Games Industry Survey/Interview

Why do people leave the games industry?

I am a student at the Guildhall at SMU and this is a question I am asking for my Master’s thesis.  I have created an online survey in the hopes of gaining more insight on this from current and past games industry professionals.  If you know anyone that meets either of these criteria, please feel free to send them here.  This is the first of two surveys that I will be posting.  This first one serves to find common factors and forms the basis for the second survey, which will serve to gather more quantitative data.  Any feedback you can give is greatly appreciated and anonymity is ensured.

Why am I interested in this?

The objective is to find common factors, if there are any, which contribute toward people being unsatisfied in the games industry.  People come into the industry with high hopes and expectations only to burn out years later.  This is something I have consistently heard and read about since I decided to change career from a business analyst to follow a passion in the games industry.

My interest in why people leave the games industry comes from not only looking at my own future, but also how being a producer might play a role in this.  I want to know what it takes to promote a creative and satisfactory environment for other people.  In exploring what drives people away, I am in a better place to do so.  I understand that often I may not be in a position to control this, but understanding it allows me to be a better producer and colleague in general.  In addition to this, if I decide to work on any startup projects, I want to start on the right track and for the right reasons.

Once I have completed my thesis, I will post it on Gamasutra for everyone’s benefit.  Thank you for your time.

Survey 1 of 2 (Second to follow mid to late February, 2013)

Click on the following link to take the survey.

Games Industry Survey