Crunch culture has long been considered one of the main issues plaguing the games industry, but RPG veteran Josh Sawyer believes that burnout has now "replaced" it as industry's "primary hazard".
Burnout is something that anyone can experience, and is characterized as a mental and physical exhaustion generally brought on by long-term stress. Crunch, on the other hand, usually refers to working overtime, for long hours and generally for an extended period of time, perhaps to ensure that a game is finished in time for a deadline. It's easy to see how crunch could potentially contribute to burnout, but regardless, Sawyer says that having been through the latter himself, "it's no joke," and more needs to be done to change it.
"I believe burnout has already replaced crunch as the primary hazard of the game industry," he says on Twitter. "Managers are setting teams up to fail and devs are getting ground up as collateral damage. I have suffered from burnout myself. It's no joke."
I believe burnout has already replaced crunch as the primary hazard of the game industry. Managers are setting teams up to fail and devs are getting ground up as collateral damage. I have suffered from burnout myself. It's no joke. Thanks to @thewritegame and @Eeoor for the talk. https://t.co/Pk8P02yKdtApril 10, 2024
Elaborating on this, he says it's "likely" that, as is the case with crunch culture, "managers may acknowledge creating the circumstances leading to burnout but will not take the necessary steps to change them." He adds: "It's important that devs continue to talk to and support each other and to apply pressure until change is effected."
Devs have been fighting back against stressful working conditions for years – just recently, the creator of Dragon Age's setting, David Gaider, stated that "maybe the industry deserves to die" if the only way to make games is to crunch to create enormous ones. He's optimistic that "it doesn't have to be that way," however, noting that at the studio he co-founded, Summerfall Studios, the developers have a "realistic" schedule and work four days a week.
Sadly, crunch and burnout aren't the only issues the games industry faces. Layoffs have been particularly prevalent over the last year or so, with numerous redundancies across various studios. In February, for example, it was reported that EA was planning to cut around 670 jobs, while Sony Interactive Entertainment announced plans to reduce its global headcount by roughly 8%, equating to around 900 people. It was confirmed that Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, and Insomniac Games were among the studios affected.
FPS legend John Romero previously said that even having been in the games industry for years, "I've never seen anything like we're seeing now."
