In this GDC 2013 talk the 'EA_Spouse' herself, Erin Hoffman, looks back on how conversations about work-life balance in the game industry since 2004, and what it all might mean for the future.
July 25, 2014
"There is no person who needs to learn business more than the most passionate, artistic, sensitive game designer -- because they're the ones I really want to see running things."
- Developer Erin Hoffman reminds developers to learn the mechanics of business -- accounting, management, and more -- lest they be crushed by them. In this GDC 2013 IGDA-sponsored talk the 'EA_Spouse' herself, Erin Hoffman, looks back on how conversations about work-life balance in the game industry since 2004, and what it all might mean for the future. You may remember that Hoffman accidentally loosed a firestorm of sentiment and industry soul-searching when she posted a livejournal entry titled "EA: The Human Story" under an anonymized pseudonym. The essay was subsequently reprinted in Best Software Writing for that year, and the widespread reaction on and offline -- spanning tens of thousands of comments and millions of hits -- prompted news coverage in the New York Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Salon.com, NPR, and more. In her GDC talk, Hoffman ruminates on how the industry has changed in response to her entry and how contemporary developers can empower themselves to make the business of making games better for everyone. It's an excellent talk that every developer should see, so we've gone ahead and embedded the free video of the IGDA-sponsored talk "The Right Side of the Ocean: EA_Spouse Then and Now" above. You can also watch it here on the GDC Vault.
In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers. Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support. Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under parent UBM Tech
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