Ben Gilbert / Business Insider
The massive success of "Fortnite" has come at a cost.
- Video games are a multi-billion-dollar, international industry; the once-niche medium has gone mainstream.
- Video game development, however, remains stuck in the past - game developers across the spectrum report archaic business practices.
- The issues with game development have come to a head in the past six months, with repeated reports of workplace issues, ranging from 100-hour work weeks to stress-induced leave.
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Playing video games is delightful. The business of making video games is another story altogether.
Across the last six months - and, more sporadically, across the last few decades - a common theme has emerged from dozens of reports about video game development: It's far too often a grueling, disorganized slog that leans on passionate individuals to deliver multi-million-dollar blockbusters.
Whether we're talking about all-ages fare like "Fortnite" or adults-only games like "Red Dead Redemption 2," the same story surfaces: Too often, game developers are working unethically long hours to complete games, something that is often referred to as "crunch culture."
Here's where it all began, and what's been going on lately: