Life In The Rain

I have got to agree with this post by Mr Albrecht and I have said in the past I’d keep an eye out for games studios with people over 30 and with children. Watching those around me as I’ve gone through my twenties it seems to me that the last great mental change for a guy isn’t when they leave college and go to work, it’s having a child. The change seems almost immediate and when it goes right, priorities are to put family first.

I like those people because they become examples of how best to act. They now have to balance their old passion for games development and their new more important passion to raise and look after a family. This means there isn’t enough time in the day and they won’t be able to afford wasting it with stupid arguments, practices or policies at work. Time management and doing the effective and important tasks first becomes key. If they are at the wrong studio then they will immediately look for a more suitable studio that can accommodate them and provide stability and that can be of great benefit to studios who can accommodate these more experienced people. They can then give guidance for younger eager beavers who want to work hard to make up for their inexperience. Theory is no-one will fire you if you show up longer and work harder than everyone else, even if you are making a mess of things. This is obviously wrong and wasteful. It seems no surprise to me that more mature and important services like law, banking, doctors keep hours as steady as they can, 9 – 5 is the aim and no more; although I’m sure some friends could tell a few horror stories too.

The games industry is growing still, there is more money being made, this industry is recession-proof and those working in it are starting to ask for their worth and for studios to mature as they do. It seems to me to be something everyone can afford to do. Those that think they can’t afford to mature are actually those that won’t be around in five years time.