Former devs complain about 100 hour weeks for Mortal Kombat X development | Hacker News Reader

Former devs complain about 100 hour weeks for Mortal Kombat X development

pcgamer.com

16 pointschristianmm5 comments

"Hallstedt claimed that the studio relies heavily on temporary workers "on a 9 month on, 3 month off cycle with zero benefits near minimum wage, strung along with lukewarm messaging that maybe you'll be hired 'after the next contract"

Contractors generally don't have benefits. I've been contracting for over a decade and have paid for insurance out of my own pocket the entire time.

I also don't get why they are complaining about their wages. They took the contract with the understanding that they would get paid a certain amount. If you want more, negotiate for more.

I gave my self a raise last year by doubling my rate. Some companies didn't accept it, but I not only found plenty that did, but the quality of the work is far superior.

If you don't want the risks of being a contractor, which is essentially like running your own company, get a full time job.

You’re right, your experience is probably exactly the same for people with a different skillset in a different industry, and they probably could have solved all their problems by simply requiring that their sole employer just double their pay. I wonder why that never crossed their mind.

and they probably could have solved all their problems by simply requiring that their sole employer just double their pay

Your pay, whether you're a contractor or salaried is more or less related to your leverage with your employer. Was that really their 'sole employer' in their market? If so, they don't have a lot of leverage, and for the sort of work they were doing they probably couldn't expect good pay as salaried labour either.

Don't get yourself into a position where you have a 'sole employer'. Always be prepared to walk.

> but the quality of the work is far superior.

Could you expand on this a bit? How does the increased pay help improve the quality of your work?

I always find it crazy that people are willing to put up with such nonsense to be a game developer. Is code really that much more interesting when it's moving some sprites on a screen?

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