Again, wrong.Therumancer said:
This is not me defending my trade, I now work in an independent studio, and we simply have to work as much as we can to release the best product we can. This is me explaining a process which often may seem unprofessional to an unexperienced observer. A process which is actually very intricate and requires a lot of systems working together that you can only really appreciate when you really see them in action together.
I have found a report in Maxim ( I suppose it's this one: "why many game developers drive ferraris" ), which is hardly what you could call an in-depth analysis or even an article at all. But it states that the managing positions -lead designers, lead artists, and sound designers etc in an ELITE AAA company, make a lot of money- no breakdown as to what senior, junior or temp positions make. Also note, that the highest paid position in game development is listed as MARKETING AND BUSINESS! (SUITS!) (almost twice as much as any other position) But NOT actually part of the hard development team -completely administrative-.
As stated these numbers are only viable in HUGE companies with IN-HOUSE teams, such as Blizzard or Ubisoft. Middle range AAA developers, who are actually under control of bigger publishing companies, such as Viseral games or even Infinity Ward don't count directly with nearly as many resources, and direct payment is much lower. They are also forced to accept to certain strict conditions from a publisher (many famous cases, such as Yager being forced by the publisher to place an unnecesary multiplayer mode into Spec-Ops, or even Viceral with the microtransaction debacle, Or the really unfortunate case of Team bondi and Rockstar), and require to fulfill the requirements of the publisher (not the other way around!).
However, just as a figure, As a game programmer where I live, I need many very specific, very advanced skills that are extremely scarce. I know a few of the best in the field, but none of them make more than 40k a year. On the other hand, Working developing business solution software, which requires rather basic knowledge, you can make up to 80k.
Many of the people working for the 40k might appear at first sight as slow or sloppy, but they are actually extremely efficient and can do things that none of the other "more seemingly efficient" programmers, and are always thinking of the best possible solution, rather than a quick whatever solution.
This means that to an observer, it might appear evident, but to actually know how good a worker is, you MUST analyze their work, NOT HOW THEY SEEM TO DO IT.
And here's where you seem to be "calling it as you see it". Particularly in this field which is actually very tied to classic art and at the same time the cutting edge technology, there is MUCH MORE than meets the eye.
This is not me defending that "that's not how they really are" I'm saying that as with any PR, they present a certain image that makes their work appealing (SHOCKING!).
It is actually a huge problem with some people coming into the industry (which I thougth was solved by now, but I guess not), that from the media does not make it look as a serious ocupation, so many applicants expect that "hey, game making! must be super chill!"
But unless these people have an unsurmountable, controlable and exploitable talent I assure you THEY WILL NOT BE HIRED.
Now I'm not saying bad workers dont exist (they obviously do, everywhere), but particularly in a business as competitive as this, you snooze, you lose, theres a hundred brilliant people waiting for a chance.
The thing is, that particularly when dealing with artistic production, which Videogame Development is one of the deepest forms of, "Calling it as you see it" just doesn't cut it.