crunch time in video games industry refers to workweeks of longer than 60 hours, often in the attempt to meet an approaching deadline (Schultz). Crunch time happens for two reasons:
1. Inflexible …show more content…
Developers are often apprehensive to speak up because they know there are dozens of people who would love to have their position—many who enter into the gaming industry do so because of a deep passion for gaming (Weinberger).
Crunch Time is Ethical
According to the International Game Developers Association, 38% of game developers worked unpaid overtime in periods of crunch (Weinberger). Proponents of crunch time like former Microsoft executive Alex St. John pose a series of arguments in favor of the practice (St. John):
• Those in the industry who complain of crunch time have adopted a “wage slave” attitude.
• Crunch time is a necessary evil, projects would not reach completion otherwise
• Creating games is not a job but rather an art
Much has changed at EA since Erin Hoffman’s story of being an “EA Spouse” went viral. Although we have made significant steps to improve the quality of life for our employees, the fact remains that crunch is still a part of many of our production cycles. Within the …show more content…
There are two key ethical problems with crunch time related to work life balance and lack of appropriate compensation. Work Life Balance
Keeping employees working for upwards of 60 hours a week has disastrous effects on their mental health. Employees feel the impact of crunch as the quality of their work goes down and their personal relationships suffer (Williams).
A lack of healthy work life balance does not only affect an employee’s life. Employers that ignore employees’ work-life imbalance may experience higher rates of turnover as well as decreased productivity over time (Burn).
Lack of Appropriate Compensation
As outlined in Hoffman’s EA Spouse blog post, our employees back in 2004 were not appropriately compensated for their crunch time work (Hoffman). Despite working extending hours, developers were summarily denied the following:
• Overtime
EA’s History with Crunch Time
Crunch time in video games industry refers to workweeks of longer than 60 hours, often in the attempt to meet an approaching deadline (Schultz). Crunch time happens for two reasons:
1. Inflexible …show more content…
Developers are often apprehensive to speak up because they know there are dozens of people who would love to have their position—many who enter into the gaming industry do so because of a deep passion for gaming (Weinberger).
Crunch Time is Ethical
According to the International Game Developers Association, 38% of game developers worked unpaid overtime in periods of crunch (Weinberger). Proponents of crunch time like former Microsoft executive Alex St. John pose a series of arguments in favor of the practice (St. John):
• Those in the industry who complain of crunch time have adopted a “wage slave” attitude.
• Crunch time is a necessary evil, projects would not reach completion otherwise
• Creating games is not a job but rather an art
Much has changed at EA since Erin Hoffman’s story of being an “EA Spouse” went viral. Although we have made significant steps to improve the quality of life for our employees, the fact remains that crunch is still a part of many of our production cycles. Within the …show more content…
There are two key ethical problems with crunch time related to work life balance and lack of appropriate compensation. Work Life Balance
Keeping employees working for upwards of 60 hours a week has disastrous effects on their mental health. Employees feel the impact of crunch as the quality of their work goes down and their personal relationships suffer (Williams).
A lack of healthy work life balance does not only affect an employee’s life. Employers that ignore employees’ work-life imbalance may experience higher rates of turnover as well as decreased productivity over time (Burn).
Lack of Appropriate Compensation
As outlined in Hoffman’s EA Spouse blog post, our employees back in 2004 were not appropriately compensated for their crunch time work (Hoffman). Despite working extending hours, developers were summarily denied the following:
• Overtime