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“Crunch Mode” may sound like a fun breakfast cereal, but it’s actually kind of a bummer. Crunch Mode is a controversial labour practice that is common in the video game industry. It involves long hours, high amounts of stress, and no extra pay. In this episode, Jose and Nicholas talk about where Crunch Mode came from, why it is so bad, and what could be done about it.
Timestamps:
0:40: What is Crunch Mode?
2:15: The rise of awareness of Crunch Mode
3:43: What are the specifics behind Crunch Mode?
8:42: What’s so bad about Crunch Mode?
14:27: How do we change this practice in the industry?
16:05: Key takeaways
Mentioned This Episode:
mindyourworkpodcast@gmail.com – Email us your ideas here!
MindYourWorkIO – Send us a tweet!
Mindyourwork.io – Find us here!
Original Crunch Mode blog entry – https://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/
Patriot Act Episode on Crunch Mode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLAi_cmly6Q
Kotaku article on Crunch Mode – https://kotaku.com/inside-rockstar-games-culture-of-crunch-1829936466
Kotaku article on hiring cycles: https://kotaku.com/why-game-developers-keep-getting-laid-off-1583192249
Credits:
Our intro and outro music for Unscripted is “Pamgaea” by Kevin McLeod, licensed under licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. You can find more of Kevin’s music at incompetech.com.
Logo Artwork by Antonella Espinoza. Find her at @ellaspin on Twitter!