Disco Elysium Writer Believes “This Industry is Finished”
“The time seems right for game developers to stand up for their rights against systemic greed.”
Summer Eternal
We are in the middle of the gaming industry’s turbulence — turbulence for normal workers, not those higher executives maybe — where the majority of employees move in a direction that they don’t have any control over, being reorganized or let go of their original position or shivering as waiting for some unknown changes. Taking a moment to reflect on what has happened and is going on, and probably also consider what can be done, could help ease our mind a bit, even if it might not be powerful enough so we can run away from the swirl.
Summer Eternal, one of the few new studios created by former developers of Disco Elysium, ZA/UM, has their thoughts about what workers can do while facing a difficult situation. When VG247 reached out to them and asked them to share their thoughts on whether the industry will move towards a brighter future for the employees, Dora Klindžić, former ZA/UM writer, said: "I think this industry is finished. But fortunately for everyone, video games are not."
Dora Klindžić
The earlier strike against Ubisoft’s arbitrary decision regarding work-from-home-related policy changes has been seen as “the first step towards more power for the workers in the industry” by Aleksandar Gavrilović, organizer of Summer Eternal. He explains, “I myself ascribe to the accelerationist view that the only way to achieve better conditions is to enter crises which underline the contradictions of society and force us to remake the world.”
“Now, after tens of thousands of layoffs, the time seems right for game developers to stand up for their rights against systemic greed.”
Aleksandar Gavrilović
Let’s take this “systemic greed” aside for now, as he’ll further cover it soon. Obviously, Aleksandar Gavrilović believes a catalyst is needed for an evolutionary change, and by that, he means another crisis, “one which would spotlight the largest structural issue in game development.”
“… the fact that one third of all PC revenue from all developers (from indies to AAA) is syphoned to digital fiefdoms, of which Valve is the most egregious example. I can imagine a near future with more worker power, but I lack the imagination to envision the replacement of Valve with a community owned alternative. That 'winter castle' will not fall as easily, but we should at least start openly discussing alternatives.”
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