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| 03.02.2007Michael John article on Free Agent Development
Michael John has recently posted a feature article related to the idea of free agents in the games industry. At first glance, this may seem like an appealing prospect but digging deeper than the crust will reveal of myriad of unavoidable truths. We only have to look to professional sports or Hollywood as a clear example of why free agency could be a very bad thing. Mine is but one man’s opinion but let me paint a picture for you.
Many talented free agents may go unnoticed for an entire season because they are lost in an ocean of other agents looking to fill the same position. This is vicious cycle where that agent may now be considered less valuable because he is “out of practice” after taking the year off.
This is worsened by the fact that when someone does notice him, he will need to ask for an unreasonably large pay check to offset the fact that he’s been out of work and doesn’t know if more work will come when the season is over. Team owners are now faced with this ocean of free agents, all which are looking to score the one big pay check that will let them retire sooner than later.
Before you know it we may likely have programmers and artists making short term salaries that are equivalent to those we find in Hollywood, professional baseball, football or even a certain soccer player who will remain nameless. There will always be the unfortunate many that will ask for “just let me play the game” money, but the real talent will be unreachable by smaller development studios. With the lack of a salary cap, we will quickly see a small handful of individuals making ungodly income that only the major publishing houses can afford, while smaller studios are forced to take risks with young “up and coming” talent.
The current way that we handle employment may not be the best method but it has perks that are hard to say no to. It gives the power to the employee and not the employer, which is; in my opinion, where it belongs. If an employee is treated like family then they will return the good will and show you respect when it is time for them to leave.
Athletes are treated like pieces of meat, traded between team owners, sold like commodities, and forced to move from city to city. Their lives are filled with large but unstable income that is saturated by the uncertainties of their profession. The only thing that sounds appealing about any of this is the large pay check but it doesn’t seem like it would be enough to help me sleep any better at night.-Benjamin Quintero
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Letters to the Editor
