I had heard a rumor that videogames were recession proof, but it appears that is not true. If the recent closing of 3D Realms isn't enough to convince you then how about a few numbers. In the past year 8,450 people have lost their job in the gaming industry. That number is according to Wanda Meloni, an independent analyst who conducted the study over at Gamasutra.
Her research, which was based on Game Developer Research's Game Developer Census 2008 report, shows that 75 percent of those jobs were from North America. Of course in comparison to, say, the car industry these numbers are actually pretty solid, and even Meloni sees a silver lining to the whole thing as she says this poises the industry for a "Gaming Renaissance Movement," where all the talent that has been laid off will start establishing their own companies and compensating for the lack of money with "creativity, vision and sheer grit."
I'm prompted to agree with her, and not to pull the curtain back too much, but we're seeing more and more emails from highly experienced devs who have gone off on their own and made a game for XBLA, WiiWare or iPhone. It's a new age of gaming people, all aboard.
Matthew Razak is Destructoid's Associate editor and co-founder of film site
Flixist. He began as community member "cowzilla" and was since sequestered to write brainy features material. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife.
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Contest:
9:00 AM on 05.10.2009
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this economick slowdown should be used by all of us to take stock of what we have actually accomplished in the (150 - 200 years ?) since we decided to kick things up a few notches.
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i for one want more 2D fighting games.
The problem that I see is that founding right now seems to be at low levels, and something tells me that its going to stay that way for the rest of the year. So this guys are not going to get enough money to make a BIG project for the next year, and then if they can scrap the money a well done project will take a couple of years.
One thing is to be a developer, other to have a company and run it, you can be very good at number one but that doesnt mean you will be at number 2. A lot of employees are allways saying what is wrong with the company, then when tey have some kind of responsability they dont know what to do...
Its the same logic as in the great depression.
People were broke, yet movies and broadway shows thrived , simply because when you're poor as shit you spend what little extra money you have on entertainment that lets you forget you are.