That Time The Gaming Industry Worked Me To Death
Joining AAA Game Development
It was a tricky time for someone who needs to be working, to be progressing - I spent every Thursday with my dad, drinking tepid pints of Fosters in the afternoon at the local pub, counting out my twenty pence pieces on the table (where only months prior I’d earned more than anyone in my family) and scanning the UK ads from top to bottom, desperate to get back in the game... er... game.
After months of absolutely nothing in my sector, one popped up - a graduate-level position (much lower than the more intermediate roles I had before, but still) working in the art department at a huge AAA studio, albeit in a specialism I’d had no prior experience in.
I attended the interview, met some fantastic guys, and I was offered the job immediately. Sure, the job paid peanuts, but “with your experience level, you’ll progress really fast!”, they exclaimed. Little would they know that this would be a formative statement that would shape my entire life, let alone my career.
The following months, I got very into my work. I made mistakes, but I got stuck in, and got absorbed into the “big old happy family” culture. The sub-team I was a part of was great. Everyone in there was friendly, skilled, and passionate. I felt... home again.
But, gradually, and without any sinister intent from my colleagues, that more insidious side of the industry crept in. We’d be applauded for staying late, and the banter would continue long after the sun had set and 6pm had disappeared from memory.
“You’re the kind of guy we need around here”, they chortled, as I stayed late for my fifth night in a row. “Look, there’s James leaving early again, the slacker! Remember we have to pick up your slack!”
Cont.