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Thanks for sharing Laura. You have amazing insight. I am into videogames only for the fun (the drama in the videogame industry counts as entertainment as well). Can't remember how I found your channel, it was such a breath of fresh air. Always learn something that can be a applied to my job and me as an individual. Please keep posting! Thank you!💎

Not sure if you have read Barbara Ehrenreich's "Smile or die" If you haven't you have to. The attached link is for a talk she did which lead to her writing the book or maybe it was the other way around. Been a while... Regardless it's an incredibly important book dealing with the bullshit around positive thinking.😊 ruclips.net/video/u5um8QWWRvo/видео.htmlsi=dxOdgFMw9rQLEMgA

I’m glad to see you posted another video, I really enjoy your channel. It’s nice to hear someone’s opinion whose actually in the industry

Fo you have any insight about why Xbox floundered in Japan…even though (it seemed like) they tried very hard in the 360 Era?

It breaks my heart that big publishers became so big, that none of these happens anymore. Well it happens just to make devs believe they are heard, the give them false hope. But in a 20k company, most times you are just a glorified content farm, to keep on milking IPs dry. Sigh. I'm tired

Back in the day games were made by nerdy guys who played games. Id, Bungie, Blizzard....all these companies used to just be a bunch of bros making games they wanted to play.

Imagine if Microsoft truly capitalised on being a true digital storefront before Valve made Steam.

The fact people even have to worry about giving feedback is a big problem

Thank you for covering this topic 😊

I'm a bit annoyed that I've found your video 2 days later despite having the bell up. Your videos are always a treat.

Any discussion of the problems in the current game industry that glosses over identity politics is ignoring the elephant in the room.

Its not just a problem in the games industry, but practically anywhere. This kind of toxic workplace is inevitable if your company has a sufficient high number or narcissists who think that only people should be allowed to work with them, if they 100 % agree with them - about everything. If narcissists are in charge, every critique becomes "hate" and people will get fired for speaking out. --Thanks for your video!

I remember talking to a higher up, who quickly got promoted to an even higher position. I asked him if he was over his head? He said I don't have the luxury to complain because I get paid the big bucks to lead, not complain. As a boss and a leader, engage the team. Ask them what they need. Be the buffer between the CEOs and the team. Like you, you are a good leader and do these things. So no, you shouldn't pity your new boss. He should have learned what it is to become a leader

We're the same, if there's conflict in my organization I become the mediator and the cool head. But when it comes to scheduling, then I'm not the person 😅

Binge watching this channel and definitely want to comment to help the algorithm. Your explanation really helps explain why some movie or game sequels just fall flat or some new media with established IP fail. The producers don't respect the source material and the target audience. Disney Star Wars is one where the sequel movies are meh (depending on who you ask 😅) while most of the animated ones are excellent, like rebels and bad batch. Dave filoni single handedly saved Star Wars, in my opinion. There are also some outliers like the Judge Dredd movies. The sly stallone one was popular because he was one of the action heroes of the time. But as a comic book fan, I prefer the grittier more recent dredd where he never removes his helmet. So, as a long-time fallout and halo fan, I never saw the tv series as I'm afraid they would make me hate the franchise more, just like what star wars is doing with their tv shows. That and Fallout 76 already did that

I'm an educator but work for the government of a small state. What shocks me is that all these problems found in corporate media and gaming (and even in some huge corporate companies) with regards to feedback are also clearly evident in government. Personally, I'm passionate about teaching but being involved in HR as well, if I see anything majorly wrong, I would march up the stairs and see my director to give my feedback. Depending on the director (I've worked 17 years), some listen to me, some try to justify it using positivity, and some genuinely take my feedback. Now I may be a small fish and definitely replaceable, but my own conscience and morals would never allow me to stay quiet. Yet such toxic leaders love to surround themselves with those that just agree with them even though it's wrong. I whole heartedly agree with you and Simon Sinek, who talks about leadership, that leaders need to accept their weakness and receive feedback. But at the same time, even the small fries need to voice out their concerns as they are doing the actual job. Toyota has this in their japanese car factories where anyone can stop a production line if they see something wrong no matter how minor. They are never punished for doing this. Tldr, great points on when to give feedback, but leaders need to be more receptive of feedback

I think it's so funny that you actually need people to explain other people the most basic human functions and behaviours :D

Gears knew who it was aiming for and knew what it was. It had a vision and did not compromise to anything less than what it needed to be.

Just wanted to say I think your channel is one of the best on RUclips. As someone who wanted to join the industry as a kid/teenager but ended up shying away from it due to a myriad of reasons - it’s really awesome to hear about your experiences as an industry veteran. After watching most of your videos I’m half glad I decided to become an electrical engineer and half wish I’d actually joined the industry myself! Keep up the great work!

You can't have a culture of genuine feedback with the kind of self-censorship that's common in today's world - people have learned to be afraid of voicing their opinions and avoid any conflict at all cost. What we're being taught is groupthink, not collaboration. Conflict is a necessary factor in the creative industry. Getting rid of it results in precisely the state the industry currently deals with.

This type of training should be mandatory because so many good devs quit or get pushed out because they think giving feedback is what the team wants. I found out the hard way pointing out issues that need to get fixed is a way to get pushed out of a team. People prefer feeling certainty rather than awareness of deeper issues and bugs. I ultimately quit and haven't worked in software since because it's more about these unspoken social rules than what they say the culture is.

I’m not in game development, but lead engineering teams. The advice and mentality here is not only for games but also product teams. Very well done, subscribed

Ladys and gentlemen, the sideeffect of woke society.

I truly enjoy every video you make and the insight you provide. Thank you for your time and effort on all the work you have done and continue to do!

You are not allowed to have a different opinion in most studios and especially on politics. You'll be ratted out and even loose your job.

Do you have any idea where this phenomenon of "toxic positivity" could be originating from? It feels like it's a more common issue these days than in the past.

Laura Fryer should be required viewing for anyone working in or aspiring to work in game development.

Magnifico video

I love hearing your stories about what it was like working in these big groups and how to navigate discussions at places of work. Thanks Laura.

If you can't talk about everything then you are in the wrong place.

Can't help but agree with you Laura, however the growing dragon behind the curtains I fear is UE5, sooooo many devs are switching to it and it is NOT the best game engine. UE always had great marketing, but the games always had that "unreal engine" aesthetic. UE5 has many things that are simply worse off than other engines, like screen space reflection, like LOD, nanite isn't all that great, etc. Not a hater, but a monopoly is never good. Love your channel :)

It's really great that a genuine dev with actual work experience is talking about this stuff is a realistic manner, rather than the rage bait stuff that is filling youtube these days. It's okay to be upset with how things are, but if that's all there is, then in my opinion you are no better than those you complain about. This is type of video is sorely needed!!

toxic positivity is what you get when you hire sensitive people

That's all great and legit advice but the problem is, that supposedly concord or maybe even sony management is .. woke. And they don't want to hear it! Any feedback that is slightly negative would risk you being fired. And this is the result

Thing is, most people can't afford to get fired in this job market. Another problem is some people see a career in game development not as an opportunity to craft engaging experiences, but as a political and ethics platform for their personal agenda. They don't care that the there's no target audience for the product because selling the game was not part of the agenda to begin with.

You called out exactly what had gone wrong with their internal dynamics long before the story broke, it’s great to have such a clearheaded and perceptive industry commentary channel amidst all the noise!

I’ve worked in offices before; They’re a closed system smelling their own farts and anything that isn’t praise or silence is treated like you’ve shown up to work with the old religous symbol for the sun on your forehead. Coming from art school, that encouraged critique to another student’s face (called a crit) you’d state what works and what doesn’t. This was feedback on how useful your art could be to a client or a viewer. It was difficult for students not to take anything negative as personal, very few learned it wasn’t about insulting it was about future survival in the industry. Office spaces and game development spaces don’t seem to ever do this even though in their investor company blurbs they all call themselves innovative, collaborative and not like other girls. Problem is office spaces are like churches and if you go against the holy see of the blessed project managers you’re a heretic not someone trying to fix things.

Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I personally wanted to play concord, Maybe I have poor tastes, it really bothers me how much the industry adheres to the general public. I really wanted to get away from all existing hero shooters and I had a ton of fun playing 1-UP and Vale; I really thought sony would leave the game up at least so I could coordinate Discord parties. I know it's fun to rag on games, but I'm really freaking hurt over this. Most games that launch these days simply arent for me or are not welcoming to people like me, Concord was not perfect in the slightest ( i REALLY hate the two primary weapon system and the card economy) but I would've stuck with it they way I stuck with Destiny or Paladins. Either way, thank you for your time Laura and I look forward to watching more of your insightful videos.

"moist optimal" FailFish

its pointless, as long as agenda pushers are deep rooted in the studios... .... those need to get rooted out

Working in SW industry, I can tell that I saw this shift, while companies still pose as embracing “open and straightforward” approach and “open doors” it feels like less and less concerns from low level employees are moved up the chain. Like mid level management is really scared of upper one. No one wants to make tough decisions. Too many “yes sayers” not enough “no sayers”. Which is weird taking into consideration progress is usually made by people who challenge the status quo, one famous example Wright brothers.

how moist toxique

Places like Ubisoft are looking at healthy Studio culture in the rearview mirror. They are in another dimension of reality now. Imagine segregating people by gender/race/sexuality and still thinking you’re somehow doing the right thing. This is how crazy things have gotten. You know how they say you go so the other way that the dial comes back around and starts over. That’s places like Ubisoft. They have become so positive that they are negative again. They have become so anti-racist that they’re racist again. They become so anti-sexist they are sexist again. This is a pure example of cause having an effect, and the effect becoming the cause.

Another great analysis of the gaming industry and it's potential pitfalls. Laura, we have seen a lot of updates on the Steam database for Concord, which might mean that Sony has not given up on Concord. Do you think it's possible for this game to be released again and be successful?

Let them rot in their own ideology and "creative" decisions. Let them loose their (and other peoples) money and bare the consequences.

DON'T, for the love of god DON'T let the little things go, the devil is in the details. Bungie conquered the world by obsessing over every little detail, not by saying "eh whatever better not stir the pot".

I really, really like your channel. I wish I had a teacher like you.

never bought Shadow of Mordor, they decided to copyright the nemesis mechanic; the industry was built on creators iterating on each other, its incredibly selfish

Workers cooperatives aka worker democracy is the number 1 way to avoid toxic workculture

I don't think there's a single other youtube channel that's as useful as this one. Insanely deep insights into the game dev industry. Well done!