🚀 go-pugleaf

I read the first article through to the end, and have a few points to make,
some of which you may not wish to hear.

First off, my background: I am a software developer, and worked in the
gaming industry in the early 1980s, when the console games were Atari,
Intellivision and Coleco.  I am familiar with the industry, both from
personal experience, as well as from co-workers still in the industry.  Long
hours for little remuneration are the norm...in fact, if you take the
software industry as a whole, long hours and poorly-managed projects are the
norm.

The desire to drive EA out of business is understandable, but unlikely to
effect significant change.  What will effect change is what happens when
consumers demand a feature in the products they buy: manufacturers are
forced to provide that feature or lose market share.  Think of the employees
at a large company as "consumers" of the product called "employment"...if
the company for which you currently work refuses to provide vacation, decent
medical care or reasonable working conditions, union or no union all
employees have the ability to quit (unless they work for a government agency
like police or Air Traffic Controllers).  You register your disapproval by
taking your talents to another company that provides the employment
conditions you desire.  Just as companies compete for customers, they also
compete for employees, and a company that can't hire anyone will have to
adjust its practices or go out of business.

Long ago, I decided that it was more important to me to find work that I
liked, rather than make a lot of money.  As a result, I gradually moved away
from management positions and ultimately formed my own small company for
software development and training.  The other part of the equation is that I
am in my early 50s, and the things I put up with when I was 30 I would no
longer tolerate...companies are used to abusing younger workers, because (in
many cases) older workers would not put up with it.  Not universally true,
but frequently.

I evaluate all games purely on the basis of the quality of the game.  I have
purchased, and will continue to purchase, games from EA that meet my
standards, such as Medal of Honor.

My suggestion: actively encourage your Signficant Other to get another job
in an industry that is more free of stress.  Decide what kind of lifestyle
you want and need (they are two different things) and move to an area of the
country that supports this.  Write off the employment at EA to experience,
and learn from it what you will tolerate and not tolerate.  And finally,
move on...staying angry when there is something you can do about it is the
absolute shortest route I know to a heart attack, or divorce.

"Dev" <ztrezzedout...@easucks.com> wrote in message
news:TtbHd.111638$Xk.109099@pd7tw3no...
> Please Consider And Boycott All EA Games!
>
> Please read all these articles. There is much to read but worth it to
inform
> yourself. For the good of all gamers and the games
> industry EA needs to go down in flames. If you have any good links feel
free
> to add.
> This affects the entire games industry people and the game players. EA has
> been killing good companies for years. Treats it's workers like shit and
> makes nothing but regurgitated games over and over year after year. Games
> support is almost Non-existent.
> Spread the word and don't buy EA games!
> Sorry for the crossposting but my friends and I here really believe
strongly
> in this.
> We as gamers are all in this together.
>
>
> http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/
>
>
>
> http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/041213/135991_1.html
>
> http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=1507
>
> http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/12/20/151205&tid=187
>
> http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=6016
>
> http://money.cnn.com/2005/01/17/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4180453.stm
>
>
>