Сrunch culture: is the game worth the candle?

Abstract

Game development stands out among many other sectors in IT when it comes to working overtime. The necessity to stay long hours is to some extent inevitable for any job. Game industry, however, during the last decades has been among the leaders in both the number of overtime hours and their consistency. The 2021 report “State of the Game Industry” by GDC 1 showed that on average 45% of game developers worked more than 40 hours a week. Furthermore, maximum hours worked per week stayed at 40 hours for only 21% percent of the respondents. In game development, overtime work is not occasional, it is almost a standard. This practice was even marked with a word “crunch”, which became a sign for deadlines and budget struggles.