As the pandemic continues to keep people inside, some jobs have moved from the office culture to working from home. For developers adjusting to this new reality, many say they are struggling to stay focused and productive in the new conditions, according to a new survey released by GDC. The results, released today, include nearly 2,500 developers.
Of those who responded to the survey, 70 percent say they switched to working from home. The workers mentioned specific problems related to child care, communication, distractions, as well as general anxiety about major problems. “The team’s biggest overall challenge has been managing environmental stress,” wrote one respondent. “Everyone has been affected by the pandemic in some way, even if not directly, and the general atmosphere of anxiety is impossible to ignore entirely.”
Shortly after quarantine began for many employees in the U.S., developers who spoke to The edge he cited similar problems. While some, like the developers at Bungie, were quick to set up an infrastructure for their employees to adapt to their homes, others struggled to focus overall.
Although the GDC survey shows that COVID has not greatly affected developer jobs so far, 8 percent reported job loss due to the pandemic, it is more difficult to explain the impact on mental health. While 32 percent reported that they felt productivity had decreased at home, developers also report that their creativity has slowed down a bit (28 percent) or decreased significantly (7 percent). However, that doesn’t necessarily point to problems with the home itself. As one respondent put it: “The overall situation (company-level financial problems, additional meetings and overhead, anxiety about going to the grocery store) is probably more to blame than staying at home.”
Businesses appear to have been “significantly affected,” pollsters say, “with some seeing increases in earnings, while others are experiencing major business recessions.” Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported that overall business is “almost the same,” while another 24 percent said “somewhat increased.” At either end of the spectrum, 7 percent said their business had increased significantly, while another 8 percent said it had decreased significantly. About 33 percent of developers, or 1 in 3, say they have delayed a game.
The gaming industry, known for the crisis, may still have to contend with how employees strike a balance between work and personal life under these new conditions. Many developers (39 percent total) say they work longer hours than before the pandemic. “It is more difficult to set limits when working from home,” wrote one. “You feel like you’re at home, so it’s okay to do 2, 3, 4 or more extra hours. The company also fosters the (unpaid) crisis. “
As for what the future holds, more than half of developers (64 percent) say their companies have adopted new practices and processes that will continue once the blockade ends. For some, that means more freedom to work from home. “We had to make some changes to our daily tasks to make up for not being in our office physically working together, but these have been shown to increase our efficiency and productivity,” wrote one developer. “Lately, we’ve even talked about adopting the home office setup even after the pandemic.”
