Despite the sunny spring skies in San Francisco this week, the mood was somber for the approximately 30,000 video game industry professionals who gathered in the city for the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC). Some, disillusioned with the state of their businesses, organized group shouting sessions in parks.
“People who have jobs and can afford to be here are trying to work hard and have a good time,” said game developer Maxi Molina, who attended the event from Spain. “But the atmosphere in the industry stinks right now.”
According to the gaming industry, more than 10,000 workers will be laid off in 2023, up from 8,500 in 2022. Game industry job reduction project tracks job losses for game developers and publishers globally. Layoffs have affected studios of all sizes, from small independent game publishers to industry giants like Fortnite maker Epic Games, which laid off 830 employees in September 2023. Microsoft cut 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox in January, and Sony announced in February that it would lay off 900 people worldwide. This trend is only accelerating, with 2,000 gaming industry professionals losing their jobs in February, a fivefold increase from a year ago, according to layoff trackers.
In addition to continued layoffs, the recent resurgence of the “anti-woke” ideology that sparked the Gamergate controversy and harassment campaign a decade ago has left many people who have worked to increase diversity and safety in the gaming industry disheartened.
“It’s always been there in the industry,” says Molina, who also works as a diversity consultant for the gaming industry. “I think for years after Gamergate came out, people didn’t want to talk about it. But that doesn’t mean Gamergate is going away.”
Citing these and other complaints, former Epic Games producer Caryl Shaw and Fortnite festival designer Scott John Siegel organized a collective primal scream in a park opposite the Moscone Center, where GDC was taking place.
“The gaming industry is collapsing around us and we’re all flocking to San Francisco for a week to act like this is okay,” organizers said on the Shout-Out event page, adding that a number of game industry participants took part. “Let us all stop pretending and take a moment to express how it feels to be a game developer in 2024.”
“There are more people who need support now.”
Stephanie Hawkins, GDC event director, said some GDC attendees felt pressured to have a good time despite the overall dire circumstances, but GDC organizers chose to address the issue directly by incorporating themes of unemployment and layoffs into this year’s program.
“I think people need support now more than ever as the industry changes and layoffs continue,” she said. “Bringing people together was our number one priority.”
To achieve this goal, GDC offered low-cost tickets to job-seeking participants, created a job board for employers and job seekers, programmed speed networking events, and increased lounges and communal seating areas to facilitate natural networking. They also launched a “travel together” program that connects participants staying nearby and allows them to chat while walking to the event.
Hawkins, who has been the GDC event director since 2021, said existential moments in gaming inspired organizers to introduce a retrospective theme at this year’s conference, celebrating the tradition of the gaming industry and looking back at classic games while looking towards the future.
“AI is a big consideration”
Like many areas of technology, the future of the gaming industry is embroiled in discussions around artificial intelligence and its potential impact. A survey released by GDC in January showed that 84% of respondents working primarily in the gaming industry expressed concerns about the ethics of using generative AI.
These concerns were evident at the conference, with AI-focused panels at GDC at full capacity, as industry professionals sought to learn more about AI applications in gaming. Outside a panel discussion on the AI revolution, Kyle Gordon from Sony expressed cautious optimism about the use of AI in gaming.
“AI is a big consideration. Things are changing very quickly,” he said. “We’re interested in integrating this technology into our development tools to streamline processes and accelerate our release timelines.”
Hawkins mentioned that the conference’s research indicated more independent developers are utilizing AI tools compared to larger studios due to the ability to achieve more with fewer resources.
The potential applications of AI to alleviate developer workload have reignited discussions around the long-standing issue of “crunch” culture in gaming, where workers are expected to work intense overtime to meet deadlines.
“It’s challenging, but we strive to use only clean data that we have the rights to,” said Nico Perony, director of AI Research at Unity Games, during a panel discussion on AI in games. “Game creators have a responsibility in this regard, as many artists are concerned about the use of their work in generative models.”
“We can protect ourselves.”
Amidst layoffs and AI concerns, gaming industry organizers are urging more workers to form unions and advocate for better protections. Efforts to unionize in the gaming industry are gaining momentum, with the recent formation of a union of 600 Activision QA workers being the largest video game union in the US to date.
“We can stand united and strong and protect ourselves from unilateral decisions that affect us without our input,” Vermes said. “Why should we continue to live in fear of losing our jobs?”
Source: www.theguardian.com
