Reposted by Meg
not quite the same term, and not quite the same situation, but still
Meg
@aiggy.bsky.social
126 followers 129 following 30 posts
tired third world outsource concept artist forever one with @lancevl
tired third world outsource concept artist forever one with @lancevl
!["We are the ones who poured our blood, sweat, tears, sanity, and health into these games,” shouted one who paid tribute to a friend who’d just passed, who he said loved video games and hated corporate exploitation. “The ones who made the games are outside. [Bosses and executives] are inside patting themselves on the back. ... And what was our reward? Many of us were cast aside as soon as the products were created because we weren't needed anymore. And those who were lucky enough to stay [now] find themselves debugging ChatGPT code."
Some present had direct personal experience with the video game industry’s current layoff-centric strategy. Earlier this year, Timothy Staton-Davis, who attended the protest dressed in a grim reaper cloak and holding a plastic scythe, was part of a small round of layoffs at Brass Lion Entertainment, which is currently working on Wu-Tang: Rise Of The Deceiver.
“There were a few of us they had to let go of because of monetary issues,” Staton-Davis told Aftermath. “It’s their first game. They’re trying to pull through. They’ve been negatively affected by the current industry situation in a lot of ways because of mismanagement of money. It’s not the studio’s fault, but from our partners and all that kind of stuff.”
“My first studio gig was at Monolith,” he continued. “Now they’re gone. Unfairly so. All these studios I’ve been connected to have been negatively affected in some way, shape, or form by people not doing the right things with their money and taking advantage of folks.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5gdejlhcswjbzraadoltdpps/bafkreifyv7erpamrntagfmpqwndofhftfpiszgguefbunyy6iyz6dhavxy)
