Why ‘crunch time’ is still a problem in the video game industry

Kate Edwards likes to do cosplay (costume play) as characters like Thor, a valkyrie, Indiana Jones, and Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones. That may give her the fortitude to handle her next big task as executive director of the International Game Developers Association. Last week, during the Game Developers Conference, Edwards announced the IGDA is going further in measuring the “crunch time” practices, or mandatory uncompensated overtime required to finish projects, at major game companies.

The group has already been doing those surveys for the past couple of years. Now, it will gather more precise data from employees of game companies, and it will report on the companies with the best crunch time practices later this year. And next year, the IGDA will reward the companies that are doing the best. But if companies with bad reputations refuse to change, the IGDA might publicly report companies that continue to force employees to work uncompensated crunch time.