Vivendi games unit sued in overtime dispute

[kandrathe]

kandrathe, I was always under the impression that games programmers made less than other programming jobs, because the coolness of the job itself was part of the compensation.

I think it is a supply and demand thing. Software publishers (esp. games) have a market where the supply of eager young, and even experienced programming talent is always high, while demand ebbs and flows with the entertainment industry (or, personal disposable income). Would I rather work at Blizzard, or Bank of America? Tough question. One offers a very cool environment, and recognition (maybe) -- and the other a stable, 9-5 desk job with sluggishly slow development on mind numbingly boring systems. At one you could get the axe at anytime for almost any reason, and the other you might work at for years without anyone even remembering your name.

At the Software Publisher where I worked, a number of people used them as a springboard into better jobs at JPL, IBM, Apple, etc. Many designers left and started their own brands. The work environments are very open, creative and innovative. The people were very cool. We also had a decompression chamber with leather couches, big screen TV, pool tables, ping pong, console games, and a heavy bag. There were meditation areas with fountains, and singing birds, etc. We had a free pop machine, and a free European beer cooler and always baskets of fresh fruit and healthy snacks -- all gratis. Once a month a bunch of us would "borrow" the company vans and do a field trip to the local cinema to catch a matinée new release. So, yes, I would say the intangibles were a nice perk.

Cheap houses in Silicon Valley are still >$1M, and the cost of living is considerably higher than the rest of the US. I lived briefly in Santa Barbara for a while, and I have many relatives and friends in the business. So, in my opinion, there is a real palpable atmosphere of "greediness" in many areas of California, and that extends into peoples personal expectations of one another and their employment.