As a result of the recent tech company layoffs, many different software organizations have evaporated entire teams of developers, leaving the future of many different industries uncertain. These employees are victims of an industry that is constantly changing and adapting due to events like COVID-19 or inflation and impulsive executive decisions. Thousands of freshly unemployed but qualified developers will now have to move on, leaving behind a crumbling industry that is loved by billions of people. These layoffs have shaken the entire community, and have worried some SSU students making them unsure about their careers and their overall participation in the tech industry.
I have been playing video games for 17 years and experienced firsthand the rise and fall of the entire community. Release dates were set in stone, and fans would wait in front of GameStops for hours on end, myself included. More recently we have seen delays, failed releases, and many other industry-wide errors that have led to a large decrease in the integrity of video games and their creativity.
“It’s sad to see lots of talent not being used in the market. We’re such a tech-based society that we should have room for developers, and the fact that we don’t is disappointing” said third-year communications major Trevin Cholmondeley. Cholmondeley then went on to express his condolences for these employees, stating that although he is not the most experienced gamer he could imagine the effects this has on the employees and their lives.
These more recent tech layoffs in the first few weeks of the new year have led to a crisis for the gaming community because the employment market has been saturated with a variety of qualified individuals who will now be fighting to regain their job stability. Players are concerned that these developers have lost their ability to innovate and hold up to the standards they once had. The remaining small development teams will face new challenges, and their efforts to enhance old and new games will take time to come to fruition.
“Since the start of 2024, 132 tech companies have laid off 33,224 employees, according to the website Layoffs.fyi, including 2,500 at PayPal, 1,900 at Microsoft, and 1,000 at Google” according to TNR. With these unsettling statistics, students enrolled in tech-based majors share their concerns.
“It sucks because people put in a lot of work. As a computer science major it’s scary since the fields are pretty related. I thought I would have more options but apparently not,” says second-year computer science major Andres Duenas. Another student offered his opinion on the matter. “I appreciate playing video games. We need to give credit where credit is due and it’s unfortunate because we need more creative minds in the industry,” says first-year electrical engineering major Emanuel Barajas.
These firings are leaving younger members of the community like Andres and Emanuel skeptical about their futures in the industry. Studying to graduate into a field that is currently in crisis would leave anyone feeling unsure about their future. These firings have not only affected those who are currently part of the industry but the up-and-coming members as well.
The challenges in the video game industry have deepened, as this more recent instability within the industry has fueled the push for unionization. “Workers are organizing into unions in their fight against an infamous culture of overwork, low pay, and harassment. Unions are on the rise in the game industry as workers seek to make meaningful, sustainable change,” according to Polygon. Although these efforts are being made it doesn’t seem like the new year will be going easy on these developers. With the lack of set hours and standardized conditions, it is no wonder this industry has been this unstable.
