Should Video Game Creators Form a Union?

I think it'd help near the beginning but it would ultimately do more harm than good.

The thing is, videogames are entertainment. And anything that would make it inconvenient or too expensive for the average gamer to play a game would most likely result in a loss of a sale. So a fine line needs to be walked, because game makers are not in an industry that's vital. A lot (not all) of unionized jobs are to protect the workers of jobs that are necessary for the social and financial future of a community. If a game maker's union made it so that game prices rose, or that games would take 5 years to make, instead of 2, then the public would react accordingly by either buying less games or waiting for sales, or moving on.

I think the game industry itself is to blame for whatever conditions it is that you may be talking about, OP. Take Drive Club, for example. The time and money spent on putting in hundreds of different types of plants and trees is absurd. You will be racing at fast speeds barely even noticing things outside of the road. I certainly hope there's something that lets you enjoy all the fauna in the game. Maybe a photo mode where you can place a car anywhere. Because if all that effort is being spent and you never get to see it and admire it - what's the point?

It seems devs are just playing with the technology just because they can. And as tech minded individuals, they are probably curious to see how much they can put in a game - not because it makes it better, but to satisfy that "hmm, I wonder if I can do that" itch. Forza Horizon 2's weather and night sky is another example. The dev team got accurate star maps from NASA. Why? Is there a constellation mode? Can the player navigate using the stars? The devs also made clouds and particles in the sky to reflect sunlight realistically. Again, it sounds cool, but probably not something that's going to dramatically change the racing genre. I'm sure they could have pre-baked 20 or 30 weather scenarios that would mimic this dynamic weather system they came up with.

It seems to me that what we are getting is a version of a programming team bragging about how much better their app is than someone else's. Does it make for a better, more entertaining game? Probably not, but look, my fish, which you will only see for 10 seconds and not have to do anything with, have these awesome a.i. routines.

I don't think game creators need a union to protect them. I think game creators need to keep in mind that they are creating games and entertainment, and adjust their development methods accordingly.

I do not think they should but there need to be something to promote games and try to counter groups that attacks games to push their agenda. A group that will even take on those that push for games as art.

@wiouds: so you're opposed to the idea of games as art I take it?

@mastermetal777: I opposed it as much as someone using a flamethrower in my home.

Unions are bad no matter what industry they are in.