EA: The Human Story

This is fair warning for anyone who works for a company that desires (or pimps, lies, etc.) for the Fortune Magazine distinction of "One of the Best Companies to Work for in America." (The award, featured annually in its January issue, is probably in the final stages of editing and is a big seller when it hits newsstands.) If you're recruited by a company that brags of this honor, run for the exits. If you work for a company that has this award, then prepare yourself, Grasshopper, for possibility of employer abuse.

For five years I worked (really really worked - no overtime, no comp time, lousy health care benefits) for a company that consistently reached in the rank of the top ten. In fact, our manager told us that our CEO considered this award very important to the company's image, and we should make it our priority to place in the top ten every year, which we have done.

EA placing No. 91 on Fortune's fake warm-fuzzy contest doesn't mean squat, and generally a company that receives this distinction uses it like the overseer flings the cat-o-nine tails; because they are good to you, they can abuse you. Did anyone at EA ever think, "Fourteen hour days, seven days a week, but hey, there's free food, and a gym! (My company gave us free food, too; hell, lab rats get free food.) When the hours started piling up, and your personal life became nonexistent, did you ever say to your colleague, "I may be on my wife's shit list, but damn, isn't it great that we're ranked 91 by a magazine I'm too tired to read!"

In my final months of work with a "Great Company to Work For", corporate pulled a strategy from EA's playbook and started filling the departed ranks by recruiting 'em young, dumb and unattached. Oh, and the young-uns were horribly unprepared, and our product suffered as a result. I felt sorry for the customers, but not my former employer. Evidently, I am not alone. This past month I got my 401K statement, and the number of employees participating in the plan has dropped 9 percent, which is a first in the company's history of the 401K and they're hiring - or trying to - like mad. A drop in the number of employees contributing to the plan is the ultimate vote of No Confidence from the work staff. Sometimes, you have to vote with your feet, take a walk and never go back.

I can tell you that companies like EA and my former employer will not present these facts to Fortune Magazine's reporters, and Fortune will abdicate ethics in journalism by not bothering with the details about the gaming industry's treatment of its people when companies like mine and EA submit their entries to be considered for this sham award. Even Google, the new hot cool kid on the block, lists 30 percent of its employees as contractors, meaning no overtime, no healthcare benefits, no stock options. Because so many companies give a shit about this fake award is why Fortune's editors don't give a shit about their duty to tell the truth - the full truth.

I am sorry about your situation, and I hope things get better for you and your S/O, but don't expect the powers at EA to give a shit about anyone but themselves. I speak from personal experience.

Nice lab rat analogy ;-) When you factor in the cost of free meals versus proper staffing, it's WAY CHEAPER to pay for food.

I wanted to add that when EA won the honor of "One of the Best Companies to Work for in America," by Fortune magazine, every single employee received a free copy of the magazine and continues to be greeted by a sticker on the front door of our office lauding the achievement. What a crock.

nice article to bad you its faked and you have no spouse working at ea

This is so much like my current job. As in, if they tell you that yer getting something, at least give it, for cryin out loud! I have started lacking at my current job because of shit like this. They tell me that I am to be getting a promotion and a pay raise that matches my manager's pay (that was 3 months ago). I have told them several times that I cannot afford to live with what they pay me ($6.25 an hour, + $410/mo for apt, + $90 for electric, and with over 3300 in other past dues, I ain't gettin out of my debt-hole for a long time). I have also told them of my plans of re-entering the Armed Forces (at least the money IS GUARANTEED, and health plan is there 100% of the time, and FOOD is FREE <---I can barely afford to feed myself; lost 20 lbs in the last 4 months), and they keep offering a higher raise than the last time. All I can say is that I am tired of the shit that I am getting at work... If I get accepted to re-enter the Armed Forces, I am NOT going to tell my boss, prolly the only people I will tell are my family and my girlfriend.

Rick

Well, Rick, reading your LJ, I can't really tell where you work or what you do. What might that be?

Enlightening reading. I knew it was bad (experience), but didn't know it was that bad. Power of the people, folks. Stand up and be counted. Can you say, "mass walkout?"

Hello,

Just wanted to let you know that my only problem with your LJ posting is that it's terribly addictive. My local newspaper ran a syndicated story (LA Times) earlier this month and I decided to check it out. Now, I spend several hours a day on the site and have added my two cents here and there.

Question: Is there a link - a *very* direct link - to EA's site regarding this entire matter?

For the record, I do not have any ties to the gaming community, nor do I purchase games, so EA is not going to miss the dollars from my wallet. Primarily, I *strongly* object to EA's abusive practices.

However, you know these guys better than the rest of us. Is it a good idea that I email them, even though I have no connection to the industry/community? Are they that much of a rat bastard that they would turn ugly on the general public?

Stay with this. You and your SO have made a lot of new friends, and hopefully people that you can trust. We are on your side.

Companies screw over everyone. I know you guys put your heart and soul into the games but £40 a game is to much. if the CEO of EA took a pay cut all of you would at least get soem money for your troubles and games would be cheaper. This is one of the main reasosn i refuse the buy games and simply download them. I know its not right, but how much of my hard earner £40 goes towards the people it should (you)

Hi!

I've written a few songs about being a disgruntled, overworked game industry slave, dating back to 1997 or maybe earlier:

http://www.softegg.com/homepages/TimonMarmex/wcpunk/

In particular, the songs Hello Sailor, Running Down, and Retro-Rocket are very pointedly about the subject.

http://www.softegg.com/homepages/TimonMarmex/wcpunk/RunnDown.html
http://www.softegg.com/homepages/TimonMarmex/wcpunk/helloslr.html
http://www.softegg.com/homepages/TimonMarmex/wcpunk/rtrorckt.html

Having burned out of my last game industry job, I'm trying to make a go of being a freelancer, retooling skills in different areas other than game making. It's hard to change careers when everybody wants five years of specific experience with very specific tools in order to get any sort of position at all.

Take care.
-- Timon --
http://www.softegg.com

I am really tired. Working on video games is cool and all but I want to have a life too. I have seriously been thinking of leaving the industry. But what other fields are there for people who know 3d graphics? Architectural visualization? I have heard horror stories about that field as well. What about web design? Is that any better? It just feels like there really isn't anywhere to go. Are there any artists that have success stories about leaving the industry for another field?

I am in the same boat as you are! I am a lead environment artist that is looking for the exitdoor from this industry(after only 4 years).

Here are the options I can think of:

1. Film FX (pays better but even more unstable than games. Artists get treated like shit there also)

2. Architectural Viz. (harder for us game folks to break into I think. A lot of firms want people with a backgrounds in architecture.

3. Defense previsualisation

4. Web graphics..not a lot of 3d. low pay unless you contract

5. Go back to school (probably best option)


good luck,

Here is just one of the links that turned up when I typed in aptitude testing". We all have transferable skills which apply in a wide variety of fields. The key is to figure out which sectors have forcasted growth trends (and don't already have tons of students) and invest in training with a future. The great thing about art and/or programming is that the better your day job, the more time you have to devote to these things as hobbies! Plus many other industries have excellent 401k plans, unions, benefits, etc...

Why not do your own aptitudes testing? Or see a career counselor? Here's a link to start you off on a new and better life:

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Applications_and_interviews/Interviews/Test_yourself/p!eLidF

EA Spouse.....i worked for a minor league hockey team in my city and I faced the same thing: super long hours, with no break, except the team's management eventually just stopped paying us....for 3 months of work...they told the team was struggling, that everything would be taken care of, and we would get paid...they ended up firing us all, and not paying us....we had to sue them to get our pay (and then only a fraction of what we were all owed), and that came 6 months later....i feel for you seriously....my wife was probably a blink away from snapping herself....it is a symptom of America today: uncontrolled greed with no tjought of human factors....and we just voted for 4 more years from the king of this kind of thinking.....

Hi ^.^

I'm a business major, and one of the industries I've thought about going into is the video game industry. I'd like to ask a couple of questions if it would be okay? :)

Please contact me at bleedingvanguard@hotmail.com, if you're willing.

In case you want to know how I found your journal, I read Penny Arcade ;)

Thanks,
-C.S.-

I hate to see it, but even the author has bought in to the "Professional Day" fallacy. Even she(?) refers to 9am to 10 pm as "12 hours". Must be one of those "12 hours, plus 1 hour for lunch". That's 13 hours for an exempt employee, not 12. Lunch is the employers problem, no matter how they try to slough it off on the employee.

Look Im a big time gaming fan but not big into the sports games. I can understand long hours and stuff but what EA is doing is wrong. Somebody should get all the workers together make a money collection and hire Cocrin to sue EA out of buisness. You also illustrated how much corparate take over is happening in todays world. What EA is doing is a modern form os slavery.

Yep, I work at EA for this squid. He's the VP for the EALA studio. This guy is terrible. Not only does he waltz around the studio like he single handedly puts together the titles we produce but he doesn't even look at people when he walks by. He acts like they don't exist. Actually some of us at the office have made a game of saying hi to him because it puts him off so much.
Near the end of our last project, as we're nearing beta and have already been crunching for 7 months, he announces happily that he's managed to secure us a slip! Wheee two more months of crunch! Never mind that the reason for this slip is that he can't stop adding major technologies and needlessly redesigning missions after we've already reached alpha. No he plays it off like he's our saving grace, that he put his neck on the line for us and now it's our last chance to prove that we're as talented as we say we are. "Kiss your wives and children goodbye for two months and get the job done", he says. (Really, that's a quote) "I've put my neck on the line for you guys but I've played my last hand. If you want to save my job, keep your foot on the gas and get the job done."

Actually Ricky, I quite enjoyed that little pep talk. So my options were, I could go home at reasonable hours from now on and that would guarantee you'd get fired? Sounds good to me.

You're dead weight my friend. I'd stay on that sabbatical if I were you.

Man this is too true. No one respects that guy, how can management? The funny thing is that even if he read this he just wouldn't care. He has the right people fooled... it doesn't matter what his minions think!

Salon.com finally got hold of the story.

http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/12/02/no_fun_and_games/index_np.html

-Peter

LIVE STOCK LIKE TREATMENT NOT LIMITED TO GAMING INDUSTRY - MY STORY (PART 1)

I found this letter thru an article on the front page of yesterday's Salon.com. Don't feel like taking the time to register if I don't have to, but I will identify myself as Ranndino.

The letter by the EA_spouse is incredibly well written and it has generated such mind boggling response because the kind of treatment of employees described in it is not limited to the game industry. Tech workers in other industries can very much relate.
A few years ago I was hired to work for a company called TWIInteractive, which is the multimedia (website dev) arm of the humongous IMG (International Management Group). IMG, for those who aren't familiar with it is a company that represents many of the most famous athletes and entertainment stars such as Tiger Woods, Heidi Klum, etc. Being young and somewhat idealistic I thought I hit the jackpot. I love sports and here was my chance to learn and grow in a company that worked on major sports web sites. My boss (an art director) who hired me turned out to be a great guy and at first everything was going well. Well, if you don't consider the salary that they gave me and them dragging their feet for 4 months before making me a permanent employee. I guess that should have been the first sign of trouble, but I enjoyed the work so much that I didn't really give it much thought.

After a few months real signs of trouble started to emerge. The tech director, a workaholic nutcase from South Africa, repeatedly clashed with my boss, the art director over who’s in charge of what. You see, the guy who had no college education or any experience in graphic design thought he could walk around suggesting to us things down to which colors to use, and how to draw lines. This went on for a while until my art director boss grew so frustrated that he quit a job that paid him six figures at the age of 28! I’m trying to keep this relatively short, so I won’t go into details, but you can imagine how bad it got that he would do that.

After the art director left things became hell for me. I was seen as his loyalist and the new art director was apparently told from the first day he was hired that I was a problem employee. No matter what I did it was never good enough. I was asked every 5 minutes what I was working on. Anyone who is a creative understands how incredibly counterproductive that was. Even if you’re not. It breaks the train of thought and the stress level that it produces becomes unbearable. Anyway, the workaholic tech director started putting me on projects that had little or nothing to do with what I was hired for. He would throw me into technical areas which I knew little or nothing about and gave me almost impossible deadlines. Being a pretty intelligent person I learned on the fly and managed to complete all the tasks on time. Were they happy? Nope? They kept picking on the tiniest imperfections in my site code and telling me that my performance was inadequate. This was unbelievable because I had no idea how to code when starting the projects. I was a purely creative graphic designer, yet I learned to code and produced sites in a matter of weeks and they would pick on bugs and tell me that I sucked ass. Needless to say that I felt as low as one gets. Here I was buried in books and blowing my brains out for weeks trying to get it done, got it done and was chastised for it.

On top of this I was called in numerous times into the office by either my new art director or tech director and told that I wasn’t being a good team player. Why? Because I refused to work insane hours and weekends. Just like many have said here I understood that when the project had to be done a crunch was acceptable, but not when it became an unofficial company policy.

The reason I have decided to post is that this type of crap is not limited to one industry and is extremely widespread. Tech and creative workers need unions. I know that for some union is a dirty word. There are a lot of abuses and problems with unions, but that’s human nature. Nothing is ever perfect in this world because we are not perfect. There will always be assholes who will take advantage of situations. Having said that unions are simply organizations that give workers power. To resist the corporate machine on an individual basis is impossible. Many have said that individuals should just all resist these crappy practices and demand to be treated like human beings. But that is what a union essentially is. A bunch of individuals who organize and resist together. There needs to be a force that balances out the situation because currently the corporations have all the power and are driven to squeeze out their employees like oranges until no juices come out and throw them away like dried peels. The system is such that people at the top care mainly about the profits and share holders. As profits go up they have more money to spend on their weekend homes and sports cars. As profits go up, so do the shares and that gives the people at the top even more money to stuff their pockets with. The best way to squeeze out as much profit as possible is not to hire more people when needed, but to squeeze out unpaid overtime out of the current employees. Why hire another programmer at $50K when you can make a programmer you already have who makes $50K work for free for nearly the same amount of time the new guy would fill? And so what if the current employee’s life becomes shit and he grows suicidal? If he quits or kills himself there is always a young kid who will fill in. He might not be as good or experienced, but he’s willing to sacrifice his life to fill the pockets of the fat cats with millions.

I’m not in favor of socialism. I have lived in a socialist country and it sucks ass, but the unions are the only answer to this problem. As long as corporations are driven to squeeze out as much profit as they can out of their workforce they won’t stop. And it’s only getting worse. As the competition increases and other companies make their employees slave for longer hours ones that don’t find themselves unable to compete. They either follow suit or go out of business. At one point this will result in no good alternatives for the white collar workforce as it did for the blue collar workforce decades ago.

My girlfriend’s grandfather came to this country from Italy without any education. He learned the iron working trade and thanks to a powerful iron workers union he made a fortune. Yes, a simple iron worker without higher education earns $50-60 an hour and the benefits that they get most IT workers can only dream of. To think that corporations will wake up and realize that they are creating an extremely large number of very unhappy people and start playing nice is extremely naïve. Also, like I said blaming managers or even corporations themselves is short sighted. The system as it is right now forces them to operate in such manner. If a manager doesn’t treat his underlings like live stock he gets canned. If a corporation has ethical values they get squeezed out of the market by asshole companies. It becomes a matter of simple economic pressure.