• Home
  • News
  • Read
  • Watch
    • 2 Guys 1 Pad
    • Button Bashers
    • TV Reactions
    • Trailer Reactions
    • Film Reactions
    • Stream Highlights
    • Versus
    • Random
  • Listen
  • Topics
    • Sports
    • Games
    • Adventure
    • Film
    • Television
  • Merch
  • About Us
    • Careers
  • Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • Discord
    • Twitch
All Maverick
All Maverick
  • Home
  • News
  • Read
  • Watch
    • 2 Guys 1 Pad
    • Button Bashers
    • TV Reactions
    • Trailer Reactions
    • Film Reactions
    • Stream Highlights
    • Versus
    • Random
  • Listen
  • Topics
    • Sports
    • Games
    • Adventure
    • Film
    • Television
  • Merch
  • About Us
    • Careers
  • Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Instagram
    • Discord
    • Twitch
Home
Featured

Raven Software’s Workers Union Is A Huge Step In Gaming

On May 23, the studio behind the Call of Duty franchise, Raven Software, had voted 13-2 in favour of establishing a worker’s union. This is a landmark moment as they are the first worker’s union in the gaming industry!

This victory came after months of campaigning after Raven’s decision to lay-off a dozen quality assurance testers. Game Worker’s Alliance now seeks to uphold the rights of all employees of Raven Software and are the first step to a better industry.

Happy union day! We won! pic.twitter.com/nzJ4A3J3RB

— Game Workers Alliance đź’™#WeAreGWA (@WeAreGWA) May 23, 2022

The current issue with the industry is that consumer and shareholder demands are completely disconnected with the reality of game development. Consumers ask for more, shareholders want to cut costs and developers pay the expense.

The result? Underpaid employees with no job security result in maximum profit, sure. However, in the long term, game quality suffers as small, inexperienced teams cannot cope with tight deadlines and eventually, educated and experienced individuals will no longer see game development as a viable career.

Our focus is on improving the conditions of workers in the video game industry by making it a more sustainable, equitable place where transparency is paramount.

Game Worker’s Alliance mission statement

This is what GWA hopes to remedy. In particular, Call of Duty: Warzone has seen its fair share of glitches, exploits and instability as a result of Raven’s mistreatment of their QA testers. Maintaining the Battle Royale is an astronomical task and it was clear that the QA team was understaffed and overworked.

Call of Duty Warzone Metacritic User Reviews

The GWA will push Raven to retain more staff, ensure that ample assistance is given for their relocation and that they have enough resources to avoid Crunch conditions (compulsory overtime to meet deadlines). We hope that through this, passionate staff will remain physically and mentally healthy, so that they can continue putting genuine care into Warzone.

GWA is also pushing for better transparency, meaning that Raven management will need to make an effort in keeping employees informed of any company-wide issues. Therefore, valid reasons must be given for all decisions, which may reduce unjust lay-offs like those in December 2021.

New trajectory

There have been arguments made about how the ‘bureaucracy’ of a union may hinder the release schedules of games or perhaps even increase cost, but these claims are based off speculation and not on precedent; a given since GWA is the first games industry union.

Instead, I believe this has now started a trend. Employees of other studios may follow GWA’s example if needed. Idealistically, we’d like a future where game developers are less vulnerable to companies exploiting the lack of accountability and auditing to push abusive policy.

Celebrating our union win pic.twitter.com/yDXOeu2HGx

— Erin Hall đź’™ #WeAreGWA #ABetterABK (@Erin48027) May 23, 2022

Studios also now see that a shift in employment policy is needed; they now must function under the assumption that employees have the option of unionizing if they do not open proper channels of negotiation and discussion.

Finally, with an improved working environment for developers, we may see a boost in motivation, mental health and physical health for game industry employees.

This all aims to make the industry more sustainable in the long-term and I believe it will benefit the quality of our games overall.

Let us know your thoughts down the comment box! Also, don’t forget to join our Discord and discuss all things gaming and entertainment with the All Maverick team and community!

Related

  • Tags
  • ABetterABK
  • Call of Duty Warzone
  • Game workers alliance
  • gaming industry
  • GWA
  • Jessica gonzalez
  • Raven
  • Raven Software
  • Workers union

Social Sharing

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest WhatsApp
Next article Winnie the Pooh horror movie in the works because of course it is
Previous article Call of Duty killer: Squirrel with a Gun now in Development

James Gay

James is a law graduate who has decided to delve into his long time passion of videogames. He plays a wide-range of genres from FPS, Action, Fighting Games, to RPGs and Grand Strategy. His aim is to always give the reader value, be it knowledge or entertainment.

Related Posts

THE LAST OF US 1x4 REACTION & REVIEW | Please Hold to My Hand

THE LAST OF US 1x4 REACTION & REVIEW | Please Hold to My Hand

PRIMAL 1x10 REACTION & REVIEW | Slave of the Scorpion

PRIMAL 1x10 REACTION & REVIEW | Slave of the Scorpion

THE LAST OF US 1x3 REACTION & REVIEW | Long, Long Time

THE LAST OF US 1x3 REACTION & REVIEW | Long, Long Time

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Back to top
© All Maverick Ltd 2020. All rights reserved.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT