Outsourced game programmers
Author
I think this has been talked about before. Since I have 10 months for my computer science degree. I just had to ask, how does the job market for game programmers look? Are they going to be outsourced like everything else?
I don't think "everything else" is getting outsourced all that much. There seems to be a relatively healthy employed-developer community in Canada, for example.
All I've seen here in BC is that companies are dying to find good programmers (emphasis on good, I've seen and talked to a number of hiring managers who say they'd rather leave a position unfilled than hire someone who isn't right for it). In any case, I've had no trouble getting jobs and neither has anyone I know.
The job market for game programmers with no experience is poor as always. It has little to do with "outsourcing", rather it has everything to do with requiring experience.
Author
I just saw an ad on gamasutra. It was about a conference in LA on August 14th. On outsourcing. Looks like our hobby, dreams and lifestyle is going over seas. Video games make so much money and to pay someone over seas 2 bucks an hour is not only unfair, exploitive and greedy. That's all there is to it. Come on man it is a multi billion dollar industry. Share the wealth. I think game programmers around the world should get together and make unions or guilds and set standard pay rates. Jobs should be competitive by merit and skill not low balling methods.
Author
I have a friend in India and in Thailand. Both work for outsourcing companies. They say they don't even earn anything close to what tech workers in the states make. That their companies is run by mobsters who invite big companies from the west to take advantage of the cheap work force there. This is no different from the sweat shops for garmet factories. Making the rich richer and the poorer poorer.
One fact that people seem to neglect when talking about outsourcing is that it only affects the average to mediocre programmers. Quite frankly if you are a really good programmer than you have absolutely nothing to worry about and would not even care about outsourcing.
It's a global economy, get used to it. Companies finally have other ways of getting things done rather than overpaying some average programmer who does a lousy job anyway. I know some absolutely brilliant developers working in India right now, are you saying they shouldn't be allowed to work?
It's a global economy, get used to it. Companies finally have other ways of getting things done rather than overpaying some average programmer who does a lousy job anyway. I know some absolutely brilliant developers working in India right now, are you saying they shouldn't be allowed to work?
I make a very decent living as a freelance programmer (enough to rent a nice sized house, own a camaro, and go through 3 value-sized boxs of hot pockets a week), AND I live in the US, on multiple occasions I have done work with employers who lived in india. Outsourcing isnt exactly a bad thing, and Saruman is right about that. What is shitty is that we are allowed to outsource to companies in countries where it is illegal or highly taxed to export BACK. India is a good example of this, where you must establish a specific type of corporation, and file extreemly detailed import/export documentation, as well as explain what service you are importing (which is highly scrutinized, and taxed)
In addition, you should take a quick look at the tax breaks in india regarding software development. They can pay an extreemly low flat rate percentage, i believe this is in the area of 1-2%.
As for the global econ. Basic economics dictates exactly what happends in a true global economy, everything evens out. The problem is that for the first world countries and third world countries to even out, we must lose much of our ground. So yea, QOL has to go way down in america, canada, europe, and japan for this to all work.
That being said, while there are lots of people in india that work for pennies on the hour, those programmers are specialized brute-force coders that are average at best. Add in the language barrier and outsourcing doesent always save money in that premise. So they are getting the "shitty" programming jobs that people in our countries complain about anyways.
In addition, you should take a quick look at the tax breaks in india regarding software development. They can pay an extreemly low flat rate percentage, i believe this is in the area of 1-2%.
As for the global econ. Basic economics dictates exactly what happends in a true global economy, everything evens out. The problem is that for the first world countries and third world countries to even out, we must lose much of our ground. So yea, QOL has to go way down in america, canada, europe, and japan for this to all work.
That being said, while there are lots of people in india that work for pennies on the hour, those programmers are specialized brute-force coders that are average at best. Add in the language barrier and outsourcing doesent always save money in that premise. So they are getting the "shitty" programming jobs that people in our countries complain about anyways.
Author
No what I am saying is pay the Indian a decent wage. Do not take advantage of him. Are you saying that there are no mediocore indian programmars. Just saying that as a global community of game programmers we should unite to protect our jobs. Companies will tell you it is for the best. I say it is bull. They are just trying to pay pennies for somehting that is worth millions. It is just greed plain old greed. Robber Barons had at least the decency to tell you in your face. "YOUR FIRED!!!!!"
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
