This is a subject I'm pretty passionate about and its recently come up in quite a few conversations with various different people quite recently so I thought it would make a good blog post to write up my thoughts and leave it open for people to discuss because of course I think I'm right but then so does everybody else!
I find that in the games industry and in art specifically its some kind of mad competition to see who can make themselves the most miserable doing 'the job they love'. I see a worrying amount of people with the mindset of 'if its not killing you you're doing it wrong'. I'm all for working hard but... REALLY?! You're telling me that the only way I'm going to get into the games industry is if I sleep 2-3 hours a day, work for the other hours, never have a day off, never leave the house and never see friends/family?
The people who talk about how they had no sleep and how they are physically sick and with a crippled back are sometimes regarded as gods and put up on a pedestal for being so cool and so hard working (I'm not saying everyone does this but of course I've seen similar things). Their work may definitely show the hours they put in but at what cost?
Some of these people may claim they know the formula for success, but even if it did work for them it won't work for everyone. Funnily enough, everyone is different and you need to understand yourself and how you work to get the most out of yourself. For example, I know that if I'm hungry there is no way on earth I'm going to be able to work productively without stopping and getting distracted about what I've got in the fridge. That may not be the same for everyone but it is for me so I work around that. And still get work done.
I don't think it means that I'm not fully dedicated to getting work in this industry when I say I'd rather do something else with my career if that's literally what you have to do to get into this industry (and I really don't think it is). We are all human, we're not slave labour machines, we need sleep and food and some kind of social life- like it or not.
I do wonder whether if this is deliberate; people feel like they have worked harder if they've sacrificed something like food/rest and therefore feel better about themselves? Although chances are the production will be sloppy if you're tired, the work produced won't be up to standard and it will end up being thrown away/not used and will therefore be a waste of time. I would rather work for 5 hours and be 100% productive than work for 10 hours and be 50% productive.
There are so many ways to work efficiently and effectively. Taking days off is normal and healthy, being burnt out all the time is not. It's very straightforwards for me to think that because I've always thought this way but I'll tell ya now; you're not a martyr, its not cool being that unhealthy and it looks very silly. There are so many other ways of doing this more effectively and I think a lot more people need to realise this before it gets too far.
Stop making people feel bad for working healthily and stop romanticising unhealthy work habits. This industry is stressful enough without all this added on top. Promote being healthy and human but promote hard work in the RIGHT way!
Of course I'm only a student and I haven't had any experience in the games industry so maybe what I'm saying is all rubbish, but I know for certain there are people like this in a lot of other industries and career paths and its all so ridiculous. Be healthy and happy!
I find that in the games industry and in art specifically its some kind of mad competition to see who can make themselves the most miserable doing 'the job they love'. I see a worrying amount of people with the mindset of 'if its not killing you you're doing it wrong'. I'm all for working hard but... REALLY?! You're telling me that the only way I'm going to get into the games industry is if I sleep 2-3 hours a day, work for the other hours, never have a day off, never leave the house and never see friends/family?
The people who talk about how they had no sleep and how they are physically sick and with a crippled back are sometimes regarded as gods and put up on a pedestal for being so cool and so hard working (I'm not saying everyone does this but of course I've seen similar things). Their work may definitely show the hours they put in but at what cost?
Some of these people may claim they know the formula for success, but even if it did work for them it won't work for everyone. Funnily enough, everyone is different and you need to understand yourself and how you work to get the most out of yourself. For example, I know that if I'm hungry there is no way on earth I'm going to be able to work productively without stopping and getting distracted about what I've got in the fridge. That may not be the same for everyone but it is for me so I work around that. And still get work done.
I don't think it means that I'm not fully dedicated to getting work in this industry when I say I'd rather do something else with my career if that's literally what you have to do to get into this industry (and I really don't think it is). We are all human, we're not slave labour machines, we need sleep and food and some kind of social life- like it or not.
I do wonder whether if this is deliberate; people feel like they have worked harder if they've sacrificed something like food/rest and therefore feel better about themselves? Although chances are the production will be sloppy if you're tired, the work produced won't be up to standard and it will end up being thrown away/not used and will therefore be a waste of time. I would rather work for 5 hours and be 100% productive than work for 10 hours and be 50% productive.
There are so many ways to work efficiently and effectively. Taking days off is normal and healthy, being burnt out all the time is not. It's very straightforwards for me to think that because I've always thought this way but I'll tell ya now; you're not a martyr, its not cool being that unhealthy and it looks very silly. There are so many other ways of doing this more effectively and I think a lot more people need to realise this before it gets too far.
Stop making people feel bad for working healthily and stop romanticising unhealthy work habits. This industry is stressful enough without all this added on top. Promote being healthy and human but promote hard work in the RIGHT way!
Of course I'm only a student and I haven't had any experience in the games industry so maybe what I'm saying is all rubbish, but I know for certain there are people like this in a lot of other industries and career paths and its all so ridiculous. Be healthy and happy!
