![]() There is another side to Crunch you can rarely hear over the sound of righteous indignation. But nothing’s ever as clear-cut as it seems. It’s why they make such easy villains - you never have to give them a second thought. That tends to be the case with demons, even metaphorical ones. If our industry learned basic time-management skills and exercised restraint, we could ship games on time and on budget without Crunch’s shadow ever crossing our door. Opponents of Crunch claim it is avoidable. And, most damning of all, crunch isn’t necessary (so true it hurts).įrom Magicka to Helldivers: The sharp pain of crunch Employees feel their jobs are at risk if they resist the will of Crunch (also true). My mouth wants to rage and howl and spit until designers and directors alike bow to my creative will. My tongue dries up, aching for the disgustingly sweet taste of Red Bull. My head goes all swimmy, like I haven’t slept in forty-eight hours. ![]() It only takes an instant for my eyes to drift off into that thousand-yard stare, and then it all comes rushing back. When I think about Crunch, my heart races. And yeah, I’m going to capitalize Crunch as if it were a proper noun, because Crunch is not some idle concept or a construct of the human mind Crunch is a demon lord, hiding behind the no-charge Coke machine, laughing as you guzzle down those free sodas, knowing that each delicious slurp sells off tiny pieces of your soul, and that soon - so very soon - that bill’s gonna come due and Crunch’ll step out into the light and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as the hope vanishes from your overly caffeinated eyes because you know this is all your fault it was you who allowed this foul demon into your midst and now your ass belongs to Him. Time flies by, and you have no idea where it went because you were locked in a dim room for a month, surviving on lattes and Cheetos, the pale glow of your monitor mirroring the fading light in your eyes. It drains you, literally sucks your life away. During crunch, it’s not uncommon to work ten- to twelve-hour days, seven days a week. It’s that period of time in which a team must tighten their belts, buckle down, and work more than the standard forty-hour work week. One of the most loathed words in our industry. We each have to recognize how we feed into it. My hope was that by being honest, it would encourage others to do the same. And, if I'm being just really open about it, I wasn't sure I could do that discussion justice because I have a hard time seeing it clearly.īut, we're talking now, and that's good. I didn't go into that, because I didn't want it to seem like I was forced to work this way. It is a CONSTANT fight for me.Īs an industry, we need to talk about crunch - how we define it, and especially how exploitative it can be. I'm healthier now, but you know what? I still crave it. Living and working that way led to a breakdown. I wanted you to see that through my eyes to hear the things I tell myself when I consider throwing my life away for a work binge. ![]() The excerpt is from a moment in my life when I was at my lowest and giving in to my most self-destructive tendencies. Destroying myself to make something fills an emptiness that I can't shake. It is also seductive to certain types.įor whatever reason, I'm broken in certain ways. ![]() It is not necessary (with good planning), and should not be forced on people. I'm a mess of a human being who also makes video games. With permission, we’ve included it below, edited for style and clarity. After this excerpt was published, the author shared some context about the piece in a thread on Twitter. The following is an excerpt from his book Significant Zero. Walt Williams has worked in the AAA gaming industry for over a decade.
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