10 Things Video Game Developers Wish You Understood Better

I have absolutely no clue where this remark originated - the only "lazy" thing I know... is actually using this statement.

I'm far from the longest-serving industry veteran, but in my fifteen-plus years working across seven studios, I am yet to find a single "lazy" developer.

In fact, the problem is quite frequently the opposite - whether your specialism is programming, design, art or otherwise, people in the games industry frequently find themselves overworking by default.

I personally was caught in a trap of my "regular" hours creeping up and up over a protracted period of difficult work, and before I realised it, my "usual" day was around thirteen to fourteen hours. The worst part is, even now, there's a presumption that this will be the norm, and nobody raises an eyebrow at someone sleeping at their desk (though, conversely, pull a meagre eight hour shift and people will start to ask if everything is okay with your health all of a sudden).

In an industry where it's no secret that over-exertion and overworking is rife (and seemingly every month there's a new story about developers getting severely unwell from crunch), it's a baffling choice to still use the phrase "lazy devs".