Do you think people who have a strong interest in developing games but have significant outside obligations (family, kids, other time consuming activities, etc) which may prevent them from participating in crunch time should still consider breaking into the industry? What advice would you give to these people?

If you really want to get into the game industry, then you should. But you should be realistic about your short-term growth potential as it may take you longer to establish yourself if you have significant constraints on longer work hours. As with any job, when you are new, you do have to spend the time and hours to establish your credibility and build the opportunity for promotions. And in the game industry, there are some very stressful production cycles where most of the team will be expected to put in long hours. However, every company wants as many competent, committed, organized team members as it can get, and many may be willing to work with you to find a balance. I’m assuming in the question above, that for some women that their outside obligations are either cyclical in nature (younger kids, childcare hours/cost, continuing education, caring for extended family, etc.) or constrained to core work hours, and that there may be a time in the future or after core work hours where they can give more time to work. If this is true, then you should be open with your management team and product team on how you can be creative and contribute during these crunch times. Maybe you will still be able to participate in crunch times; however it may be that several hours of each day are in the evenings, after family and other obligations have been met. Once a high-performance team is aware of a key member’s commitments, it will almost always be accommodating to that person’s schedule, as long as the person can continue to produce in meaningful ways.         

What advise would you give to start-up companies on a small budget who are trying to adhere to QoL standards while being mindful of the costs?

From a broad-level perspective, flexibility is a key component in developing a cost efficient foundation for quality of life standards in a company of any size.  Providing flexibility in work hours, work locations, etc., is a fairly inexpensive way to enable employees to find a balance that works for their work tasks and their life. However, the company needs to spend the time and energy in establishing its vision, objectives, and culture as well as its guidelines for QoL goals and policies. Last but not least, it’s important for company management to “walk the talk” with regard to QoL policies.

Do you think unionization would improve the game industry? Why or why not?

I don’t fully understand the pros and cons well enough to have an educated opinion at this time.

WomenGamers.Com would like to thank Bonnie Ross for her time. We wish you the best of luck with your newborn and finding that balance between work and home.

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