A blog from a EA programmers wife...

I was going to apply at EA too, LOL!

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: fisher
i totally agree with you drag, just trying to point out it's not always as easy as just quitting your job without having some other way to support your family, which is how these companies get away with treating people the way they do. also, it's an ~industry job~ so you get guys who don't have lives or familes and are willing to work themselves to death to work for the almightly EA or whatever.

Not to mention that many of these employees have probably spent $1000s on an education to get into the industry to begin with.

This situation sucks, but from the sounds of it is an Industry wide phenomena and not just EA doing it. Makes me wonder if the Gaming Industry is headed for an eventual collapse as people just stop getting into it.

 

[rh71]

well 2 words come to mind as to why this sort of thing happens.

Ship dates. You promise customers a certain date and if you miss it, the entire company gets a bad rap. This is the general public we're talking about. Doesn't go over too well...

Contrast this to if you miss a deadline at your job... exactly how many people would be affected and are your revenues as directly affected ?

The higher ups (middle management) are under a lot of stress themselves even if they aren't the core producers of the product. I think there's definitely 2 sides to every story. EA should hold their name higher than the individual. Some can hack it... and obviously some can't... not that that's a terrible thing.

 

[bunker]

Assuming that second article is mostly true, I can honestly say I will not buy another EA game.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: rh71
The higher ups (middle management) are under a lot of stress themselves even if they aren't the core producers of the product. I think there's definitely 2 sides to every story. EA should hold their name higher than the individual. Some can hack it... and obviously some can't... not that that's a terrible thing.

Except that if the employees are going to work 80+ hours to save the company's good name, shouldn't they be paid more than their base salary for it?

 

[NYHoustonman]

Bleh... My dad's been working more than that the past few weeks 0.0.

 

[Winchester]

Salary doesnt mean crap. You only have to work more than 40 hours a week without compensation if you are in management. They have to give you compensation of some sort. Seems to me the workers are pussies.

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

Wow, a very interesting read for someone who wants to get in the industry like me. I wonder if it is all true, for EA anyhow. I've of course heard of crunch time, that seems rougher than I had thought. Even though you are enjoying what you are doing... that many hours? Good grief. When you're that tired I'm sure you would make mistakes like she points out, this seems far from the best way to go about making a game. Losing experienced people because of them quitting can't be good either.

I suppose they realize that they can easily get the best coders if they are making a game, and show someone the door if they don't like it.

EA's bright and shiny new corporate trademark is "Challenge Everything." Where this applies is not exactly clear. Churning out one licensed football game after another doesn't sound like challenging much of anything to me; it sounds like a money farm.

Yea true. So much work for a crappy football game, hah.

If I like what I'm doing and it's a good work environment, I'd still do it though. Hopefully not quite that many hours though.

 

[Firus]

apparently there is now a Class Action Lawsuit being readied against EA in response to these blogs

 

[VIAN]

good, hope they win.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Firus
apparently there is now a Class Action Lawsuit being readied against EA in response to these blogs

Naw, class actions dont just happen, it takes lots of planning... if there is one being readied, chances are it started months ago.

 

[BFG10K]

As a general rule, management is a bunch of idiots

Absolutely. The whole concept of a salary sucks to begin with but it's particularly brutal in IT because the nature of the work naturally demands work outside of normal hours.

I will not be buying MOH: PA out of protest.

Not buying the game will ultimately punish the programmers. If the sales are poor EA may fire them to further rub salt into the wound.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: rh71
The higher ups (middle management) are under a lot of stress themselves even if they aren't the core producers of the product. I think there's definitely 2 sides to every story. EA should hold their name higher than the individual. Some can hack it... and obviously some can't... not that that's a terrible thing.

Except that if the employees are going to work 80+ hours to save the company's good name, shouldn't they be paid more than their base salary for it?

Benefits/bonuses are part of motivation, I agree. If a company chooses not to partake in that to pad their bottom line, then it is their call. Likewise, it is the call of the employee to stay or not. I think there was a contract in this last case, but perhaps there should've been clauses thought through more carefully...

 

[TekDemon]

Originally posted by: NYHoustonman
Bleh... My dad's been working more than that the past few weeks 0.0.

But doesn't that mean he doesn't get to really be a dad? I mean, if you're working like 90 hours a week you just end up coming home and passing out....jeez

That said, I think I'm going to end up with 60 hour workweeks if I manage to get into medical school, but I think once you're a legitimate doctor most of that is just because they want to work more, since I believe the minimum is a fair bit less for a hospital position.

Of course, residents work between 60 and 130 hours a week...that's 5 and a half days out of your 7 day week on the high end...jeez...
On the upshot if you're doing the 60 hour end it's just like two 30 hour shifts so...not that bad.

EDIT: apparently they passed new laws limiting the maximum for doctors to 30 so doctors would stop making moronic mistakes with people's lives...thank goodness.

 

[NYHoustonman]

Originally posted by: TekDemon

Originally posted by: NYHoustonman
Bleh... My dad's been working more than that the past few weeks 0.0.

But doesn't that mean he doesn't get to really be a dad? I mean, if you're working like 90 hours a week you just end up coming home and passing out....jeez

That said, I think I'm going to end up with 60 hour workweeks if I manage to get into medical school, but I think once you're a legitimate doctor most of that is just because they want to work more, since I believe the minimum is a fair bit less for a hospital position.

Of course, residents work between 60 and 130 hours a week...that's 5 and a half days out of your 7 day week on the high end...jeez...
On the upshot if you're doing the 60 hour end it's just like two 30 hour shifts so...not that bad.

EDIT: apparently they passed new laws limiting the maximum for doctors to 30 so doctors would stop making moronic mistakes with people's lives...thank goodness.

Yea, that's the whole thing, I moved out here for college and naturally his boss starts pressing. Past two days: He got up early the first day, went to work, stayed until 7 yesterday morning, slept till 2, went back to the office, came back at 8, we went to see The Incredibles, boss calls him at 12 after the movie saying he needs him, he leaves, came back at 7 this morning, and he's still sleeping. It's fugging rediculous. Me and my cousin have been joking around that we should all just tell him to fvck off the next time he calls (and my dad IS going to be switching jobs soon, he recently was accepted at another place, he just wants to finish this project both for personal reasons and for the benefits (Airgo, that 802.11n stuff)). At that point, I don't know what I would do in his place, but (as stated in an earlier thread), it would involve a whole lotta urine .

 

[alent1234]

I checked EA's earnings on their investor relations site and they have $570 million net income on $3 billion of revenue. They also have $2.4 billion in the bank. I don't see how they can't spare a few million on new coders or higher salaries.

 

[flashbacck]

Originally posted by: alent1234
I checked EA's earnings on their investor relations site and they have $570 million net income on $3 billion of revenue. They also have $2.4 billion in the bank. I don't see how they can't spare a few million on new coders or higher salaries.

They can. But why would they, if they can get away with not paying extra? Stupid EA.

 

[alent1234]

i'm surprised more people don't leave.

anyone know what the total salary is including stock options? Or is the job market that bad out on the west coast? Here on the east coast it's coming back.

 

[macwinlin]

I read an article in the Business section of the Nov. 17th Los Angeles Times titled "Working Too Hard in an Industry of Fun and Games" about the blog entry.

Link to LA Times article (subscription needed)

 

[AmericasTeam]

I worked as a tester for 3 years at EA. The blogs are unfortunately true. Programmers work long hours daily. For us testers, during crunch time we were working 100+ hrs a week. We weren't salary so we got mucho overtime. I feel for everyone from the producers down. From the executive producer up, they can go to hell. They never have nor ever will put that kind of time in.

 

[silverpig]

I was taking some 3d animation courses one summer and met some people who had worked for EA here in Vancouver. They said it was NOT enjoyable and there were extremely long hours as well.

 

[DT4K]

Originally posted by: flashbacck

Originally posted by: alent1234
I checked EA's earnings on their investor relations site and they have $570 million net income on $3 billion of revenue. They also have $2.4 billion in the bank. I don't see how they can't spare a few million on new coders or higher salaries.

They can. But why would they, if they can get away with not paying extra? Stupid EA.

Correct. When working on games is the absolute number 1 dream job for most young programmers, they don't have to compensate people well to get them on board.
And when the public continues to buy games, even when they are plagued with bugs, EA has no reason to care whether they have inexperienced programmers putting a game out before it is ready.

 

[alm4rr]

this made the NYT

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11.../yourmoney/21digi.html