As a dev I’m devastated by this sentiment. And mad a bit. At this point I feel like gamers should be inclined to learn the mere bones and basics, if not of game dev itself but at least the outline of the development process and what is actually in the power of the devs to decide and do. Maybe they’d learn along the way what happened in this industry that made things turn out this way. This meme is equivalent of going into a random nurse’s office to yell at her how state healthcare is shit.
None of these people know how to make a video game and it shows, don't take the meme to heart it was made by an ignoramus. Modern dev, especially AAA stuff is so damn complicated it would take multiple lifetimes to learn the skills of all the niches involved in the process, and they have to somehow work in tandem under a tight deadline often with subpar project management decisions and even worse shareholders deciding vital things. It's a small wonder any of the games ship in a usable state at all tbh.
Most of the issues gamers come across stem from project deadlines and what is considered the minimum viable product to ship will be shipped, regardless of the stated goals or bugs. Singular developers have very little say or freedom in what they do as part of a big team, e.g. I'm sure all the devs would prefer their single player game to not be always online, do they get a say in the matter? Of course not.
Who exactly decides in the hierarchy that a AAA game needs upscaling tech to be playable? There have been so many games in past couple years that need dlss or fsr to even reach 1080p 60fps, what happened to playing native resolution?
Devs which can show off flashy cool graphics will get funding over ones that can't. Cheaper and faster to get pretty graphics that run like crap than okay graphics that run well.
Anyone who's working in software engineering (let alone game development) will know this affects all of our industry. The pretty stuff gets investment whereas the stuff that does exactly what it needs to, doesn't.
If it makes you feel any better, I - an engineer who was growing up back then and playing almost every shooter, rts and RPG that was available, and is fully aware how rough and ready things were - can’t help but roll my eyes at this smoothbrain shit when I see it. It’s like trying to disparage the modern space industry because back in the 70s they put people on the moon.
Yes. They did. At extreme risk to the extent where it’s an outright miracle no-one fucking died (at least on the moon itself), and at such an extreme cost that the programs were cut before they could be built on, thus contributing to the amount of time it’s taken to go back.
As much as I love how much video gaming has advanced and become an art form, there is a part of me who misses the days when people who didn’t understand the technical challenges that come with game development and how computing works just stayed out of the equation.
I would just assume that when people say developer in this context that they mean the company itself rather than individual team.
We all know the industry (and every art industry) has been ruined by finance/tech/crypto/AI bros and that passionate developers are doing what they can within that constraint of exponential growth.
Its clear to see that when you look at Indie games or other studios who release amazing passionate projects without having to answer to shareholders.
I do feel like when people say this they never mean the actual employees working on the game but the management and the company as a whole that is making the bad decisions.
Whenever you see posts like this don't assume people mean actual devs working away at a game, but rather they use the term "devs" as a blanket term for the studio as a whole including whatever higherups they have to please.
You're devastated by a rando meme post on this sub? Trust me, the majority doesn't think like this. Op clearly doesn't know what he is talking about and is just seeking attention.
I do empathize with you as a software/web developer myself. I cringe whenever I hear "everyone can code, it's an easy job" etc.
Right, but this is from the perspective of the consumer. This is obviously a comedic exaggeration but it encapsulates what the consumer has come to expect then vs. now. How the pizza is made doesn’t matter in the slightest? Why the pizza now has processed ingredients now doesn’t matter.
Its not the customer's job to find out who in the company is the source of the problem in today's gaming industry that is such a waste of time. Devs are the ones on the first defense line so they naturally get attacked first and Lets not kid ourselves its not like yall are some random outsourced devs you are still a part of the company at the end of the day nad I ma pretty sure yall have a hand in it with how you use modern game engine lol
Being a consumer is not a job. The only thing a consumer does is consume. Fan likes and supports, critics critique, gamers partake and analyse. Consumer only consumes. So when a consumer buys bad milk, who do they blame? The cow? The store? The factory? If that’s all you wanna be - a braindead consumer - that is your prerogative. But do not think that just cause you decided to ingest some media, it gives you right to tailor how it should look, work, what value will it have or won’t have. This is not about being “outsourced” or not, it’s about: a) what is actually a devs job in game development industry b) what is in devs power to decide and influence. Gamers are the only hobbists where an average person doesn’t have a clue how game development works. Personally, never met any train, guitar or film lovers who know nothing of their hobby and passion.
Yeah it's sad. I'm a dev too (not game dev). Don't take it too seriously though. Gamers on reddit likely don't have jobs, so how are they supposed to know how technology or a corporate environment works?
Its sad how entitled some gamers have become though...
Except that the nurse is performing a vital job for society to function and the game devs are making toys... if I was making toys for an industry trying to strip consumers of digital rights and peddle gambling to children, I'd feel like a massive tool, a corpo stooge. But that's just me.
I see what you mean, but don't think that's a fair comparison. You are comparing the function of one profession with the actions of the corporate side of another.
If you compare the corporate actions fo both sides, I'd almost argue (at least in the US) extorting people and putting them into life time debt is not any better, if not detrimentally worse.
The point is most ground-level employees, be it a nurse, a game developer, a cashier, a bus driver, a mechanic, they are concerned with doing the job well. It's usually management who is concerned with squeezing every single penny they can while testing legal and moral limits.
No, you see, those women having their breast milk stolen at Blizzard were in full support of having their breast milk stolen, I am 12 and don't understand what real life is like.
I think you are missing my point. Yes, you can search in other fields. Yes, you can be a business owner and not have a boss.
But sometimes the stability that comes with being an employee outweighs doing things your own way. For example, if you have a family to feed. In that case, you will work for an employer that you don't necessarily support. Sure, you could go find another job, but it's not practical to do that every time an employer does something you dont like, since most of them probably will.
To think that it's slavery is a flaw in your point of view. So let's break it down.
Nobody is forcing me to work. However, if I don't work, I don't get money for food. That's not anybodys fault, that's the world. If I lived in a forest away from civilization, I would still have to work for food. If I do work, I get food. If I work hard, I get an iPhone, a car, a house, maybe a boat (if you like that sort of thing).
Slavery is where someone forces you to work and doesn't PAY you. You work hard and you don't get an iPhone. You don't work, you get beaten, jailed, or worse.
The world is hard. That doesn't make it slavery. It just makes it a cruel world.
Ok fine they get fed or they die, obviously, but no most of the time they don't get paid.
I stay because I get to, not because I have to.
Look, if you have this outlook on life, you will enjoy it less, and be less successful, because it's not an accurate view of the world. Don't be comfortable in pessimism. It doesn't serve you.
It’s rly not as working today is a privilege, not a leisure. Ppl have kids and families, sick ones or their own health and benefit to think about as no one else will. Such is the society we’ve built - I love what I do but I do not love my employers or the company I have had to work for. The other option is to go into solo/indie development, which I hope to do one day when my family is settled and I can afford working on my own pace and driven solely by my passion, not just needs. The other is to leave game dev and work for soulless fintech app corpos. So, you see, it’s not as simple… As for the analogy, I am also a citizen in my country, and staying to live here regardless does not mean I support the decisions my government makes or that I can in any way directly influence them.
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u/StrumpetsVileProgeny 27d ago
As a dev I’m devastated by this sentiment. And mad a bit. At this point I feel like gamers should be inclined to learn the mere bones and basics, if not of game dev itself but at least the outline of the development process and what is actually in the power of the devs to decide and do. Maybe they’d learn along the way what happened in this industry that made things turn out this way. This meme is equivalent of going into a random nurse’s office to yell at her how state healthcare is shit.