Immature Production Practices Crippling Industry
Posted on Wednesday, April 12 @ 10:34:25 Eastern
Jason Della Rocca, the executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and long-time advocate for game developer quality of life, has written an editorial featured in The Escapist that discusses the impact of poor production practices and quality of life issues on the video game industry.
Della Rocca points out that while game companies are often very focused on return on investment (ROI) in things like new technologies/tools or licensing rights, much of the industry is "ignoring (or is ignorant to) a massive investment opportunity," which is the workers themselves and development practices.
"Countless studies performed over decades and across many business sectors have proven time and again that mature project management practices and an emphasis on keeping workers happy can net massive returns. And, we're talking 1,000%-plus massive," he writes. "Investing in development practices such as formal code and design inspections, cost and quality estimation tools, and long-range technology planning can bring upwards of 1,000% return on investment over a multi-year time span. Research has shown that improved software practices pay an average ROI of 500% (including false starts) that is sustainable over many years."
Della Rocca believes it will be a challenge to get companies to adopt better production practices because "the game industry is so in the dark when it comes to project management, many really can't imagine that another way exists." He adds, "('You mean we don't have to crunch from day one?') Indeed, some developers have flatly stated that they had no idea such process improvement tools and techniques - which have been used for years elsewhere in software development - even existed."
The IGDA executive director also expresses concern over the fact that many developers seem to be taken for granted, and are viewed as nothing more than "replaceable cogs in the machine."
"With a rampant developer-as-commodity attitude, it's no surprise that more isn't done to invest in workers' long-term careers... the reality is that driving staff to the point of burnout is bad business. Humanitarian treatment aside, the friction cost of losing, and subsequently finding, replacing and training someone new ranges from $20,000 to $100,000-plus per head," states Della Rocca. "An entire team walking out at the end of a project is not unheard of."
And while Della Rocca wagers that the industry as a whole is only "breaking even, at best," what's worse is that, "Immature production practices and poor quality of life are stealing the industry's ability to innovate and reinvigorate itself with fresh ideas."
He continues, "It's limiting our ability to attract new and diverse talent. It's robbing us of our experienced creators, who leave us with their hard earned tacit knowledge in tow. It's restricting our ability to reach broader audiences and create games with ever more cultural significance."
Jason Della Rocca's entire article can be read here.
Note: Warren Spector's follow-up to last week's "Hard Problems" article is also in the same Escapist issue, and it's a fantastic read.
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