With the rise of the live-service model, video games have shifted from a product you buy to a service you rent, one that publishers can switch off whenever they want.
If you want workers’ rights get your own movement started, you don’t get to come shit up the initiative others have set up for an entirely different purpose.
It sounds noble sure, but it would cause the movement to start spinning too many plates at once.
Stop Killing Games can focus on other industry problems later when it has established more of a presence. If it starts caving into demands to go into several other directions before it has its foot in the door it will crumble.
I am not saying we throw workers under the bus, I’m saying we don’t try to help them before we are able to help ourselves.
Stop Killing Games can focus on other industry problems later when it has established more of a presence.
Or just not? SKG is a consumer rights and art preservation movement, not a labor rights movement.
None of the people who signed up for SKG should expect it to pivot to something else once the stated goal is achieved, and especially not to legitimise itself as an organisation beyond its stated mission off the back of the support for it.
I guarantee you without a shadow of a doubt that a “Stop firing devs” would not have gone anywhere close to this level of support.
Moreover, it’s basically impossible to unionize any kind of digital asset production work, because with modern internet connections locations are a non-issue, and you can’t unionize across vastly different countries and economies.
Too many people are willing to work in games while being paid breadcrumbs to even make a union possible, even without the outsourcing issue, and frankly if you are that willing to get fucked why should anyone stand in your way?
Lol no.
If you want workers’ rights get your own movement started, you don’t get to come shit up the initiative others have set up for an entirely different purpose.
This, I can’t help but to think this is a trap.
It sounds noble sure, but it would cause the movement to start spinning too many plates at once.
Stop Killing Games can focus on other industry problems later when it has established more of a presence. If it starts caving into demands to go into several other directions before it has its foot in the door it will crumble.
I am not saying we throw workers under the bus, I’m saying we don’t try to help them before we are able to help ourselves.
Or just not? SKG is a consumer rights and art preservation movement, not a labor rights movement.
None of the people who signed up for SKG should expect it to pivot to something else once the stated goal is achieved, and especially not to legitimise itself as an organisation beyond its stated mission off the back of the support for it.
I guarantee you without a shadow of a doubt that a “Stop firing devs” would not have gone anywhere close to this level of support.
Moreover, it’s basically impossible to unionize any kind of digital asset production work, because with modern internet connections locations are a non-issue, and you can’t unionize across vastly different countries and economies.
Too many people are willing to work in games while being paid breadcrumbs to even make a union possible, even without the outsourcing issue, and frankly if you are that willing to get fucked why should anyone stand in your way?