Surveying the Effects of Remote Communication & Collaboration Practices on Game Developers Amid a Pandemic

Elizabeth Caravella York University ; Rich Shivener York University ; Nanditha Narayanamoorthy University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Abstract

Communication and collaboration are essential parts of the game development process. However, during the global pandemic, the shift to remote work marked a sudden change in how developers could communicate and collaborate with one another, as usual ad-hoc conversations that happen in physical offices were nonexistent. Based on a partnership grant study with the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), this piece focuses on the results of a survey that examined developers' mental health and productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest that most game developers want a hybrid or fully remote position even after pandemic conditions subside. Failure to address the pandemic's impact on the game development industry risks ignoring a rich area of technical communication complicated by, and responsive to, hybrid workplaces.

Journal
Communication Design Quarterly
Published
2022-12-01
DOI
10.1145/3531210.3531211
CompPile
Open Access
OA PDF Gold
Topics
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Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Computers and Composition

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