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• How much longer 'till DNF? And is Dognose going to make a cameo? Thanks! : OverBurN
• I heard that employees at 3D Realms are chained to their desks. : stump
• I rekon development productivity dropped like a rock after 12AM 11/09/04. : EvilDolemite
• Give me DNF! : qwplayer
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  Is this common at 3DR? : suqur
  • #737

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    By: GeorgeB3DR x Show Full Post

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    Nah, we run about 50 hour weeks, 5 days a week.

    Nov 10, 2004 12:47pm CST
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    Nah, we run about 50 hour weeks, 5 days a week. : GeorgeB3DR
    • Half of this time is set for shacking also. : khaosman
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      Cool...I'd rather have DNF take longer knowing that. Better to have your in-house moral and energy high-... : PenicillinX57
      • Not too mention that those 50 hours are probably 95% as productive as EA's 90 hours. There's a severe dr... : SenorSpine
    • Where does all the time go? Gaming? Posting on forums? : meelk
    • [Duke] Peace of Cake! [/DUKE] : mr3dmax
• Wow, I hope you guys run it differently at 3DR. I don't see how anything good can come out of brutal, 12... : PenicillinX57
• This averages out to an eighty-five hour work week. Cheezopizza. Interesting and sad read. : helvetica
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  I'm never buying another EA game again !!! I have only bought 2 in the last five years but there is a ... : smellslikefish
  • I wish I hadn't bought LotR:3rd Age now :`( : Ebu
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  I am a chemical engineering student and have been on several internships among big semi conductor compani... : mindmann
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    Its getting that way everwhere. Even where I work our hours have recently expanded the required hours fro... : baron calamity
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      I don't understand how this is legal. The places i've interned at pay the techs and operators for every s... : mindmann
      • That's the difference between "exempt" and "non exempt." It seems that most hourly jobs are the kind whe... : DinK
  • I have heard Intel is like that... they work the exempts to the bone. I also work at a semiconductor com... : Guava D
• ouch. That's it, I'm never buying madden again. : edgewise
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  That guy is a moron for not finding another job :\ I wouldn't let my employer do some shit like that. : edifus
  • Not everyone has the financial stability to just drop a job and find a new one. Sure, he's probably quali... : nakedsavage
  • LOL, when did he have time to look for the job. : D45hiz
  • you obviously aren't in the gaming industry then : Senor PoopyPants
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  Check the PSP movies.. the PSP needs a Duke game : -TKF-
  • I think the DS would be a better candidate, less powerfull and lower resolution sure but useing the styl... : Turd Ferguson
• Crazy. As an aside, amazing how many people forget Blizzard is owned by Vivendi and not one of the indep... : Carnivac
• That is horrible :( I can't imagine doing that. Hopefully some small game businesses can make it : khaosman
• Wow, I hated EA before, now I really hate them. No more EA games for me, I hardly liked any of them anyw... : slickdoody
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  I was going to mention that the whole thing is illegal, but she dod it for me. She's exactly right about : nakedsavage
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    This is what I'm wondering as well. If it's illegal, why not report this shit?!?! Get a lawyer working fo... : SatansFist
    • ^^^This is the correct answer. : PenicillinX57
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      Hard to pay for a lawyer when your employer finds out and lets you go in retaliation. EA is also likel... : SiW73
      • Yeah, in cases like this, it seems pretty easy for money to win through. Or, at least hush it up enough t... : mindmann
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    I'm sure it's illegal. Without a union to force the company to obey these laws, the individual employee ... : alexthegreat2
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      If it's illegal all they have to do is contact the Attorney General or the Department of Labor. Based on ... : nakedsavage
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        Isn't it, like, a bad idea to try to initiate legal action again your employer? : cheshirecat
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          Only if you're in the wrong. : Ajax
          • Hm. Wouldn't it be sort of shooting yourself in the foot for future employment though? I mean, not nece... : cheshirecat
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  and this is why I love being a grad student : blogophobe
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    all the grad students i know work just as long/hard. : josecuervo
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      sucks to be them! :) I wake up around noon, work 6-7 hours while shacking, then go entertain myself for ... : blogophobe
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        What the heck do you do? : baron calamity
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          physics... i do computer simulations so it's mainly code/start the code/come back next day to look at res... : blogophobe
          • Not bad. I use to run simulations on Anysis and Flowworks a few years ago. Had more time to shack then as... : baron calamity
    • all the grad students I know don't work at all. They play Euchre on yahoo all day. : slickdoody
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  Game devs are in the same position as coal miners were 100 years ago. Unionize? : Kerath
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    Unionize? Did you just miss the election? : baron calamity
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      Contrary to what Bush would have you believe Unions are still legal and in some cases powerful. Skill ... : Hiro
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        Only problem is the huge publishers will just start training programmers overseas for peanuts if the game... : johnny skidmarks
        • This is the problem with globalization. You end up with the lowest common denominator worldwide. I th... : Hiro
  • Problem is that 100 years ago kids didnt dream of becoming coal miners when they grew up, let alone inves... : scatti
• Can't say I'm surprised. : Stage
• I haven't purchased an EA game since Alice. This hasn't been fully intentional. I will now purposefu... : DKo5
• Thus begins my boycott of EA games. I wish I was strong :( Only the bad games. : boomstickah
• Remember when EA was founded as a company that would pay proper respects to those who developed the games... : Carnivac
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  I'm wondering how long it is before the big publishers outsource most of the work. : Fyunch Click
  • I heard that Midway was already outsourcing levels to India. Why don't you ask you ask Romero : ) : ease_one
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  I wonder what the games industry is going to look like in 10-15 years. : stgdz
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    probably 2-3 major publishers doing all in house development on cookie cutter titles, and 3-4 small devel... : josecuervo
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      Rockstar is entirely owned by TakeTwo. : Carnivac
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        I've heard from a number of people that Rockstar is very similar to EA in its approach. : SeaLlama
        • They have been pumping out GTA games fairly often. I had wondered about that. : baron calamity
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      I don't think so. I really hope the net will give an outlet to small companies to distribute to the custo... : baron calamity
      • Crimsonland owns. : cheshirecat
      • shareware srsly needs to make a comeback. : timmie
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        re: Steam (?) : johngloid
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          steam is just a distribution outlet. The reason that dev houses need publishers is to provide funding fo... : Dimmona
          • i would say that funding is certainly a part of it. But the publishing/distribution is a HUGE part of it... : johnny rotten
      • It already is. Look at diygames, garagegames, or gametunnel, and you'll find some high-quality, high-fun... : SiW73
    • this is what I have been thinking about. One of the things that I have also wondered about is stuff li... : stgdz
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    Like Hollywood. You won't be able to make a competitive game without a $20m budget and the only people t... : GeorgeB3DR
    • Do you really think large developers will keep internal teams? Or will they become even more like the mo... : Sexpansion Pack
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    There will be a EA Console, it will be PC based and technically suck the most but it will have all the EA... : -TKF-
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      No way EA will do that. : Carnivac
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        That's how the 3DO was born; EA entering the console market. Trip Hawkins, then CEO, had so much faith in... : Alec Matias
        • Which is part of why they'd never get involved with anything like that again. : Carnivac
• wow. that seriously bites the big one. : hirez
• I really wish this sort of info was available on companies. : byorn
• man, am I glad I work at home and for the company I work for. We work 9-5, Monday to Friday. We are wel... : timmie
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  I'm just counting the days until one of the big players on the programming side says "ok, fuck this, I'm ... : itsjames
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    s/union/massacre of upper management/ Bound to happen sooner or later if they're treating people like ... : nudel
    • yeah. Trends like this are not sustainable : itsjames
• If the shit were to hit the proverbial fan as far as the labor injustices are concerned, I doubt that it ... : Ajax
• I always got the impression the majority of the industry was like this. If you want to enjoy working in g... : thebigbeefsandwhich
• The truth is, this is happening in a lot of other industries too and occupations too. : valiance
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  Good, make them get that game out there, I need my MVP Baseball, and I need it on time. : rockerbsf
  • PS. I'm wondering if EA funds that video game out in Washington, because that would be hilarious. : rockerbsf
• Fuck EA. I've had enough bad experiences in this industry, but EA is always the worst of the worst to me.... : WillingZombie
• I think more of the blame should be put upon the people who keep consuming their games like crack. If the... : mofo
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  2 corrections on her story : "The EA Mambo, paired with other giants such as Vivendi, Sony, and Micros... : Porkasaurus
  • Odds are they are listed as "management" by HR. Its a big buisness fad these days, it allows them to ... : supaslasha
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    from the comments on the blog: "Nitpick correction - Blizzard was owned by the same company that owned... : dmiller
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      Whoa, you worked for Dynamix? \m/ \m/ : enigmatic
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        The guy who made that comment on the blog did. : d3tached
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          ahh, gg reading. also \m/ Dynamix \m/ : enigmatic
          • I just remember Stellar 7. \m/ : DinK
• The perspective of a small dev shop: My company also expects long hours of you. We have to ultimately an... : SLUDGE^
• I have a cousin who works for MS on the Windows core, and I've heard similar horror stories. I guess at ... : Dimmona
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  cry me a frickin river and get a new job : crypt420
  • Hey Larry. : Stage
  • The CEO of EA posts on the shack? : project13
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    they definitely should have been looking for another job for the past couple of months and moved on once ... : handofthrawn
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      the way i see it, if you want a better life you gotta take a risk and piss a few people off... : crypt420
      • Pissing people off every now and then is ok. Destroying people physically and mentality is just bad. : Chod
      • The risk isn't on yourself alone. Unless you work full time and support a wife & possibly kids, then you ... : Magus
  • ^^^ has apparently never worked a day in his life : FrayLo
  • yay for insensitivity! Feel better now? /we'd hear no end of bitching if it was you in that job. G... : DoubleAught()
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    Says the guy with 420 in his name. : WillingZombie
    • seriously .. lol : Mansmells
  • I agree, no one is forcing him to work for EA : slackor
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    I also agree. Noone is forcing him to work for EA, find another job. : monohydrate
    • ^^ Future CEO right here folks. Sign-ups tomorrow! : jhof
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  Isn't this what a lot of Libertarians/Republicans want? (Virtually no restrictions on buisness practices)... : tree8
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    if you're going to attempt a political troll, at least don't make it a dumb one : Dimmona
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      it actually makes sense; without a union, these companies run roughshod over individuals. If you are a t... : rasputinreborn
      • regulation can also replace union in the above post. : rasputinreborn
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        I consider myself somewhere in between conservative and libertarian, and I absolutely hate large companie... : osiris_brad
        • one interesting position I've heard from Libertarians is the removal of corporate protection that is issu... : rasputinreborn
    • So I'm wrong then? They don't want less restrictions on buisness? : tree8
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    Most libertarians are very much pro-union because a union is nothing more than an agreement between a gro : zuga
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      Oh and libertarians are also for more accountability from owners and major stockholders in businesses as : tree8
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        You're generalizing on the basis that small/weak means small/weak in all areas. The libertarian philosop... : PUPSTAHS
        • Yes you did. Good job sir. : zuga
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          So the Libertarian answer is that it would be just big enough to enforce the laws? I would think it wo... : tree8
          • I think this depends on your definition of huge... : Toraz Chryx
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            I think you have some sort of strange misconception about government and corporate power. How does the... : zuga
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              I wasn't talking literal size. Money. And yes, sadly, money effects how law is enforced. : tree8
              • I don't think any libertarians favor cutting back on law enforcement or prosecution of baddies. In fact,... : DinK
      • From this statement it is obvious you have a severe misunderstanding of how government works. The reas : zuga
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    "The acts of forming a union and negotiating via a union do not inherently rely on force and fraud. Yes, ... : zuga
    • Well said. : CplBeaker
• This is why unions can be a good thing. : NexusOne
• Why am I not surprised, it is EA afterall. Good read, thanks. : Nixx2004
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  I would just start working 50 hour weeks. They wouldn't dare fire me in the middle of crunch time, and it... : Ben Barker
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    They would so fire your ass. : Ebu
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      I would like to see them try it in crunch mode. And even if they do, it's really no skin off my back seei... : Ben Barker
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        The problem is that they aren't 'really' in crunch mode. It's artificial crunch. : Ebu
        • Then I don't really need to work that long. Honestly if they fire me good. Seems like a quitting job anyw... : Ben Barker
• The only EA game I bought is C&C Generals. And it will be the last game. Oh no, I didn't buy it. Someone ... : matthaeus
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  I say we boycot EA's games... bastards : happynoodle
  • Odds of that happening are pretty slim even on the Shack. When Battlefield 2 comes out, or the next Madd... : Chod
  • this problem is really industry wide... not saying it's happening to EVERYONE, but it's certainly not unc... : DoubleAught()
  • I did a couple years ago (when they cancelled MCO heh). Last one I bought was BF:1942 Deluxe for $15. : Nixx2004
  • Westwood - NEVER FORGET, /me salutes. I've been trying since they "Consolidated" them :) : Amnesty_intl
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  I think there are at least a couple of shackers working for EA. Would like to hear their comments. : johnny rotten
  • If they want to shackmessage me I will post them anonymously. : Ben Barker
• In the past month I've met two people that had their long term relationship broken up because of EA. : sammyl
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  My 6 year relationship came to a screeching end last year due to my job. Guess who i work for? : oc3lot
  • mcdonalds? /:P : alexthegreat2
  • A pimp? : Phreakin
  • you worked for enron? : Amnesty_intl
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    Comedians.. the lot of you.. ;) And that's why I'm a Shacker. ;) : oc3lot
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      fvcker, you didn't answer your own riddle! :( : reverend~heresy
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        look at the post above mine + topic of the post = your answer. I'd spell it out, but it'd only take 2 ... : oc3lot
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          you worked for id? did you do doom 3?! : d3tached
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            Model for the fat bloated zombie? All me. ;) : oc3lot
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              The first one in the game or it's 1,000 clones? : dmason
              • the third from the left. : Fyunch Click
• Hmmm...doesn't say anything about "husband" or "wife"... C I V I L U N I O N ' D : Cunt_Rocket
• I wonder what the employment base ratios of EA are like.... Full time employed? Part time? Contract? S... : Downforce
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  Honest to god, this is why unions are needed. The free market system will often result in extreme work ho... : Crimson
  • did wonders for the US auto industry. =/ : mrtony
  • How are unions not free-market institutions? : zuga
  • lol. Game developer jobs are probably in such high demand that the free market precisely is why they are... : DinK
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  I call 'em game company widows, it's not easy but you know...you gotta do what you gotta do! : ChowYunCat
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    are they hot? : pupismyname
    • Yes. Yes we are. : easpouse
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  Hate to say it but, this is what will bring about Unions. I see the good in having it either way but cle... : jhof
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    Game technology is also getting to the point where artists and programmers can just take off and head int... : Ben Barker
    • Too bad all the lowly artists are starving because of piracy, though. =( : mindmann
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  Funny that you bring this up, as I was at an info session at a local tech school known for producing anim... : madclown
  • Yep, thats exactly what I've heard from people who've worked at that location too. : fart
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    Basketball fields? : Havain
    • lol : arizona bay
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  wow. after reading that it makes me never want to buy another EA game ever again. but i cant do that ... : virus
  • i'm already way ahead of you : mohmar
  • NFL2K5 > Madden Problem Solved! : CplBeaker
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  So how many of you are picking up alien homind? : stgdz
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    Hell yes! if I had a gall'dern playstation :( : jhof
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      its out for gamecube, may also be out for Xbox : stgdz
      • actually it is out for all systems http://games.ign.com/objects/658/658738.html?ui=GameDetailBox : stgdz
      • Oh sweet, I may then! : jhof
• This is why I am going to just stay in Academia for the rest of my life. I visited the private sector for... : smdever
• that is so sick :( Never buying EA again. : moshman
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  I just dont see how this results in higher work output at all. Productivity hits rock bottom at a point. ... : scatti
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    Most management tends to be bad management in my experience. I swear they all go to the same school of s... : Chod
    • what's that saying, "Promoted to their level of incompetence"? I prolly butchered it. : brushbaron
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  This is going to cause a major union to form in (at the very least) the entertainment software sector, if... : yakz
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    Keep in mind if they DO unionize, outsourcing will seem even more viable and practical. I think the re... : Downforce
    • That sounds nice in principle, but how do you expect all these programmers to find jobs elsewhere? As the... : ieGod
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  I feel bad for buying Burnout3 now :( : wunderbred
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    But hey, at least now you know why Live support was so buggy to begin with. : blackhawk
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      Especially so because of EA's extremely lame multiplayer 'service.' I swear to God I became so frustrate... : wunderbred
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        Well I'm still fuming that it never made it to Gamecube. Thanks for nothing EA. : blackhawk
        • Notice how all the recent EA commericials begin with a big GAMECUBE reference? what is that about. : d3tached
  • burnout 3 was developed by criterion, who were until very recently independent (and very successful, rend... : grimiv
• Sad but true. I'll send this on to my mom (who's currently Director of Compensation for a giant health c... : snagger
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  is this real or is this one of those fake write-ups? (those fake ones can be very real too. like. you kn... : dodob
  • For me it doesn't matter if it's fake or not. I believe George when he says that this is the norm in corp... : Hatta
  • oh this isn't fake. I wish working in the games industry was everything everybody thought it was. : oc3lot
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  game designers: bring your talents to academia. make games that get people addicted to learning because y... : get_navi
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    game designers: bring your talents to Europe, our labour laws are alot better :). : Hatta
    • you're telling me. you guys take months off at a time, take nap breaks, all that fun stuff! ;) : moonbreaker
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  battlefield series :[ (explains why it was so damn buggy) : Nighteyes
  • wasn't developer at EA, EA published it. : moshman
• At least they aren't working for Wal-Mart. : brewsterdog
• the biggest example of EA's assitude is C&C Generals & Zero Hour. Two very fine games that have NO SUPPOR... : r3ckless
• proletarian revolution lol! : SpaecKow
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  Note to Self: Never work for EA : lord cecil
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    never work for any game company if you don't like the sound of this. : Senor PoopyPants
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      Replace Game company with large corporation and you sir are 100% correct. : smdever
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        What percentage of people you know working for large corporations are forced to do 10-12 hours a day for ... : DinK
        • I know a few of people who work for large corps who work 12 hours a day. Of course I don't know how much ... : smdever
    • It is a harsh enviroment, but this is clearly an excessive exception. : lord cecil
• Hence the reason I became self-employed years ago. I may not have the most glamorous job (I'm a building ... : Dry_Hump
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  I came close to my wife leaving and having a friggin' nervous breakdown after I went into 9 months of 7 d... : Fred Garvin
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    Hallmark of a geek....let people walk all over you.... : myLeftTesticleofFury
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      misreply, of course... i suck. : myLeftTesticleofFury
      • I forgive you. : ToddBell
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  Young programmers should read this. Too many people have great starry-eyed dreams about "making games fo : DinK
  • No kidding, I jokingly call low end programming "the meat grinder" because of the way it chews through yo... : Fred Garvin
  • I've been thinking of going independent after i graduate. I know a couple programmers that do this and do... : vidalsasoon
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  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30610FE3F5A0C708EDDA10894DC404482 Or am I wrong? Since... : MrMethane
  • Sorry, can't read it, it's pay only :( : CplBeaker
• Well, EA won't be gettin any of my money anymore.... : Xspringe
• If you stay at EA, its cause you're not good enough to work at a good company, or you're not smart enough... : Avatar
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  For the record, if one is thinking about getting into automotive manufacturing, it's very similar to this... : StimpyBoy-KNoB-
  • Dont work at the post office either. I cant bring myself to feel sorry for programmers who at least make ... : meelk
• I know it's been said about a dozen times in this thread, but these programmers and artists need to union... : Serpico74
• And the kicker: for the honor of this treatment EA salaried employees receive a) no overtime; b) no compe : Don Juan DeNerdo
• wow, that is fucked up. ;[ : abubu