Discussing the 2024 State of the Game Industry report on episode 39 of our podcast on our site
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024 State of the Game Industry report has shed light on a significant trend - an increase in unionization efforts among game developers, particularly among the younger generation.
The report, which surveyed over 3000 game developers, reveals that younger developers, aged 18 to 24, are almost three-fourths in favour of unionization efforts. On the other hand, older developers aged 60 to 65 or older are about one-fourth in favour of such initiatives. This marks the first time the report has included data segmentation based on age for the topic of unionization.
The report comes at a time when the game development industry is facing challenges such as high rates of layoffs, industry consolidation, and corporate restructuring. In 2024, 11% of developers were laid off across the industry, contributing to insecurity that fuels interest in unions as a means for survival and defense against corporate power.
Moves like Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard have raised concerns about job security and working conditions, prompting developers to organize. The rise in union activity is a response to these systemic pressures faced by younger workers, who often face precarious conditions and less job stability.
Unionization is increasingly viewed not just as a workplace improvement tool but as essential for navigating the tumultuous modern game development environment, particularly for younger employees seeking fairness and stability.
In addition to discussing unionization, the report also delves into other topics such as industry layoffs, game engine changes, generative AI, and monetization strategies. Liam Deane, an Omdia analyst, mentioned that he often feels that music and video industries lack the variety of monetization methods that the game industry has. Dom Tait, another Omdia analyst, suggested that games could potentially teach music and video industries about subscription services.
The report also includes data segmentation on unionization based on factors such as gender, job role, and age. Beth Elderkin, the project lead and GDC content marketing manager, highlighted the surprising statistics on unionization in the report. The GDC 2024 State of the Game Industry report was produced by colleagues from GDC and Omdia.
In part one of the podcast discussing the numbers of the report, Omdia analysts Liam Deane and Dom Tait focused on monetization, layoffs, and conglomeration in the industry. The unionization survey results in the GDC 2024 report show a significant difference between younger and older developers' views on unionization.
[1] GDC 2024 State of the Game Industry Report [2] GDC 2024 State of the Game Industry Podcast [3] Game Developer Layoff Statistics, 2024
Technology plays a crucial role in shaping the modern game development environment, with advancements in areas such as generative AI and game engine changes contributing to its evolution. The rise in unionization efforts among game developers, particularly the younger generation, can be seen as a response to technological progress, as it offers a means for survival and defense against corporates in the face of challenges like industry consolidation and corporate restructuring.
The increase in unionization among younger developers is driven not only by workplace improvement but also by the need for fairness and stability in an industry marked by precarious conditions and job insecurity, which technology-driven changes have inadvertently exacerbated.
