Video Game Testers Demand End to Exploitation, 14-Hour Days, And Poverty Wages
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- Опубликовано: 23 мар 2022
- Workers who test video games like Call of Duty for Raven Software, a studio within Activision Blizzard, are demanding an end to exploitation. They work 14 hours/day for poverty wages. Some are on food stamps & have vision damage. Now they're unionizing with the Game Workers Alliance. If they win their union election, it could revolutionize the gaming industry.
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The Gaming Industry has needed a Union ever since the 80's. Hope they win and hope they are able to bargin for a better deal. I stand as a Union member from the Building Trades Indystry, but have been a gamer my whole life, so I stand with their attempt to form a Union.
“They’re gonna do the legal minimum required instead of the ethical maximum.” Damn
Hey that’s a great tag line for capitalism except they operate illegally all the time and pay no consequences and have enough money to manipulate the laws if they have to. Pretty obvious exploitation scheme if you ask me.
Damn it's as if your boss isn't there toske you rich or happy but provide minimum so you canake him money. It's as if other people don't give a shit about your success . Funny how the world is not there to parent you.
@@86Corvus Damn, it's like you don't want these people to live.
@@86Corvus you understand what happens as a result of poor pay and bad benefits right? It becomes your burden as a tax payer to assist those people with bankruptcy, medical care, food and housing. So Bobby Kotick won't be able to have 7 private jets and 500 sports cars. The people of this country are trying to take it back from the rich elite and I'm here for it.
@@86Corvus I agree that the world isn't there to parent you, and that bosses are only there to provide the minimum for their employees so that they can remain profitable (though with this point it's less that I agree with it and more that I acknowledge this to be an accurate representation of the way most bosses think) and yet I still find myself appalled by the things described in this video. Are you saying that you aren't?
I was in a fandom for a Blizzard game for a while and it was honestly the worst fandom I've ever been in. There was a lot of toxicity in it and at one point, it completely ruined my mental health. In fact, I had to eventually leave the fandom and retreat into focusing more on soccer to escape from it. It says a lot that I felt a lot safer among billions of soccer fans than I did among the millions of people who liked this particular Blizzard game. Soccer fans might behave badly (esp. the male ones) but at least no one here is personally harassing me, threatening me, or is actively trying to ruin my reputation.
I now realize that the reason why so many video game fans are so toxic is because it seeps in from the industry that spawns their favorite games, and it gives birth to these subterranean, mutated, chimeras. Sadly, I've come to realize that everyone in every industry is exploited, including the people who make video games. And unfortunately, it's the women bear the worst of it.
Blizzard is toxic and awful and I really hope you guys get the justice you deserve someday.
Just putting it out there, the exploitations of workers and QA goes beyond Gaming and can be found throughout the Software Industry. It has pretty much been the standard since the start.
Sounds like a lot more workers need to unionize.
Exploitation of workers seems to be a thing in every industry
Sure, but point it out there not here.
QA is not the greatest job on the planet, but it is a better option than a lot of places. They are straight up with you about what the job will be like, and if it's not for you it's up to you to decide if you will stick it out or find something else. I personally would choose QA over another customer service or retail job, because those jobs are AWFUL!
Exactly! I just applied for one. Outside my country. Even listening to these complains, compared to what I live, this would be a dream life.
As a person that enjoys gaming and hates how many firms in the industry treat workers, I love this!
18000 views is so little taking how big the consumer base for their games are😢😢😢
This is why I refuse to buy games from several developers/publishers, because of the shitty way they treat their workers, it does help seeing how poor/generic the products turn out because the higher ups are far more focused on profits than anything else. People rag on Nintendo a lot for being "anti-consumer" but they're easily one of the most "pro-worker" developers in the industry and to me, that's far more admirable than appeasing a bunch of whiny gamers who want everything handed to them on a silver platter.
Lol the Activision CEO made 156 million dollar last year. Whenever the job sucks the CEO makes millions.
You could always gain the skills to become CEO and “properly” distribute your pay…..
Shit if the thousands of you all set this in motion one of you would surely rise to the top. While cry when you can actually do something. Crying louder and demanding more isn’t doing something.
@@par3me you mean go to school for business for 2-4 years and have no morals? That's the criteria for CEOs at large companies in 2022.
@@johnsee7360 you’re part of the problem. You have no idea what you’re talking about. You sound like you form you’re thoughts based on cartoons. 👍🏼
Ok. I'm not the one trolling and trying to deter people from unionizing for adequate pay and proper benefits. Anyone that resorts to insulting somebody in a disagreement is a burden to society and most likely lives in misery. Adios
@@johnsee7360 I’m not trying to deter. It doesn’t change my day either way. I am trying to provide counter points so people can make educated decisions. If I had a nickel for everyone I’ve come across that was lied to by a union and regretted it. Again, my day doesn’t charge hood or bad. Theirs will and many just don’t t get it because it’s all a system to keep you dumb and under the thumb. Unions aren’t what they used to be. Like the government it began with good intentions. Do your due diligence and make an informed decision. Talk to others that have go e through this that are both for and against it. Ask the whys. Avoid the echos chambers like this channel. Unless you’re taking into context and understand they have an agenda and will not be intellectually honest about their argument.
Good luck to you. 👍🏼
I work in the AAA industry. The way QA and QC folks are treated is terrible
They are a dime a dozen. Heck some people pay the dev to be testing their games for them. It's called early access.
@@86Corvus So that makes it okay to abuse people who work for you?
@@86Corvus Human lives are not expendable.
Are there any remote jobs available in your studio at the moment? QA related)
I had teachers in school tell me "money shouldn't matter, just get a job you love".
Bullshit.
It means that if you can find a job that enjoy going to, you're happy there, and fulfilled doing it. Doing it for the money isn't the most important part, your enjoyment working there is.
@@thescholarlychronicler1805 No the money is. We aren't working for fun we need to have money for our wants and needs.
More money means more video games and Game consoles😁.
Money matters.
Give 'em HELL!!!!
I’m not sure why young people want this job. I started my year at art college in 2008, almost every students and teachers warned me about the game tester that is low pay, long hours and no benefits. Hopefully it go well for these unionization. These Gaming companies CEO are non-engineers or non-game designers, they are mostly business major college graduates and only see things in number and statistic.
It’s about time.
gamers rise up
Qa testers are not gamers.
@@86Corvus wrong
@@Cha4k ok baby boy xoxoxoxo
@@86CorvusYou're delusional 😂
True for the entire entertainment industry, not just games
Activision Blizzard Excutives: "....Y'all hear sumthin'?"
We hear you
Commenting for the algo
Thats why so many games release with game breaking bugs ill be hopeful for them that it will be a change. However working in the industry i know they are going to outsource jobs to india and then implement 3 strike rules to get rid of the permanent staff and be done with it.
Please interview the designers and artists
Get itttttt!
Get the gaming industry next!
this poor people is being pushed to their limits, meanwhile my main games I play are full of bugs, I feel bad even for reporting the bugs, crazy days we live in.
The game industry also seems to be runned by a bunch of sociopathic leaderships. People who don't know how to make games and people who don't know what people want in games. Where do these people come from? Are they recycled? Are they always getting into position because they know people? Very sus.
@@Cha4k Nah, trash games last a year. Masterpieces last a lifetime.
@@Cha4k why would we buy crappy games or games that are barely playable at launch?
I was currently researching about video game testing jobs and found this video. I hope these people can make a change by changing their story, working strenuous hours for little pay is unethical and cruel.
Game devs and qa have needed a union since 20-30 years ago. Here's hoping you guys succeed
Everything they are saying is true.
Everything they say is false
Finally. Other (happier countries) have unions in game developer companies.
There is no better countries than western capitalist ones. And if you disagree you can always move to a dictatorship of your choosing.
@@86Corvus Is Finland or Denmark a dictatorship. It seems to me that you're extremely unintelligent.
@@KiraAfter_Dark What is your point? Are you suggesting that because I corrected@86Corvus, I forgot that there are countries without unions? As an FYI I know a country that does everything in it's power to squash unionization efforts.
in its power*
@@KiraAfter_Dark You too are extremely unintelligent. Where did I say I think the only countries in the world...?
I have been in the indie game space for 20 years now. I have no clue what its like to work in these AAA professional companies. All I can say is the quality of games from supposed AAA games have gone down substantially since the PS3 era. Games don't deliver a feeling of excitment anymore. There is a loss of origional ideas as UX design, gameplay mechanics, and game narratives are in constant repetition and reuse. People like new IPs, they like new ideas. I understand it's riskier for businesses but that's the way it is. Big risk, big reward. Japan does an amazing job at making things that push culture, ideas, and story telling forward; western games repreat the same narratives. Western games also have a problem with woke culture where only 0.8 percent people in the entire US agree with. People like female main characters but not when they perform actions and follow a story better suitable for male characters. Another thing I've noticed is there is a lot more female game devs then male game devs in many places. A lot of them are activists. How would activists know what people want in the games people crave for? I'm not against lady's in the game industy that would be a shallow argument. I strongly believe there should be a balance. There should be a balance of talented guys and lady developers. Both have the ability to bring origional ideas to the table. I think until things change in the industry, modern games will have yet to realize the money potential they can make. People want great games and the current game industry constantly under delivers.
Its the AAA company marketing teams and departments that never even played a game that are making decisions i seen amazing game mechanics be cut because marketing wanted a game out before a certain date and worst of all companies executives who scraps or stop development on a game because statistics says it wold be more profitable to a company version of whats popular.
@@abigreck Yep. Cyber Punk is a good example. 👍
Please unionize the game industry! it desperately needs to!
You know who else is unionizing to end exploitation?
someone
Idfk just say it my dood
Idiots lining up to be "let go"
Ur mom
I thought if I won a million dollars in a video game, "I was a millionaire". They don't accept "Chucky Cheese tokens" at Walmart.
Ok. That’s nice. But I have no idea how to become a QA. Who can tell m please ?
Don't need to know
@@thickgirlsneedlove2190 😄 why? Does everything so worst??
Solidarity from security police fire professionals of America!
You’re fucking kidding right?
@@par3me I don't know if the umbrella organizations are as bad as most of the local police unions? I want to believe in a better world where police are able to care broadly about labor. Did you know the Taft Hartley act made it so one organization can't represent both security and non-security workers? So they had to split off. I think that's on purpose. Taft Hartley Act wanted to harm chances of solidarity with police and other unions. Now I think that made it harder for all unions to share interests. We really need to undo some of the union weakening acts from that era. They devastated the scope of legal unionization efforts and decimated legal protections around unionization. A very very very intentional step backward, authored by those who stood to gain the most. So yeah, I hope one day we will find a more sane policing atmosphere and proper labor concerns being compatible with basic public/personal safety oriented law enforcement.
@@MrSmitheroons well stated.
Wow
Who spilled the creamer?
Well, come to Portugal then. I worked for one year in monthly contracts for a company that worked for Supercell, we were paid 580 eur a month, sometimes less. You might think that 580 eur a month, maybe stuff are cheaper in Portugal, NO. THEY ARE NOT. I loved working into gaming support, and I could play in between workflow. But, it was impossible to live. They ask futebol players to get paid less because they do what they like? NO. Nowadays I was a content reviewer and got to go to 800 euro a month. But rents skyrocketed so, a ROOM to rent is 600 a month. Having to live with only 200 euros to do everything, is impossible, so I am 42 and live with my parents. All these big techs are enslaving people. Anyway, I still apply every chance I get to jobs in Ireland, where everything Gaming or Social Media are. And because I cannot apply to the UK due to #brexit (where I was, ruined my spine and knees in giant factories and warehouses for nothing). I hope they call me. 12 eur per hour is great. When all my life it has been since 3 eur per hour to 5 eur per hour.
passion doesn't buy food
They don't like it when you love your job. So they just do all evil things. I hope players stop asking "when game is coming out", instead they should ask "are developers enjoying the game they are making"
No one sees this point. Well done :)
Move out of QA into another role, simple
$
I feel for legitimate educated testers
Now egotistical and naive kids and passionate gamers are being use to fix the games with no education of what's a bug...
Men gamers are used
You ppl are so weak... do you know most ppl have to work like this... their jobs are actually hard.
We all have a right to unionize, to demand better working conditions.
At will employment.
I hate to be the one to say it but you're the guinea pig for testing these games. Unfortunately I wouldn't expect anything less than sweatshop conditions when testing games. You're literally playing the game and trying to break it. Its not a skilled job.
Didn’t even know that I could become one of the best in the world only to find out the created cheats to beat me you people are probably the ones sharing the cheat avenues
Rape jokes is now assault? 😂 Seriously.....
You get paid to play games.... need i say more... omg smh
Don't tell me .... they couldn't find any male game testers to go with their story ?
Małe testers are not delusional enough to expect more for something a thousand people are willing to pay for doing in their place.
Tell me you have no idea what's been going on at Activision-Blizzard without telling me.
Unfairly treated to work playing fucking video games, talk to me about the immigrants picking up fucking vegetables in the hot ass sun, unionizing, then I’ll come back and cry here
Poverty wages lol, you test video games... Get on twitch and get an audience, otherwise get a real job.
Wait 12 to 15 an hour to play video games?? Theres ppl making less than thst doing actual real and hard jobs.
It's not as fun or relaxing as you might think. Game testers have to test the same game mechanics over and over again. They have to 100% complete the game multiple times.
By the time the game is released, the tester might never touch that game again.
@@independentvoter8710 They probably wouldnt want to. Highly doubt theyre even the real testers, just getting paid for their independent opinion. The devs are the testers. To me these ppl are lower than flipping burgers, theyre testing the burgers n boohoo me im sick of eating burgers. Look and listen to these ppl, theyre weak n entitled.
Tester: "I litterally got permanent eye damage and motion sickness from hours of non stop testing under threat of losing the ability to buy food."
You: "boohoo get a real job like twitch. Youre just entitled. Yknow how easy it is to get a new job? I wouldnt know because im 12"
Should flag this channel for lies you people aren’t helping
Hater
No I’m not a hater I just don’t believe you are helping people who spend money on video gaming stop the cheating
@@Rocksblowspark312 This isn't about cheating, its about exploitation and abuse. You clearly just don't about about the people making the games and just want to consume.
@@KiraAfter_Dark absolutely against me
@@KiraAfter_Dark my ancestors where slave’s I understand true oppression in America everyday your ancestors raped robbed and murder all over the planet to this day
This is fucking laughable. I’ve talking to dozens of parents while working in their homes. They all tell the same story. I wish my kid would contribute but all he does is play games to support his habits. Never contributing. How many kids would sit at home collecting low pay to not work an actual job.
Supply and demand kids. If there are more of you than positions……
You can go to another company, start your own company or get a real job. You play a Fucking game. This literally takes absolutely no unique skills.
What a complete loss of a generation. 🇺🇸
@Melon Sauce Nope. Actually contributed essentially nothing. As this job is done for free by many. This is what happens when we lie to kids and give them a false sense of reality and worth. All in the name of protecting their feelings. Fast forward. Depression and suicide growing. I wonder how these two go together??
Do you know what QA and QC does? Have you worked in the industry?
@@par3me If you don't have QC workers, you have bugs or defects in your product. They find, document and report the issues. They methodically playtest things that are meant to be working and confirm they *actually* work, and if not, describe how so it can be fixed. As there are many options for how interactive software can be played, this naturally takes many hours to properly and thoroughly test. Often painstakingly repeating a tiny section of the experience over and over to confirm it works after repeated runs, or with slight variations of input. Or repeating long segments that can't be skipped, multiple times, to confirm they *reliably* work as intended. It's often a somewhat mind-numbing and repetitive task. There's a reason they are paid to do this, it's not some gamer fun kick back on the couch and relax. It's a job that the company needs to have done on a professional basis. If everyone has bugs when they try to use your product, they will want their money back, and reviews will be terrible. If you have no QC, you will not have a profitable title. Just a few angry customers. Not enough to make you your money back.
It's more than playing a game. They have to analyse it for bugs & then report the bugs. That's not fun, that's a tiring job.
@@bramhad that’s cute. 👍🏼
0:52 well ma’am your first mistake was working for activision🤣💀