Manager DoubleTalk

January 31st, 2007, 4:18 am

Why is it that management thinks it’s a good idea to lie to their employees?  I’ve recently been moved to a project that I am not excited about working on.  Originally I was hired to work on new IP on handhelds.  My team was great, but we got bounced around from project to project until they finally decided to move us all onto the big uber project for the company.  If I had known I would end up on that project, I would have never worked for this company.

Anyway, when I expressed my concerns over moving onto the uber team, I explained how working on that team did not fit in with my career goals at all, which were:

  1. Work on something new and original
  2. Work on a smaller team
  3. Work on various aspects of the game
  4. To not work mad amounts of overtime

I told my manager that this project fulfills none of my needs.  My manager then responded: “If you remove those concerns, would you want to work on this project?”  I told him that is impossible because those are things that are inherent about working on that project.  So I was given a choice, I can be on loan to this uber team for a month, I can move onto the uber team permanently, or I can move onto the smaller team that I really wanted to be on.  I told him that being on “loan” really was the same thing as being on the team permanently, yet he assured me that this was not true.

Apparently, I was never given the choice because management made the decision for me and moved me onto the uber project.  Still, my lead assured me that I could still move onto the project I really wanted to after a month.  I never believed him… not for a second.  Now, 3 weeks later, it’s abundantly clear that I am not on loan at all.  I will be on this team permanently.

So, why do managers do this?  I know that they are trying to satisfy everyone, but it is not my job as an employee to work in the best interest of this company.  If I don’t get anything out of this, then there really is no reason for me to be there anymore.  I’m angry, I’m disappointed, and I’m depressed.  So what is a disgruntled employee supposed to do?

I told them how I felt about the project and they still put me on it.  I’m going to talk to my lead on Thursday and tell him the truth: if this company is not working in the best interest of my career goals, I am going to look somewhere else.  I figure this is the best thing for both sides.  If the company knows that I am looking to leave, they will start aggressively looking for a replacement.  If I tell them I am going to leave, then the people I work with will not be so angry at me when I don’t do the mad amounts of overtime that they are doing and I leave in the middle of the project.  I still don’t want to burn any bridges… this industry is way too small.

Anyway, the only way for employees to not be taken advantage of is if those employees know they have options.  This forces companies to effectively compete for the limited resources that are the employees, thus forcing working conditions to improve.  This is what happened to the dot com companies.  I’ve got options, and the time is coming where I’m going to make it perfectly clear that I do.

Filed under Games, Rants, Work · Comments



I Won’t Do That…

January 18th, 2007, 7:02 am

I’ve started browsing YouTube at work because of my complete disillusionment lately. It feels like the longer that I’m in the games industry, the more picky I get. The more picky I get, the less able I am to put up with the BS from management. There’s something I want out of the games industry, and when I don’t get it… I feel I am wasting my time.

In any case, back to YouTube. I started watching some music videos for songs that I used to like. One in particular that I keep playing is I’d Do Anything for Love (but I Won’t Do That) by Meatloaf.

There’s a particular part of the lyrics that really strikes me:

Girl:
Will you raise me up, will you help me down?
Will you get me right out of this Godforsaken town?
Will you make it all a little less cold?

Boy:
I can do that! I can do that!

Girl:
Will you hold me sacred? Will you hold me tight?
Can you colorize my life, I’m so sick of black and white?
Can you make it all a little less old?

Boy:
I can do that! Oh oh, now I can do that!

Girl:
Will you make me some magic, with your own two hands?
Can you build an emerald city with these grains of sand?
Can you give me something I can take home?

Boy:
I can do that! Oh oh now, I can do that!

Girl:
Will you cater to every fantasy I got?
Will ya hose me down with holy water, if I get too hot?
Will you take me places I’ve never known?

Boy:
I can do that! Oh oh now, I can do that!

Girl:
After a while you’ll forget everything
It was a brief interlude and a midsummer night’s fling
And you’ll see that it’s time to move on

Boy:
I won’t do that! No I won’t do that!

Girl:
I know the territory, I’ve been around
It’ll all turn to dust and we’ll all fall down
And sooner or later, you’ll be screwing around

Boy:
I won’t do that! No I won’t do that!

So what wouldn’t I do for love?  People like to believe that they would do anything for love, but there are compromises that I think people shouldn’t ever make.  Some people become different people when there are pursuing love.  I don’t feel that this is something that people should ever do.  Love is not about being someone else.  Love is about being yourself… and feeling happy that you are who you are.  Love shouldn’t involve giving up on your dreams.  Dreams are what make up someone.  Maybe love can modify those dreams a bit, but I would never be happy with someone that made me forego what I have wanted my entire life.

So clearly, there are things that cannot be compromised for love.  These things must be understood by anyone that I am with.  And, in a sense, love is conditional… but barring these few unchangeables, I feel love is unconditional.  Life’s too short to be living someone else’s fantasy.  You have to work to live your own.

Filed under Life, Music · Comments



This is Letting Go…

January 10th, 2007, 4:36 am

Do you ever really stop liking someone, or do you just move on?  I’m not sure… do the things that attract you to someone ever go away?  I don’t think they ever do.  In the end, you just move on… without a word, you realize how life is.  It has never been fair.  But, life goes on.  Somehow… somewhere… you hope you can find those traits that attracted you to that person again.

Can the people you fell in love with ever be replaced?  No… but humans are remarkable creatures.  They move on, and survive.  We spend our whole lives looking for an easy solution, but we forget that the solution is just to live.  So goodbye… I am finally free.  I can finally live.  I am snubbable, but I am free.

Filed under Life · Comments



Parody is the Best Compliment

January 5th, 2007, 8:12 am

They say that you know something has made it big when someone makes a parody of it.  Well, the Final Fantasy series is one of my favorite games… not really for the game mechanics in particular (I actually really hate grinding to level up), but mainly for the deep characters and story.  Anyway, looks like someone made a pretty entertaining real life parody of Final Fantasy:

 

I have to say that I would be really flattered if I worked on a game that people spent the time to make fun of.  Also, it says something about the games industry in general if people are willing to spend the time to put together such an elaborate production as this.  Really impressive!

Filed under Games · 2 Comments