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Franke James
The irreverent
Co-creator of Office-Politics will wade in with her opinion on your dilemma, and seek advice from industry pros including Dr. John Burton (below).

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Dr. John Burton teaches Ethics at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto, Canada

"Do I bite the bullet?"

February 2004
Dear Office-Politics,

I am a Creative Director. Several years ago I joined a startup game company. The company did well; I did good work and earned good money. Then the game company merged into a big software company that mainly does retail and business software, not games. I run the art department of the business, and still earn a good salary, but no longer have a say in overall company management. The art department moved to its usual place inside big companies, toward the bottom of the corporate ladder, and I get no support from my direct supervisor (it\'s always easy to beat up on the artists). Now I’ve been asked to assign my employees to the respective departments that they work for, instead of reporting to me…so basically my management role goes away. I have a wife, ex-wife, kids, and several bartenders that rely on me for support, and I’m not real young anymore. Do I bite the bullet and hope to survive the downsizing of my authority, or seriously look for another position, which would probably entail a big salary cut?

AD Got Game

Dear AD Got Game,

Thanks for your ethics question. We're changing the format of OFFICE-POLITICS 101. In addition to Dr. John Burton, who teaches Ethics at Schulich, we'll also be calling upon industry experts to answer questions. As a co-founder of a game company, and an advertising firm, this one is right up my alley, so I'll take a shot at it.

It's a tough balancing act between paying the mortgage, etc. and being happy and challenged in your work. Your company has clearly wandered away from what attracted you to it in the first place, so it's no wonder you aren't feeling fulfilled (in fact it sounds dreary). My response is that the game business in some areas (e.g. Vancouver) is booming, and they are actively searching for talent. See article below: Game firms get creative to lure talent

My bottom-line is:
You need to press the "Play New Game" button. Treat your job hunt as if you're packaging yourself as a new game. What does the box look like? What are the "rave" quotes about you? What are your strengths? What demo will enjoy you the most? Get busy networking yourself into a better job, talk to headhunters, scour the media, online job sites, pull your portfolio/testimonials together -- before long you'll turn up new opportunities that will amaze you. And it doesn't need to mean a pay cut. You'll need to look before you leap, but that's part of the game.Good luck!

Let me know how it goes.

Franke


Article excerpt from The Globe and Mail:

Game firms get creative to lure talent

Vancouver video game companies use trees, poetry readings to keep staff happy

By PETER KENNEDY
Globe and Mail

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2004

VANCOUVER — Organic cheese, bamboo trees, and even punk poetry readings are turning out to be the weapons of choice in Vancouver as rivals in an increasingly competitive video game industry try to hang on to their prized creative talent.

Veteran players in the fast-growing sector say the scarcity of technical artists and experienced computer programmers is becoming so acute that some companies are going to extreme lengths to attract workers and keep them happy.

For instance, after rejecting the idea of exotic butterflies to spruce up the workplace, Electronic Arts Canada hired a helicopter last year to lower a 12-metre-high bamboo tree through the roof of its new video game development centre in downtown Vancouver.

To create the exotic ambience it was seeking, the company built a glass-enclosed stairwell so that the tree is visible to 200 employees working on four floors of an office tower overlooking the city's scenic North Shore mountains.

Electronic Arts is not alone in attempting to retain staff through the creation of eclectic and sometimes exotic working environments.

Radical Entertainment Co., a small independent firm that prides itself on its art school culture, recently moved into spacious new studios that are a regular venue for some of the leading figures from Vancouver's entertainment world....

"It is hard to find talent that is looking for work," said Iain Ross, a producer at Radical, which is best known for action adventure video games such as The Hulk and Simpsons Road Rage....

"Everyone here takes advantage of the natural environment,'' said Mr. Ross, a 38-year-old former CBC producer, who spent a recent afternoon taping power boat sounds for the company's latest video game. "It's just part of our culture."


© 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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The Ethics Letters that appears as a feature of this Website is an educational and discussion oriented column designed to help the reader better understand ethical issues. The matters discussed in the letter are reviewed in a summary/abbreviated way and are only meant to foster thinking on the part of the reader. If a person decides to adopt or implement suggestions, they do so at their own risk. No representation or warranty is provided in relation to suggestions or the contents of the letter. Neither the authors of the letter, Franke James, John W. Burton, or the owners of this Website accept any liability whatsoever for any opinions expressed in the letter or for errors and omissions. Submission of letters to the Office-Politics Forum grants the Publisher, Nerdheaven Ltd. the right to reproduce, republish, repurpose and excerpt the submission in any and all other media, without compensation or contacting the author. Copyright Nerdheaven Ltd. 2002-2005