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From Crunch to Grind: Adopting Servitization in Project-Based Creative Work
Johanna Weststar1, Louis-Étienne Dubois2
1Western University, Canada.
Work, Employment & Society : a Journal of the British Sociological Association
|August 17, 2023
Summary
Servitization in the digital game industry monetizes games but increases worker precarity. This study reveals the human cost, showing how increased control imperatives intensify labor and impact creativity.
Area of Science:
- Digital game industry studies
- Labor process theory
- Sociology of work
Background:
- The digital game industry increasingly adopts servitization for deeper monetization.
- Existing literature on servitization in games is largely uncritical of its impacts.
- Servitization involves a strategic shift towards customer centricity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critique the impact of servitization on game developers at the point of production.
- To analyze the human cost of servitization within the digital game industry.
- To apply labor process theory to understand worker experiences.
Main Methods:
- Conducted in-depth interviews with workers at a North American game development studio.
- Utilized labor process theory as a critical lens.
- Qualitative analysis of worker experiences.
Main Results:
- Servitization leads to significant human costs often overlooked by financial considerations.
- The strategy increases labor indeterminacy, requiring compensation for cost-benefit realization.
- Workers face intensified labor through control imperatives and real-time creative direction.
Conclusions:
- Servitization in game development creates a human cost by intensifying labor and impacting creative autonomy.
- Addressing labor indeterminacy and control imperatives is crucial for ethical servitization.
- The findings highlight the need for a more critical examination of servitization's effects on workers.
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