Giving a talk online. Follow along!

1. Stay Sane Inside Insanity
Identifying Toxic Game Development
Environments -- Billy Joe Cain 7/30/16
billyjoecain@gmail.com

2. 24 year career as: an employee of a publisher, an outside developer, a studio
owner, a contractor, a solutions provider, adviser to universities, and vice-
chair of Austin IGDA.
Worked on and shipped a lot of projects.
Why Should You Care?

3. This is your life. Live it well.
Why Should You Care?

4. Topics
Know Your Enemy: Crunch
•Crunch Definition and Legality
•Crunch Effects on YOU
•Crunch Effects on Productivity
Know Your Enemy: Environmental
•Toxic Examples
•Abusive Managers / Bullying
Resources for Self-Help

5. Know your Enemy: Crunch
Whoa. This always makes me take a deep
breath.

6. Crunch: My Experience
I had heard about “crunch.” I was prepared for the extra hours.
I didn’t have family in town or a steady girlfriend, so it made
the extra work that much easier.
Over the years, my friends started wondering where I
disappeared to. When I’d finish a project, we'd hang out again
until crunch happened on the next project and the pattern
repeated itself. Now, I hardly even see those friends.
They got tired of waiting.
Some of you may have experienced this, some of you may be
heading into it...

7. Merriam Webster
A critical moment or period when decisive
action is needed.
Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crunch%20time

8. Urban Dictionary
•
The interval of time immediately before a project is due, when it becomes
apparent that the schedule has slipped and everyone is
going to have to work like dogs to try to complete the project in time.
Crunch time usually occurs during the period between the next-to-last scheduled milestone
(prior to which everyone was able to delude themselves that the
schedule had NOT slipped) and the final deadline for delivery. During crunch
time, workers are in crunch mode. Prevalent in the software industry, but used elsewhere as
well.
•
"We've got three weeks left to complete six weeks worth of work. Looks like we'll be living
on take-out for a while."
•
"I freakin' hate crunch time.“
Source: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=crunch+time

9. Crunch: “Kinda Legal” Definition
Forced or mandatory overtime
“[G]enerally legal, at least under federal law.
State laws differ from state to state.”
“If an employee refuses to work overtime when
requested to, the employer has the right to
penalize the employee. Such punishments may
include termination.”
http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/forced-overtime.html

10. Is there “Healthy” Crunch?
Healthy?
– Working extra hours for a short period of time to adjust for
the unpredictable nature of technological edginess.
– Ideally the additional effort is rewarded with something of
value to the employee (compensatory time off, overtime,
bonus, etc.).
Unhealthy?
– Throwing yourself on the pyre to make up for a chronically
under-scoped or under-funded project.
– Success is rewarded by more work!

11. Crunch: Lack of Productivity
“There's a bottom-line reason most industries
gave up crunch mode over 75 years ago:
It's the single most expensive way there is to get
the work done.”
– Evan Robinson
http://legacy.igda.org/why-crunch-modes-doesnt-work-six-lessons

12. Crunch: Lack of Productivity
“More than a century of studies show that long-term
useful worker output is maximized near a five-day, 40-
hour workweek.
Productivity drops immediately upon starting overtime
and continues to drop until, at approximately eight 60-
hour weeks,
the total work done is the same as what would have
been done in eight 40-hour weeks.”
– Evan Robinson
http://legacy.igda.org/why-crunch-modes-doesnt-work-six-lessons

13. Crunch and YOU
How does crunch affect you?
•
Studies point to many health issues, both
physical and mental.
•
Oddly enough, this subject has been studied in
other industries ad nauseam.

14. According to the National Institutes of Health, “[C]ontinued overtime
work should be recognized as an independent risk factor for the
development of sleep disturbances.
Sleep disturbances can have a significant negative effect on an
individual's quality of life.
Consequences associated with sleeping disturbances are serious,
including:
•a higher risk of accidents due to fatigue,
•increased risk of all-cause mortality,
•cardiovascular diseases,
•mental disorders,
•increased sickness absence rates,
•and substantial medical care costs.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690560/
Crunch: Physical Effects

15. Overtime work is probably best considered as a form of
work-related stress.
Chronic work-related stress is associated with a 2- to 4-
fold increase in cardiovascular events,
particularly when there is little control over the work
environment.
[E]xcess risk of coronary heart disease in employees with high
decision latitude was smaller than in those with lesser decision
latitude.
It might be better to be a boss?
http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/31/14/1672.full
Crunch: Physical Effects

16. Getting six or fewer hours of sleep each night is just like being
drunk. Consider that in most states the legal blood alcohol
content is .08.
When you’ve been up for 18 hours, studies show that you
function as if your blood alcohol content were .07.
After 24 hours without sleep, you’re at 0.1 the same as a
drunk driver.
http://www.corrections.com/news/article/23187-mandatory-overtime-sleep-deprivation
Crunch: Physical Effects

17. [L]ong working hours may be one of the risk factors that
have a negative effect on cognitive performance in
middle age.
As mild cognitive impairment predicts
dementia and mortality, the identification
of risk factors for mild cognitive impairment
in middle age is important.
Long Working Hours and Cognitive Function | The Whitehall II Study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2727184/
Crunch: Mental Effects

18. Crunch and your RELATIONSHIPS
How does “crunch” affect your relationships?

Significant other

Close friends

Family

Children

19. Know Your Enemy: Environmental
There is another enemy out there that is
quite possibly worse than crunch.
A toxic development environment.

20. Do you work in a Toxic
Development Environment?
•
In the video game industry we have some
serious, insidious problems that we don’t
really talk about. And I think we should.
•
One of those problems is that development
environments themselves can be toxic, and
affect you just as much (or more) than crunch.
•
Maybe you don’t even know any better?

21. Warning Signs
•
There are clear signs that you are in an
unhealthy company; crunch is only ONE
of the indicators.
•
How to fix these? Do the opposite!

22. What is Toxic? Bullies
•
A “bully” could be a peer, an immediate
supervisor, the owner of the company,
an untenable contract, or a publisher.
•
Abuse comes in many forms, verbal,
mental and physical.
•
This abuse also affects your friends and
family.

23. What is Toxic? Workplace Bullying
What is bullying? Repeated, health-harming
mistreatment of one or more persons (the
targets) by one or more perpetrators that
takes one or more of the following forms:
•
Verbal abuse
•
Offensive conduct/behaviors (including nonverbal) which
are threatening, humiliating or intimidating
•
Work interference – sabotage – which prevents work
from getting done
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/

24. Workplace Bullying: The Problem
It is a problem that has invaded the life of 37% adult Americans without
invitation.
In its more severe forms, it triggers a host of stress-related health
complications:
hypertension, auto-immune disorders, depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
The person's immediate job and often career are often disrupted.
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/

25. Workplace Bullying: A Solution
The Healthy Workplace Campaign
•
31 Legislatures (29 States, 2 Territories) since
2003 have introduced the Healthy Workplace
Bill
•
No laws yet enacted
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/

26. Workplace Bullying: A Solution
What the Healthy Workplace Bill Does for
Employers
•
Precisely defines an "abusive work environment" -- it is a
high standard for misconduct
•
Requires proof of health harm by licensed health or
mental health professionals
•
Protects conscientious employers from vicarious liability
risk when internal correction and prevention
mechanisms are in effect
•
Gives employers the reason to terminate or penalize
offenders
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/

27. Workplace Bullying: A Solution
What the Healthy Workplace Bill Does for
Workers
•
Provides an avenue for legal redress for health-
harming cruelty at work
•
Allows you to sue the bully as an individual
•
Holds the employer accountable
•
Seeks restoration of lost wages and benefits
•
Compels employers to prevent and correct future
instances
http://www.healthyworkplacebill.org/

28. Toxicity Markers
•
Any part of a company or project can be toxic.
•
Any of these markers may or may not be toxic, so
be careful when you’re doing an assessment of your
own environment.

29. Toxic Budgeting / Finances
•
Project was originally budgeted with no input from
the team that would be doing the work
•
The company is unwilling to write an expense
check; instead, they expect everyone to just find a
way to get it done. “Why hire movers when
everyone has a car?”
•
The “company will fail” if everyone doesn’t “pull
together”

30. Toxic Staffing Issues
•
Not enough staff to reach project goals
•
Not enough experienced staff that know how to
avoid “rookie mistakes”
•
Too few people wearing too many hats
•
Positions are poorly defined with no job
descriptions

31. Toxic Staffing Issues
•
“Single” staff members outnumber those with families
•
“Single” staff show resentment toward those with
families (“I’m working harder!”)
•
High annual turnover
•
No exit interviews or listening to people leaving the
company
•
Requiring overtime with no notice; then being upset
when employees cannot work said overtime

32. Toxic Scheduling
•
Milestones are vague or completely undefined
•
Ship date is “locked” on an arbitrary date. If the date
is missed, another arbitrary date is chosen with no
regard to reality and what is possible.
•
Product demos are unscheduled and are often
surprises
•
Management has no idea how many hours the team
or individuals are working
•
No accountability in tasks

33. Toxic Scheduling
•
Effectiveness is irrelevant; management only notices the
quantity of hours employees are in the building
•
New tasks continually pull key staff away from their main
responsibilities
•
Vacations are non-existent, i.e. you cannot use your
accrued vacation time because the project is “too
important.”
•
No compensatory time off is given
•
Endless overtime, i.e. crunch. Didn’t think we’d leave that
out, did you?

34. Toxic Project Management
•
Feature list is vague, unrealistic, or non-existent
•
No clear plan to completion
•
The rule is “Work Harder” with no clearly
defined idea of what that means or what the
specific goals are
•
Management has no idea “how the sausage is
made”
•
Continual scope creep

35. Toxic Project Management
•
Design (or anything, really) by committee
without anyone that can have a final decision
•
Micromanagement
•
Never take the time to celebrate any
milestones, no matter how large or small
•
Employees are told when they doing a bad job;
never when they are doing a good job

36. Toxic Product Support
•
Quality Assurance is not hired until the last
possible minute (or later, or not at all)
•
Customer Service issues are ignored or not
planned for in any way during product
development
•
Lack of community management plan
•
Website is unmanned or inaccurate

37. Toxic Inequities / General Stupidity
•
Nepotism / favoritism / sycophants
•
Employees are more concerned with people “liking”
them than getting the job done
•
Management demands respect instead of earning it
•
Management habitually leaves before or arrives after
the bulk of the employees finish their workday
•
A huge gap in automobile value in the parking lot

38. Toxic Inequities / General Stupidity
•
No need to hire a cleaning service when management
can just make everyone (besides themselves) clean
toilets
•
Management expenses lunches / events with sycophants
•
Management takes vacations, leave to see their
children’s plays, and the like while everyone else is
forced to stay in the office
•
Management writes vague emails and are upset when
you cannot read between the lines or read their minds

39. What Can You Do?
•
Get educated. Resources on following pages.
•
Educate others. What may be obvious to you
is new information to someone else.
•
Change it if you have authority.
•
Find a new job.
•
Get help personally. There’s nothing wrong
with therapy.

40. Helpful Resources
•
Resources exist that allow you to get
help for yourself or others that are
suffering through crunch and/or are in
toxic environments.

41. Some Books for Inspiration
The Mythical Man Month
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
http://www.google.com/shopping/product/8732329471760615040?hl=en

42. Some Links for Help
•
Mental Health Support Resources
http://www.mhatexas.org/mhatexasMAIN/IRGuide4.03.pdf
•
Coping with stress checklist
http://www.nmha.org/index.cfm?objectid=c7df9899-1372-4d20-c89412d66a4ff88d
•
Am I Bipolar Quiz http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/bipolarquiz.htm
•
Am I a Workaholic Quiz
http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2011/05/living/workaholic.test/index.html
•
Is your boss Bullying you? http://undercoverlawyer.hubpages.com/hub/10-Signals-The-
Boss-is-Bullying-You
•
Toxic Workplace Quiz http://excelle.monster.com/benefits/articles/5573-workplace-
checklist-how-toxic-is-yours

43. More Links for Help
•
Discrimination Facts (Texas) http://www.twc.state.tx.us/crd/facts.html
•
Unemployment benefits (Texas) http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ui/bnfts/bi-99.pdf
•
How to collect back wages. http://www.ehow.com/how_7653930_collect-back-
wages.html
•
Am I a contractor or an employee?
http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/FAQ_IndependentContractor.htm
•
Overtime pay. http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/fairpay/main.htm

44. Stay Sane Inside Insanity
Identifying Toxic Game Development
Environments -- Billy Joe Cain 7/30/16
billyjoecain@gmail.com