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Support Grows For Unionizing Video Game Industry, Survey Finds (hollywoodreporter.com) 47

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Hollywood Reporter: Ahead of the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) -- which is dedicated to the art and science of making video games and set to take place March 16-20 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco -- the results of the organization's eighth annual State of Industry report were released Friday. Surveying nearly 4,000 video game developers with the intent of highlighting industry trends and forecasts for the future of gaming, this year's report indicates an increasing interest in the games industry to unionize. This was also a major topic of conversation in 2019, amid reports of gaming professionals working extended overtime hours and tolerating poor working conditions. Among the survey participants, 54 percent said that game industry workers should unionize (a 7 percent increase from last year), 21 percent answered "maybe" and 9 percent said they weren't sure. When the same group was asked whether they thought game industry workers would unionize, only 23 percent said "yes," while 43 percent said "maybe."
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Support Grows For Unionizing Video Game Industry, Survey Finds

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  • Notably, the article doesn't link to the actual survey. 'cause, ya know, who cares what the actual report says when you can pick a few talking points and glaze over the rest.

    You have to give up your personal info to get the report, otherwise I'd go see for myself: http://reg.gdconf.com/gdc-stat... [gdconf.com]

  • The studios will just move to right to fire states. In at will states unions are powerless.

    • With all the droughts happening, they should really block the right to fire.

    • by mark-t ( 151149 )
      Employers always have a right to fire, as long as ithey are willing to pay applicable severance.
    • The studios will just move to right to fire states.

      Here in the United States, all are fire at will except Montana.

    • The studios will just move to right to fire states. In at will states unions are powerless.

      Unions weren't something that started in a situation with a whole lot of labour protecting laws. Granted, they didn't have it easy, but I believe that they gave power to the powerless is a fair description.

    • You're confusing a couple of different employment law systems.

      There's no such thing as "right to fire". You're probably thinking of "at will" employment; which is the law in most states. Basically "at will" means you can quit or be fired at any time, for cause or without, except for certain defined exceptions. Those usually involve discrimination against protected classes. But many also do forbid firing employees for union organization activities as one of those exceptions.

      The other possibility would be

    • The unions are only powerless when there is no solidarity. When there is solidarity and the company fires someone for BS then the rest of the workers stop working. This tends to keep companies in line, but solidarity is the key to labor's power.

  • by Uberbah ( 647458 ) on Friday January 24, 2020 @11:53PM (#59654298)

    The very richest people in the United States who earned that money through their own work (as opposed to other people's work) are members of unions. Actors, athletes, directors, screenwriters. There is nothing about unions that prevents people from being paid based on the output of their work. So all this claptrap about how you as a professional who got his degree at Snowflake U doesn't need no stinking unions - you're cutting off your nose to spite your face.

    • Unless you seen the true horror of what a union can do to a business and how lazy workers apart of a union can get when they see they figure out that union will make it almost impossible to be fired. I said CAN do some unions are good but when they get large that they can force a business in to bad contract's is when things can and WILL go sour real fast.
      • by MrKaos ( 858439 )

        Unless you seen the true horror of what a union can do to a business and how lazy workers apart of a union can get when they see they figure out that union will make it almost impossible to be fired.

        Perhaps the software union will be different, it stands to reason that it can be shaped. Perhaps instead of being fired immediately they can be trained and prepared for their next job instead of the way IT workers are treated now because they have a life.

        I said CAN do some unions are good but when they get large that they can force a business in to bad contract's is when things can and WILL go sour real fast.

        What about the good businesses competing with bad businesses who don't give a care about their people? Perhaps a union is a good way of leveling the playing field so that pay and conditions for IT workers starts going up, training is maintained and HR dep

      • by Uberbah ( 647458 )

        Unless you seen the true horror of what a union can do to a business and how lazy workers apart of a union can get when they see they figure out that union will make it almost impossible to be fired.

        Dude you are so far out there you should take pictures of Alpha Centauri for NASA. The long term well being of any union is directly tied to the long term well being of the company it works for. As opposed to corporate executives who couldn't give the tiniest, greenest little shit if they drive the company into

  • There's tremendous support for the US video game industry to unionise in Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine and Poland.

    They're already making many of the games I play, and would welcome another boost to their competitiveness.

  • Seriously, if you think you can do it, go for it.
    If you're right, and your work is irreplaceable and not easily passed off to the legions of young people or people in other countries who desperately want to do what you do, you will be successful and you will indeed (rightfully) get paid more, get better benefits and working conditions.
    The flip side is that games will get more expensive (they're doing that anyway), and there will be a stifling effect on new games from big studios enmeshed in such agreements.

  • The problem with unions in the traditional sense is the audience. I'd be all for them -- I grew up in the Rust Belt and experienced what happened when steady work and a solid middle class lifestyle existed for normal workers, then were suddenly taken away. But, we've got major hurdles to overcome...

    • Everyone who is doing very well in our industry can't possibly imagine a time when companies will finally push the "salary reduction" lever to maximum, buy more favorable H-1B legislation, etc. -- and thinks eve
    • by MrKaos ( 858439 )

      Computers are part of our daily lives now; it's time to grow up as a profession.

      Also so that we have representation at a political level so that our interests are looked after.

  • One other issue that the video game industry specifically has...anyone organizing will just be fired and replaced with the 500 kids outside the gates begging to be let in. There seems to be an endless supply if people who just want to be abused for the chance to write video games. The exploits are well documented, yet people keep coming!

  • Happy employees don't feel the need to organize. Any organization who ends up with a union deserves it because they treated their works like shit.

  • More people wasting their lives making video games so more people can waste theirs playing them.

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