Laura Fryer: Learning from layoffs

cormack12

Gold Member


The video discusses the troubling trend of layoffs in the gaming industry, which has transformed from a last-resort measure to a regular occurrence. The speaker highlights the distressing human impact of layoffs and proposes that game studio leaders can manage their production processes and teams more effectively to create a stable working environment. An explanation of the three key stages of game development—pre-production, production, and post-production—illustrates how staffing needs fluctuate throughout the lifecycle of a game.

In pre-production, small, agile teams are necessary for developing initial game ideas, but staffing must increase significantly during production, which is often chaotic. As projects approach the shipping phase, staff are frequently let go, leading to a repeated cycle of layoffs. To mitigate this, studios can diversify their projects, utilize contract workers, or collaborate with other studios, allowing for a flexible workforce.

Moreover, the speaker stresses the importance of effective team management, advocating for proactive conflict resolution and performance assessments to prevent toxic dynamics and attrition of top talent. Cost management is also highlighted as a crucial business strategy, with recommendations against excessive spending on non-essential amenities that do not contribute to the actual game development process.

To foster a sustainable work culture, the speaker insists on addressing the underlying issues within studios, calling on leaders to reverse the cycle of layoffs through wise financial management and a focus on employee retention. The aim is to shift industry norms away from viewing layoffs as an acceptable standard to treating them as exceptions to maintain a healthy work environment.

Highlights
🎮 Layoffs in the gaming industry have become a trend rather than a last resort.
💔 The human cost of layoffs affects team morale and studio culture significantly.
🎨 Staffing needs fluctuate between pre-production, production, and post-production stages.
⏳ Studios can utilize freelance talent or collaborate on multiple projects to manage workforce transitions.
📊 Effective management entails addressing toxic behaviors and performance issues proactively.
🏢 Over-spending on non-essential office perks detracts from investment in game development.
🔄 Studios need to reverse the layoffs trend by establishing sustainable practices in team and financial management.
 
Eh, I rather have over hiring and then correction than stingy hiring from start. At least you get some experience.
 
You will never need all the people during development after post-release. It be like opening a new McD, and then after its open, you keep the construction crew that built the restaurant on payroll.
 
She will likely need to make another one of these videos in two years once the effects of AI on game development become entrenched and are more fully understood.
 
I don't think they ever learn from layfoffs.

In fact, most of the corporations/devs double down.
 
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Dont blow the budget in the first place.

Also, if the people have such distinct skills that only apply to one part of the process, that's on them. Maybe all these game workers should broaden their skills so it can apply to more parts of game making. On the other hand, all the sales, marketing, finance and admin staff at any company can rotate product lines and even the job function itself.

Or instead of being all eggs in one basket one project at a time, spread it out and make 2 or 3 smaller scale games where people can shift around instead of one giant budget game with one linear path of production. Game making is a unique industry that most studios focus on one thing at a time or cant seem to handle concurrent projects. Other industries have just about every company working on multiple things and product lines at once and people shift around all the time in FT roles. Even a home renovating contractor can have multiple handy work to do as he might be working on many at the same time. He works on the first on one day while he waits for parts or hired hands for the other projects, then works on the other back and forth.
 
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The point she made about studios overspending on useless non-games--development-related activities like woodworking attracting the wrong type of dev to the studio is spot on!!!

Everybody remembers the tales from Bungie about their devs doing knitting classes, and that just before the LightFall expansion dropped (which was the worst one yet).
 
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