A new study from the Game Developers Conference has been launched, shedding light on the impact of COVID-19 on the gaming industry. For the study, GDC surveyed nearly 2,500 developers, and there are a number of notable conclusions to learn from the report.
First, almost half of those who responded to the survey said they work longer hours and are less productive than before the pandemic, when they could have been working in an office.
“Poor communication, isolation, and lack of access to critical tools are some of the common challenges facing developers right now,” said GDC. “Almost half of game makers feel that working from home has reduced their productivity, and 1/3 of developers said they have experienced a decrease in creativity while working from home. While productivity and creativity may have decreased for Many developers, the number of hours worked has increased in almost half of all developers surveyed. “
On the other hand, 19 percent of respondents said they saw an increase in their creativity in their new home-based work environment. “Fewer distractions means more room to think and act on ideas,” said one person.
One developer surveyed said, “The hardest part is problem solving. Not everyone can sit at Zoom all day. Typically, we would have brainstorming sessions in the office together that would help when we were stuck with a problem.”
Overall, 32 percent of respondents said that their productivity “somewhat decreased” due to working from home, while 9 percent said that their productivity “decreased significantly.” 24 percent said their productivity increased somewhat, while 8 percent said their productivity increased significantly.
In terms of the number of hours worked, 41 percent of developers surveyed said they were working roughly the same number of hours as before. About the same percentage said they are working more hours away from home. Of these, 28 percent said they were working “a little more” hours, while 11 percent said they were spending “much more” time working than before.
14 percent said they worked less, and 6 percent said they worked much less than before.
The pandemic has also had an impact on business results. 34 percent of respondents said they saw their business decline, 37 percent said it stayed about the same, and 31 percent said their businesses experienced growth due to more time spent playing.
Fewer than 10 percent of developers surveyed said they were fired or suspended due to the pandemic, while 26 percent said their family income declined due to the crisis.
70 percent of respondents said they moved to a work-from-home environment, while 27 percent said they were already working from home before the pandemic broke out.
As expected, a number of game projects have also been delayed due to COVID-19. 33 percent of respondents said their games were delayed for reasons related to the virus. Another expected result is that the developers’ mental and emotional health has been affected.
“My entire family lives with me, and sometimes it is difficult to focus on my tasks,” said one respondent.
“Aside from the pressures of home life, it hasn’t been difficult to see the people working on the game in person,” explained another. “Lack of a human connection and a tangible physical place to call work just makes you feel like a stranger.”
About 10 percent of developers surveyed said they felt safe going back to work. “There has been talk of reopening the office for some people, with additional cleaning required,” said one respondent. “I don’t want to be involved in that.”
You can read the full GDC report here.
