This is makeup for me missing class on Wednesday.
The first article focused on the crazy working conditions faced by developers in video game studios. Sometimes they are forced to work up to 85 hours a week, with multiple 60-hour work weeks a possibility in today's studios when it's 'crunch time'. The article also referenced a recent poll that showed that 98% of those employees did not receive compensation for their extra hours. However, employees are afraid to fight against this system because they feel they are easily replaceable and could easily lose their jobs. This is despite studies going back as far as 1909 that show that the 40-hour workweek is more efficient and produces better results over time than forced overtime and extended hours. According to the article, "studies show that regularly being awake for more than 21 hours impairs the mind as much as having a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08... that's also the point where it becomes illegal to drive a car." The main fear pointed out by the article is that these types of hours can and will force out potential greats from the industry because they will burnout too soon.
The second article focuses on the world of indie games. The article defines indie games as understood by most not as being separate from a large publisher, but a recognition of creativity and inventiveness which pushes back against the grain of current gameplay trends." I completely agree with this definition; just because a studio has a great deal of moie doesn't mean that the game with follow the plan of those who came before in any particular genre. Likewise, just because a company doesn't have a great deal of money doesn't mean they can't totally defy the conventions of a genre.
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