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Hello friends, let's talk about gamer expectations of work/life balance & why they need to stfu.
There's a certain type of Gamer w/ a Hard R that believes their video games are the center of all existence. They've made their identity so fixated on gaming in general, or a game/games in particular, that nothing else comes close.
To those obsessive gamers, those in the game industry should consider themselves privileged to work on such important material. And w/ that privilege comes accepting that nothing in the employee's life is as important as The Game.
B/c gamer identities revolve around a game, they literally cannot comprehend that an employee might have other things in their life. They don't understand that employees, esp devs, have a right to boundaries b/c The Game trumps all.
There's also very little understanding among gamers about how game development, you know, *works* & they usually assume a lot less work is needed. So when combined w/ a lack of belief in employee boundaries, they truly expect immediate results.
These gamers don't believe a game industry employee has a right to a life outside their game, or a right to privacy, opinions, or other interests. They certainly don't have a right to not be on the clock 24/7. And any tiny mistake deserves firing b/c The Game Matters Most.
Suffice to say, gamers are incorrect.
When I was working in the film industry, I remember once rushing to get a film back onto Amazon at 8 PM. I remember my boss telling me not to b/c "we aren't doctors, these are movies, not lives." And he was right. But he was right about ALL entertainment.
Look, I adore video games, I'm not diminishing their value or that they can truly impact lives, but a game is not a life-saving object. It isn't medical care or attorney access. It's a piece of entertainment.
Just b/c you purchase a game does not mean you have purchased 24/7 access to any single game industry employee's time, labor, safety, or health, & CERTAINLY NOT their families.
Gamers are not entitled to treat game industry employees as slaves to their interests b/c they purchased an item. You didn't buy the employee, you bought a fucking product.
Game industry employees have lives. They have families. They have other people outside the industry that rely on them not just for a paycheck but to tuck in their kids at night & take out the trash & celebrate life events & all those things that make us part of a society.
When you demand the undivided attention, time, & labor of a game industry employee, you're saying they cannot exist independently, that their families & those that rely on them must come second to you. And THAT is entitlement to the highest degree.
In summary, Certain Gamers need to shut the fuck up.
