Desirable work: Creative autonomy and the everyday turn in game production

Area of Science:

• Game Studies
• Sociology of Work
• Cultural Production

Background:

• Previous research highlights creative workers' self-exploitation and acceptance of precarious conditions.
• The game development industry often involves challenging work environments and uncertain career paths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the concept of the 'everyday gamemaker'.
• To analyze how the daily realities of game production shape gameworker identities.
• To understand how gameworkers adapt to and navigate difficult working conditions.

Main Methods:

• Ethnographic study of the game development scene in Toronto.
• Analysis of the 'everyday turn' in game production work.

Main Results:

• Everyday gamemakers 'make-do' by pursuing independence, seeking employment and craft work for second careers, and engaging in professional development.
• These desires create nuanced work and leisure identities for gamemakers.
• Gamemakers exhibit a widespread struggle to achieve creative autonomy within game production.

Conclusions:

• The concept of the everyday gamemaker offers a new lens for understanding worker identities in cultural production.
• Gamemakers' adaptive strategies are shaped by their aspirations for autonomy and professional advancement.
• The study underscores the persistent challenges in achieving creative autonomy in the contemporary game industry.