The most toxic part is even after all those hours most consumers tend to aim their rage at the developers instead of the companies who created these environments.
and they always want more, even though we spent like 2 weeks straight + school (most of us still go to school xD) and then all that work and stress for like one day of joy before the players beg for more :(
It's really important to have a thick skin in the game. If all you get are bad reviews, then it shows you something. It's so easy to differentiate between a constructive criticism and psychologically damaging toxic ones. Toxic, rude and disrespectful people are everywhere all the times. Even if you made the best game, they'd still be judging, so their opinions are irrelevant.
On steam, at least you'll have to make purchase before the review (unless it's free, or has enough playtime to make a refund). Just make first two hours of gameplay phenomenal, and the rest, full on dogshit and call it an "early access". You'll thank me later 💰
Game development, even when not working for someone else really does burn me out, it's dumb easy for me to sit and start programming anything else than a video game, also it's very hard to get a well paying job in game dev
Beacuse everyone wants to be a game dev but they lack passion and only care about bragging rights in the game without doing to work. Programming a game to be fun is one thing but if you want it for money or beacause your part of the pc gaming masterrace than idk man
@@gbagba81 sorry for late response, web development, both frontend and backend, blockchain development, desktop applications, i know that the scope of the projects i made besides video games was usually smaller, but even when it comes to small scope games, i had quite many burnouts, also usually with games you often have bigger scopes than other projects, especially when we talk commercial products
I'm a game dev, so I can confirm this. It takes a LONG time, realistically 4 or more years, but to live on making games you must put them out fast, which is overwhelming. It is nothing like a consistent 9-5 job.
As a former game dev myself, I can't argue enough for gamedevs to not join their own communities discord and have the app on your phone too. I cannot count the number of times an unreported bug has been thrown out into the server at 11pm only to keep me awake for 3 h to think on how to fix it
I loved NF's line in a song he wrote, it goes as: "Yeah, the sales can raise, doesn't mean much though, when your health declines". Try to avoid overworks people, you may get a bit more cash, but you'll definitely spend it on recovery, spending much more than you earned. Stay safe, mental health is not infinite.
I can relate. It's like a breeze to program software but when it's gamedev I have to take a lot of breaks and most of the times my game projects turn into Dev hell. I have to sacrifice myself to not cancel the project. But thankfully, I'm not really in the mood for gamedev this month.
Gamedevs are passionate, ofcourse since making games is a blast, and they fall in love with their games resluting in them trying to achieve more as fast as possible, talking from experience. Although the real harsh truth is that game dev jobs are less, in quantity, salary, and it is the hardest out of all..
At this point honestly. Started working with my first team and they brought me in 2 weeks out from delivering a demo. I've now spent the last 4 days or so sitting at my computer from sun up until sun down trying to understand the systems they already have in place so I can work on my tasks, but there's been little instruction and they're all in different countries than me. I'm trying my best and making some headway but I'm beginning to dread sitting down to program. It is starting to really affect my physical and mental health. Im having nightmares, sleeping less, eating less and have become socially withdrawn.
Thanks so much for all your videos Lewis! Got me into coding and through the hard parts where I lost motivation to code, after continuously watching your vids I've finally got the hang of coding and I'm studying easily 20 hrs plus a week truly truly thank you so much, I'm going to make sure I'm back here when I get my first software job, promise you
Software development in general has became a very undercompensated profession, but game dev takes the cake. Many devs barelly break 5 figures while doing all that.
I have many friends working a Ubisoft and tried to have me in too. Never. In field where it's easy to fill jobs (by young men interest) the competition is fierce and you end up paying with your time, and work for free.
@@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers If they were paying 300k USD a year like they do to US citizens, then some overtime wouldn't hurt. Reality is that they do that to 12k USD earning minorities who will never ever get a chance of being assigned well paying projects.
@@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers so get a boring and easypeasy "web dev" job, write css JavaScript and react bullshit. We're good in game dev, i get much better pay than most of the web devs around my area. If you're in mid-senior levels then the compensation you'll get is more than web devs. Don't buy ideas from people who're never wrote a single line of code at game dev in their life, your life your choices, just make research for your own. They're lying you, not all game devs jobs are equal, there are lots of great high paid jobs believe me. Don't believe these strangers on the internet, just speak with people whose in game dev industry to get ideas.
@@-Engineering01- You think all there is game or web? What about energy control, GPS systems, flight controls, building automation, trains, etc!? You know, engineering stuff. That's what I do and no high school kid can do it. You need advanced math, know regulations, earn certifications and clearance before being allowed to even look at the code.
@@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers you didn't get the point. I said don't buy ideas from strangers from the internet. Game dev is not a low paid job once you pass junior level. Look at China, game programmer salaries are higher than mobile, back end, front end and embedded engineers in there. In America, yes in most areas game developers tends to earn 10-15% less but hey this is America. And just don't look at that field entirely like gaming, i also worked in VR and Augmenter reality applications for car and medical companies, and the pay was good than even embedded engineers around my area.
I am not a game dev, but a regular fullstack web dev. I've been working for 60-80 hours a week for a past few month because there are multiple projects I am responsible for, and all of them should be released asap. At last Thursday in the middle of the work day out of sudden I got a 41C fever and a terrible headache, coworkers forced me to leave and seek for a medical help, because they thought I got covid, but doc told me that those are just overworking symptoms, and that I should stop playing with fire if I don't wanna die early, and that I'm lucky that I didn't get any heart diseases yet. So yeah, I've never thought that this is true, but turns out overworking can really harm you. Take care of yourself and your health, my fellow programmers, don't be fools like I recently was.
@@loryhoof yes, I am. After the incident, I stopped overworking, now if it's 6 pm I stop whatever I'm doing and go home, as written in my contract. The management was very unhappy at first when I started to do this, but in a few months, they adapted and started distributing the workload to other programmers. Surprisingly, it didn't affect my pay, so now I just live a healthier and happier life with less stress.
And this is why even though I recently graduated as game dev, I'm shifting career and make game dev just as a hobby. The only problem is I don't know if I should study frontend(web dev) or backend
I didnt realize how bad game dev really was for me before i went to a therapist. I was studying to be a graphic designer with a focus on concept design, so i was basically transferred to game dev. The working culture even in my school was horrible, and we were forced into tight project deadlines from the get go. The shame culture others had if you didnt "pull your weight" and put your health first was awful, and the teachers at best put their hands up and laughed it off, and at worst were against you too. I especially remember a specific game jam where i was forced into a project manager position, and due to my issues (now I know it was ADHD), I wasn't capable in drafting up a project plan or assign tasks. I was actually the least qualified person in the room despite having seniority, because I was a graphic design student, not a game dev student. Anyways, at the end of the day I went home to sleep despite my teams insistence that i stay and work, because I was actually in the process of being screened for bipolar, and a lack of sleep is the number one trigger for a manic episode. I actually tried to get an exemption from the game jam the moment i heard about it due to this fact, but my teacher would not allow me to skip it because I could not get a doctors note in time. Anyways I overslept because I was so stressed and anxious when i had left home, that my team turned completely against me and bullied me for the rest of the game jam for wasting everyones time. They told me that I had doomed them to lose and not make it in time. We ended up winning second place. And after it was all done I had a very public panic attack in school and fell into a deeper depression for a little bit. That was one of many many incidents that really made my health worse and from which im still in recovery for after 2 years. I finally quit that school during my 4th year and the experience altogether put me off from ever working in my dream job or even graphic design. Though I dont feel that bad about it, knowing that the industry is even worse than what I went through, and I've found a new possible career path.
Thanks for sharing. As an indie developer, that made me question about the program. I still want to do my masters on game design though should I skip it? Does it really worth the time and energy to attend for college instead of keep building my games on the side?
I work around 13 hours a day (91 hours/week) (when I have now school) for around 3 years now. I don’t get paid, because I work for myself. But this is my hobby and I love doing it. And so far. I don’t have any problems with it
I bet you if you had a small team of game devs that were passionate and were skilled enough you could cut that Dev team buy more than 2/3 the problem is dead weight. Though they would need to be given more time to finish projects and probably more money too.
I appreciate the company I'm at values its employees and tries to avoid getting us burnt out. I myself experience burnout but this was due to me trying to be involved in a lot of interesting projects and working extra hours(this was compensated with overtime) I've since learn to regulate my schedule and not over commit myself. Great post.
Hey bro. Should I really learn it. I want to make games, but yet mastering C++. I mean there's time I can change my mind. Is Game Dev really that bad ? Edit : I asked because you're the only one with a positive review. Please explain!!!!
I think a lot of the overtime is unintentional too. I usually try to keep a strict 8-5 work schedule but the amount of times I unknowingly slipped that 5pm to a 9pm or 10pm to fix a nasty bug is staggering.
I think this can be explained really eqsily bt the fact that i have never met a good gamedev that didn’t have adhd (just like me). They hyperfocus on their job that’s why they do this
Crunch time needs some form of proper compensation. Either time off, payment for the overtime or an absurd wage to justify „not paying“ for overtime. If folks put pressure on themselves, that’s their decision. But when corporations start using the self harming behaviour of others to produce unrealistic expectations, we get into another problem area, where folks work that overtime because they fear loosing their job.
Masochist != Superstar. That's some industry bullshit. No job sitting behind a keyboard is worth sacrificing your mental and physical health for. Remember the power of the word "no".
Not what I meant, more so the superstar is that they are really dedicated which is worth honouring... but only to an extent. Poor time management, aka Crunch Time is where developers are forced to burnout
I don't really get it because it's only going to hurt the game when it was going to be better if they just let things play out naturally. I'm not even focused on working for a company, I want full control and do what I know is best for my game
I'm transitioning away from the tech world. Nothing in tech interests me anymore, my brain feels like the run-off water from the dishwasher, I'm not learning or developing anymore. The money is literally the only good thing about it - and in the UK the money is garbage unless you are a developer or at the very top of the security game. Everyone else in the tech space here is fodder and cogs.
i literally Taught myself C# few weeks ago and i start coding and Designing testing with other projects from 4pm till 8 am /no sleep i think i can work overtime
i am an indie game dev. basically the reason for working too much is that there is alot of tasks (Work) to do. if you are an indie dev you need to be super talented you need have knowledge in Animation, story telling, modeling, texturing, vfx, art, music production, ui &ux design, programming... how i am doing is by dividing my day into part and i take different courses a day and learn and practice my skills and at night i work on my game.
Ever since I've come to known this reality I became much more respectful towards videogames and specially the ones I didn't like. I think that another factor that contributes to their burnout is the bitchy way most gamers refer to videogames. If they like it, it's the best thing. But if they don't, they will spill all their hate on it. Gamers take video games for granted (well, most o them at least).
Keep in mind, the 59% are usually contractors or internships which means they usually have other responsibilities such another job or full time studies which is competing with their time.
I don't really mind working more than expected time at my game because i love making games, but the fact is i am also in a learning state but i Love it making arts, some basic models, basic animations, music, everything.
I've tried making games. It's just SO. MUCH. WORK. that never seems to end. Writing 'normal' applications is much less stressful and there's often much less to it. It often pays a lot better.
Stay safe and stay away from being a game developer. Pays are terrible, crunch times are terrible, job opportunities are terrible compared to web development.
Crunch time is so stupid because it has been proved a million times over a range of studies that over working human beings only result in reduced productivity which leads to even more work being unfinished. It's a vicious cycle and the people running the industry are too short sighted to see it. Maybe the newer four day work week experiments will finally open the eyes of the people running these big game studios to have actual future sight. It's not even like it's not quantifiable. Poorly treated overworked employees turn out uncreative and poorly designed games. There is a direct correlation. And still..........
The idea that you'd overwork yourself and not be compensates seems ludicrous. Honestly Crunch time seems like a poor response to the higher ups not distributing work loads effectively. Then you are much more likely to get fired if you don't, but honestly uncompensated work tells me you aren't respected enough to be doing that for them in the first place. Saying this as a person trying to o get himself into Game Dev as a 3D artist.
@@jpeg.. Game dev here, my player base wants more updates like a gun update now and I was going to add it later. Some threatened me but they had to wait.
amazing this is true when software quality is so trash in games. everything is released as "early access" unfinished just to get money fast and fix things as time goes on(if they even do) rather than releasing a quality product from the start.
Ehhh but how much of that self pressure wasn't actually self pressure? Like a boss isn't requiring you to work overtime, but you know you won't get hired again if you don't, and you'd rather like money to eat and pay rent, so you "volunteer" to work overtime. Sure, management is telling you that you *can* go home, but they're also telling you that your coworkers will just have to work harder while you're gone in an attempt to turn you against eachother. This is especially true because a lot of game devs are contractors who are just brought on to work for a specific project, and game companies are known for downsizing after a game release regardless of how successful it is.
Game dev here, I code and make music, sprites/art, etc. I suffer from burnout and thanks for informing people about us game devs who are burnt out. (I've been coding games for 7 years now. I do self-pressure myself to code.)
I'm not entirely sure who's most affected by this overtime problem but I'm suspecting it's mainly programmers. I'm gonna work in the design department and probably do some 3D stuff so I hope I can avoid the burnouts. Although I wouldn't entirely reject it since shit needs to get done, no matter the department.
I never though giving a 100% at your job could make you sick. Especially when working with games. Worked overtime a lot for the last two years, and had to start the year with a sick leave and still recovering. Take care of your health guys, try to avoid overtime and do stuff outside of work 🙏😊
I work from home, so I rarely stop exactly when my workday should end. But I do have my own games to develop in the background, so I always have a good reason to stop 😅
Bro if I'm not self employed and don't get paid I don't work. simple as that. So either there is some good overtime compensation and I have nothing better to do or I'm off doing other shit. Tf they think people work for free?
Work in logistics with an integration team in our warehouse so we pull the parts for them. Can confirm! I saw a lot of last minute burns into the c240s
- Why game developers wear glasses?
- Because they don't C#
lol 😂
Game developers use C# but yeah we don't C# either (yk if yk)
every person I know that codes wears glasses, including me 😂
@@nocturnaldev8607 that's true if you don't use Unity
Kinda cringe but alright
Appreciate you talking about burnout and mental stress, sadly overlooked issue in coding world
Yes
Agree
@@Adam-kk7nw you should call the police
yes because burnout and mental stress only happens in the coding world. Unknown and overlooked in the real world.
Sadly Game journalists forgot fhe memo
The most toxic part is even after all those hours most consumers tend to aim their rage at the developers instead of the companies who created these environments.
yeah, game directors and their execs are hiding beneath their workers' armpit so it's actually them who get blamed. Unless it's Activision
Your comment is from 9 months ago.......and you still haven't fixed that inventory glitch.
🤣
and they always want more, even though we spent like 2 weeks straight + school (most of us still go to school xD) and then all that work and stress for like one day of joy before the players beg for more :(
the burnouts real
It's really important to have a thick skin in the game. If all you get are bad reviews, then it shows you something. It's so easy to differentiate between a constructive criticism and psychologically damaging toxic ones. Toxic, rude and disrespectful people are everywhere all the times. Even if you made the best game, they'd still be judging, so their opinions are irrelevant.
imagine working long hours for a games only for a dude thumbs down it on steam....feels bad man
You win some you lose some. You can't make everyone happy. Keep trying.
On steam, at least you'll have to make purchase before the review (unless it's free, or has enough playtime to make a refund).
Just make first two hours of gameplay phenomenal, and the rest, full on dogshit and call it an "early access". You'll thank me later 💰
yeah
they complain about their 13 year old laptop not being able to run your game at 100 fps...
or some random shit like how there is no this or that
Game development, even when not working for someone else really does burn me out, it's dumb easy for me to sit and start programming anything else than a video game, also it's very hard to get a well paying job in game dev
It really is tough. Game dev you often have to do some really intense coding for simple stuff.
Can I ask you other things you already have programed besides games? So I can make myself a picture
I think some programmers are hiring in the roblox marketplace. You could hire them to make games and it could cost you a lot of money.
Beacuse everyone wants to be a game dev but they lack passion and only care about bragging rights in the game without doing to work. Programming a game to be fun is one thing but if you want it for money or beacause your part of the pc gaming masterrace than idk man
@@gbagba81 sorry for late response, web development, both frontend and backend, blockchain development, desktop applications, i know that the scope of the projects i made besides video games was usually smaller, but even when it comes to small scope games, i had quite many burnouts, also usually with games you often have bigger scopes than other projects, especially when we talk commercial products
I'm a game dev, so I can confirm this. It takes a LONG time, realistically 4 or more years, but to live on making games you must put them out fast, which is overwhelming. It is nothing like a consistent 9-5 job.
Just for you.
I have to code games in under a week. How do i do that?
More power to you man.
As a former game dev myself, I can't argue enough for gamedevs to not join their own communities discord and have the app on your phone too. I cannot count the number of times an unreported bug has been thrown out into the server at 11pm only to keep me awake for 3 h to think on how to fix it
I barely sleep anyways so it doesn't matter
I'd say join it, but silence the notifications. It's important to communicate with your community as well.
I loved NF's line in a song he wrote, it goes as: "Yeah, the sales can raise, doesn't mean much though, when your health declines".
Try to avoid overworks people, you may get a bit more cash, but you'll definitely spend it on recovery, spending much more than you earned. Stay safe, mental health is not infinite.
Facts
I can relate. It's like a breeze to program software but when it's gamedev I have to take a lot of breaks and most of the times my game projects turn into Dev hell. I have to sacrifice myself to not cancel the project. But thankfully, I'm not really in the mood for gamedev this month.
this is why i encourage game dev and coding as a hobby
I remember having a job offer from a gaming company - 9hour shift, 6 times a week.
So yeah.
What was the pay?
@@redtop27 money off course, you don't think it was leaf don't you 😂
@@bagastian3125 wtf…. No shit he gets paid money, I asked him how much money he gets paid. That was a terrible joke kid 😭😭😂
@@redtop27 well, you should say "How much they pay? "
@@bagastian3125 I said it the right way buddy
Gamedevs are passionate, ofcourse since making games is a blast, and they fall in love with their games resluting in them trying to achieve more as fast as possible, talking from experience.
Although the real harsh truth is that game dev jobs are less, in quantity, salary, and it is the hardest out of all..
This is what exactly happened to me when I was a game developer, I got burnt out that until now I didn't go back to developing games
What was the pay like and what are you doing now
@@Krucezamaround 500 usd per month for entry level.
I switched to Web Development
@@carlcabanias and now hows your career!!!! in web dev!!
At this point honestly. Started working with my first team and they brought me in 2 weeks out from delivering a demo. I've now spent the last 4 days or so sitting at my computer from sun up until sun down trying to understand the systems they already have in place so I can work on my tasks, but there's been little instruction and they're all in different countries than me. I'm trying my best and making some headway but I'm beginning to dread sitting down to program. It is starting to really affect my physical and mental health. Im having nightmares, sleeping less, eating less and have become socially withdrawn.
How is going now?
Thanks so much for all your videos Lewis! Got me into coding and through the hard parts where I lost motivation to code, after continuously watching your vids I've finally got the hang of coding and I'm studying easily 20 hrs plus a week truly truly thank you so much, I'm going to make sure I'm back here when I get my first software job, promise you
Game dev is of the coolest things you can do as a programmer, but the hit to your health is also of the greatest.
Software development in general has became a very undercompensated profession, but game dev takes the cake. Many devs barelly break 5 figures while doing all that.
I have many friends working a Ubisoft and tried to have me in too. Never. In field where it's easy to fill jobs (by young men interest) the competition is fierce and you end up paying with your time, and work for free.
@@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers If they were paying 300k USD a year like they do to US citizens, then some overtime wouldn't hurt. Reality is that they do that to 12k USD earning minorities who will never ever get a chance of being assigned well paying projects.
@@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers so get a boring and easypeasy "web dev" job, write css JavaScript and react bullshit.
We're good in game dev, i get much better pay than most of the web devs around my area. If you're in mid-senior levels then the compensation you'll get is more than web devs.
Don't buy ideas from people who're never wrote a single line of code at game dev in their life, your life your choices, just make research for your own. They're lying you, not all game devs jobs are equal, there are lots of great high paid jobs believe me. Don't believe these strangers on the internet, just speak with people whose in game dev industry to get ideas.
@@-Engineering01- You think all there is game or web? What about energy control, GPS systems, flight controls, building automation, trains, etc!? You know, engineering stuff. That's what I do and no high school kid can do it. You need advanced math, know regulations, earn certifications and clearance before being allowed to even look at the code.
@@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers you didn't get the point. I said don't buy ideas from strangers from the internet. Game dev is not a low paid job once you pass junior level.
Look at China, game programmer salaries are higher than mobile, back end, front end and embedded engineers in there.
In America, yes in most areas game developers tends to earn 10-15% less but hey this is America.
And just don't look at that field entirely like gaming, i also worked in VR and Augmenter reality applications for car and medical companies, and the pay was good than even embedded engineers around my area.
I am not a game dev, but a regular fullstack web dev. I've been working for 60-80 hours a week for a past few month because there are multiple projects I am responsible for, and all of them should be released asap.
At last Thursday in the middle of the work day out of sudden I got a 41C fever and a terrible headache, coworkers forced me to leave and seek for a medical help, because they thought I got covid, but doc told me that those are just overworking symptoms, and that I should stop playing with fire if I don't wanna die early, and that I'm lucky that I didn't get any heart diseases yet.
So yeah, I've never thought that this is true, but turns out overworking can really harm you. Take care of yourself and your health, my fellow programmers, don't be fools like I recently was.
are you still alive?
Id rather be unemployed no amount of money could put me in that state of vulnerability and constant stress
@@loryhoof yes, I am. After the incident, I stopped overworking, now if it's 6 pm I stop whatever I'm doing and go home, as written in my contract. The management was very unhappy at first when I started to do this, but in a few months, they adapted and started distributing the workload to other programmers. Surprisingly, it didn't affect my pay, so now I just live a healthier and happier life with less stress.
And this is why even though I recently graduated as game dev, I'm shifting career and make game dev just as a hobby. The only problem is I don't know if I should study frontend(web dev) or backend
frontend is way easier/faster to be hireable
I'm sorry man, hope you find your way back to game dev lucratively
Once pushed every single hour out of a weekend for a jam (72h) without sleep.
damn bro
so how did it go anyways, if u don't mind sharing
@@dev0_018 Did not end up having enough time...
@@iglobrothers645 good luck in your next games
I didnt realize how bad game dev really was for me before i went to a therapist. I was studying to be a graphic designer with a focus on concept design, so i was basically transferred to game dev. The working culture even in my school was horrible, and we were forced into tight project deadlines from the get go. The shame culture others had if you didnt "pull your weight" and put your health first was awful, and the teachers at best put their hands up and laughed it off, and at worst were against you too.
I especially remember a specific game jam where i was forced into a project manager position, and due to my issues (now I know it was ADHD), I wasn't capable in drafting up a project plan or assign tasks. I was actually the least qualified person in the room despite having seniority, because I was a graphic design student, not a game dev student. Anyways, at the end of the day I went home to sleep despite my teams insistence that i stay and work, because I was actually in the process of being screened for bipolar, and a lack of sleep is the number one trigger for a manic episode. I actually tried to get an exemption from the game jam the moment i heard about it due to this fact, but my teacher would not allow me to skip it because I could not get a doctors note in time.
Anyways I overslept because I was so stressed and anxious when i had left home, that my team turned completely against me and bullied me for the rest of the game jam for wasting everyones time. They told me that I had doomed them to lose and not make it in time.
We ended up winning second place.
And after it was all done I had a very public panic attack in school and fell into a deeper depression for a little bit.
That was one of many many incidents that really made my health worse and from which im still in recovery for after 2 years.
I finally quit that school during my 4th year and the experience altogether put me off from ever working in my dream job or even graphic design.
Though I dont feel that bad about it, knowing that the industry is even worse than what I went through, and I've found a new possible career path.
Thanks for sharing your story, very relatable for me and it's sad that it's true.
Happy for you getting better 😊
Thanks for sharing. As an indie developer, that made me question about the program. I still want to do my masters on game design though should I skip it? Does it really worth the time and energy to attend for college instead of keep building my games on the side?
I work around 13 hours a day (91 hours/week) (when I have now school) for around 3 years now. I don’t get paid, because I work for myself. But this is my hobby and I love doing it. And so far. I don’t have any problems with it
Ok update: Im dead
@@larsmaas07 Take a break and take care. Hope you still can find pleasure in what you do
Your content is great! Keep up the good work man and may God bless you!
Sir*
@@mwofficial8874 Sorry! I made a typo and wrote mam instead of man XD
Unpaid overtime is always illegal. Never let any company no matter how large or small tell you that they wont pay at minimum 1.5× the hourly rate.
Longer hours, companies be making you work 61 minutes and hour damn man
I just started making games in ue4 Jesus I’ve never felt burned out like when i started learning
these vidoes are convincing me more and more to not start gamedev 💀💀
Used to code 63h a week after school, that's a hobby taken wayyy too far and I had to take like a month long break.
After not making any progress trying to fix the same compiler error I usually feel way to exhausted and frustrated to keep working
Massive salute to Lewis…. Great points! Facts….👋🏻🇮🇹
How can 65-80 hours of overtime work be unpaid? Surely there are some labor laws broken here
they probably work on a salary meaning they get paid X amount even if they work alot or don't work much
That sounds like me I force myself to make games instead of playing games
I bet you if you had a small team of game devs that were passionate and were skilled enough you could cut that Dev team buy more than 2/3 the problem is dead weight. Though they would need to be given more time to finish projects and probably more money too.
As an indie game dev, it’s because it’s in a way gaming 😂😂😂 I’m creating a game and it’s addicting to seeing it being built
I know, I make games for people but I noticed I could just make my dream games. Been working on it for 3 years. But yeah i agree with you.
@@Scratch-nm5mi man im interested in game dev tooooo T-T
I appreciate the company I'm at values its employees and tries to avoid getting us burnt out.
I myself experience burnout but this was due to me trying to be involved in a lot of interesting projects and working extra hours(this was compensated with overtime)
I've since learn to regulate my schedule and not over commit myself.
Great post.
Hey bro. Should I really learn it. I want to make games, but yet mastering C++. I mean there's time I can change my mind. Is Game Dev really that bad ?
Edit :
I asked because you're the only one with a positive review.
Please explain!!!!
Health: 👎
Adding .5 second animation that only plays once: 👍
"Butt why" 💀
As a game dev its pain
I work around 3 hours a day and its still pain
I think a lot of the overtime is unintentional too. I usually try to keep a strict 8-5 work schedule but the amount of times I unknowingly slipped that 5pm to a 9pm or 10pm to fix a nasty bug is staggering.
Work addiction is a real thing, especially when you're pouring time into code
This is more of a comforting truth for solo devs, lol. You don't have to push yourself _that_ hard to be productive.
I think this can be explained really eqsily bt the fact that i have never met a good gamedev that didn’t have adhd (just like me). They hyperfocus on their job that’s why they do this
Relatable. Back at it after a break
yeah this is old but i just wanna say it’s really easy to get burnt out if you don’t see the impact of your work
Crunch time needs some form of proper compensation. Either time off, payment for the overtime or an absurd wage to justify „not paying“ for overtime.
If folks put pressure on themselves, that’s their decision. But when corporations start using the self harming behaviour of others to produce unrealistic expectations, we get into another problem area, where folks work that overtime because they fear loosing their job.
Masochist != Superstar. That's some industry bullshit. No job sitting behind a keyboard is worth sacrificing your mental and physical health for. Remember the power of the word "no".
Not what I meant, more so the superstar is that they are really dedicated which is worth honouring... but only to an extent. Poor time management, aka Crunch Time is where developers are forced to burnout
@@CodingWithLewis Ahhhh ok ok... that's fair, but as you said, only to a certain point. The cons definitely outweigh the pros.
I don't really get it because it's only going to hurt the game when it was going to be better if they just let things play out naturally. I'm not even focused on working for a company, I want full control and do what I know is best for my game
I'm transitioning away from the tech world. Nothing in tech interests me anymore, my brain feels like the run-off water from the dishwasher, I'm not learning or developing anymore.
The money is literally the only good thing about it - and in the UK the money is garbage unless you are a developer or at the very top of the security game. Everyone else in the tech space here is fodder and cogs.
Only get into game dev if you truly want to.. Other wise... Your games will be like Cyberpunk 2077
I usually take long, (Probably too long) brakes from game dev, and I don't get burnt out as much.
i literally Taught myself C# few weeks ago and i start coding and Designing testing with other projects from 4pm till 8 am /no sleep
i think i can work overtime
i am an indie game dev. basically the reason for working too much is that there is alot of tasks (Work) to do. if you are an indie dev you need to be super talented you need have knowledge in Animation, story telling, modeling, texturing, vfx, art, music production, ui &ux design, programming...
how i am doing is by dividing my day into part and i take different courses a day and learn and practice my skills and at night i work on my game.
When do you actually sleep ?
Ever since I've come to known this reality I became much more respectful towards videogames and specially the ones I didn't like. I think that another factor that contributes to their burnout is the bitchy way most gamers refer to videogames. If they like it, it's the best thing. But if they don't, they will spill all their hate on it. Gamers take video games for granted (well, most o them at least).
You should automatic 3d animation videos, like you did with reddit
Keep in mind, the 59% are usually contractors or internships which means they usually have other responsibilities such another job or full time studies which is competing with their time.
I don't really mind working more than expected time at my game because i love making games, but the fact is i am also in a learning state but i Love it making arts, some basic models, basic animations, music, everything.
Nah I burnout cus I make games on i3 ram 4 laptop, I had to charge the laptop 2 hours, 30 minute open unity, working on it for an hour only💀
Take breaks and dont be too hard on yourself. Not easy when youre pressured by employers who dont seem to care
*Not me being apart of that 73% at the age of 13 starting a game called “idk yet 😅”*
this is so true but dont give up
I've tried making games. It's just SO. MUCH. WORK. that never seems to end.
Writing 'normal' applications is much less stressful and there's often much less to it. It often pays a lot better.
Game dev here, You have to fix bugs then fix bugs that come from those bugs which might ruin other mechanics so you have to fix that and so on.
Word of prayer for the Gamefreak Devs
nah, they do okay (no worse than any other devs).
Stay safe and stay away from being a game developer.
Pays are terrible, crunch times are terrible, job opportunities are terrible compared to web development.
Crunch time is so stupid because it has been proved a million times over a range of studies that over working human beings only result in reduced productivity which leads to even more work being unfinished. It's a vicious cycle and the people running the industry are too short sighted to see it.
Maybe the newer four day work week experiments will finally open the eyes of the people running these big game studios to have actual future sight. It's not even like it's not quantifiable. Poorly treated overworked employees turn out uncreative and poorly designed games. There is a direct correlation. And still..........
Yeah, I make games in under a month but deadlines are under a week. Crunch time is kinda stupid.
Damn. Needed to hear this
The idea that you'd overwork yourself and not be compensates seems ludicrous. Honestly Crunch time seems like a poor response to the higher ups not distributing work loads effectively.
Then you are much more likely to get fired if you don't, but honestly uncompensated work tells me you aren't respected enough to be doing that for them in the first place.
Saying this as a person trying to o get himself into Game Dev as a 3D artist.
That’s why I’m not gonna become a game dev unless I can be an indie game dev. Hopefully 🙏
As a game developer, this is true, but I could care less as I enjoy long sleepless hours of game development 😉
Just going to how many death threats have you gotten from the fan base the game has made?
@@jpeg.. Game dev here, my player base wants more updates like a gun update now and I was going to add it later. Some threatened me but they had to wait.
amazing this is true when software quality is so trash in games. everything is released as "early access" unfinished just to get money fast and fix things as time goes on(if they even do) rather than releasing a quality product from the start.
Don't allow yourself to be pressured. If you're good enough, your job can't be taken. God knows we need more competent game devs these days.
Game devs be doing gods work.
Who else clicked on this cause of the thumbnail
Ehhh but how much of that self pressure wasn't actually self pressure? Like a boss isn't requiring you to work overtime, but you know you won't get hired again if you don't, and you'd rather like money to eat and pay rent, so you "volunteer" to work overtime. Sure, management is telling you that you *can* go home, but they're also telling you that your coworkers will just have to work harder while you're gone in an attempt to turn you against eachother. This is especially true because a lot of game devs are contractors who are just brought on to work for a specific project, and game companies are known for downsizing after a game release regardless of how successful it is.
Game dev here, I code and make music, sprites/art, etc. I suffer from burnout and thanks for informing people about us game devs who are burnt out. (I've been coding games for 7 years now. I do self-pressure myself to code.)
can you show me some of your projects!!
How do i unburn out 😭
Relax and do something else :) gotta be patient
Game dev here, You also have to deal with deadlines. @@CodingWithLewis
"Waaa I want gun update!!11!1" -the playerbase
"It will take us 4 months" -The game dev
Currently finishing my last year of college for game dev. Honestly might switch to something else seeing how most of the industry went down the drain
I wish I was passionate about anything to be able to work that much on project every week
Finally someone sees us...so many thanks 😭
Is it worth it ?
@@StudioSix9 Now that is very subjective. Sometimes it is worth a lot more for the person we do it for.
People need to learn to stand together. Won't fire everyone for refusing to work without pay via legal loopholes.
Lads ive just took a week without devving, and omg yall should try it!
As a game developer I can confirm that this is true.
you are correct brother
Thats so true, as a game dev i know 😢
I'm not entirely sure who's most affected by this overtime problem but I'm suspecting it's mainly programmers.
I'm gonna work in the design department and probably do some 3D stuff so I hope I can avoid the burnouts. Although I wouldn't entirely reject it since shit needs to get done, no matter the department.
I never though giving a 100% at your job could make you sick. Especially when working with games. Worked overtime a lot for the last two years, and had to start the year with a sick leave and still recovering. Take care of your health guys, try to avoid overtime and do stuff outside of work 🙏😊
You also end up needing to do personal projects in order to keep your portfolio up to date which adds on
Yup so true. Overtime programmer here
Why, they ask?
Lack of robust unions representing workers in a system that only values undeserved profit derived solely by the work they do.
Because the concept of "Done" doesn't really exist in artwork
I do push myself to the absolute limits
Become an indie dev and work at your own pace. Fck greedy shareholders and ceos.
I tried game development, I am not good at designing things
Thank you, you just saved me time
i was gamedev before and the work is never ending. now that im backend dev, i feel so unproductive
Wait was I supposed to be taking breaks and sleeping. This is a very funny video
I work from home, so I rarely stop exactly when my workday should end.
But I do have my own games to develop in the background, so I always have a good reason to stop 😅
Bro if I'm not self employed and don't get paid I don't work. simple as that.
So either there is some good overtime compensation and I have nothing better to do or I'm off doing other shit. Tf they think people work for free?
As a Game developer in India, I can say that 70 hours a week is normal.
It's a passion and an extremely competitive zone.
It mostly goes for software devs (at least in India)
Work in logistics with an integration team in our warehouse so we pull the parts for them. Can confirm!
I saw a lot of last minute burns into the c240s
What you can do when companies make sure self hours are compulsory