Originally Posted by
Calmatory
Way offtopic but meh.
Yes, I am a programmer but I am not working in the industry.
Basically the programmers work at VERY limited timeframe and resources. The whole industry is being stretched to it's limits to minimize the costs. You can blame the programmers for heavy engine for all you want, but in fact it's not the lack of know-how, it's the lack of time and resources. No time to optimize, no time to squish the bugs. Once the feature works, it's time to move forward and forget about whats left behind.
It is practically impossible for a small and dedicated team to be succesful without huge marketing. And to have huge marketing, you have to sign contracts with big publishers. Thats when the deadlines get very tight and problems arise. Remedy Entertainment is a good example. Once Microsoft came along with Alan Wake, people lost their interest(XO exclusivity, console port etc.).
This is the reason why I WANT to see the "death of PC gaming". Big players move away and the small and dedicated teams move in and take control. Thats when people start making games for fun, for other gamers and with passion.
Which other industries have employees working 60 hours per week during the crunch time(When the deadline is approaching and everything has to be get done in time, it's very usual)? 80? Blame the companies, not the individual people who are working their asses off to deliver what is required from them. I dislike the way of the industry is myself very much, mainly due to the reign of the big players and their watered-down visions(console ports, cut down the costs at the expense of the comfort of working, release sequel after sequel at full price etc).
The bottom line is that the people others call lazy, are not only working more, but are working under much more pressure and stress than just about any of the people who call them lazy. It's a very rough industry with low salaries and tons of overtime work.