(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, March 16 (Korea Bizwire) — As the government plans to allow the legal cap on weekly work hours to be raised to 69 hours from 52 hours, the gaming industry, notorious for its “crunch mode” practices, is on alert.
“Crunching” is a period of elevated workload where developers work significant overtime to deliver a game on schedule.
It may extend from one or two weeks to a couple of months.
Most game developers have eradicated the practice ever since a 52-hour workweek was introduced in 2018. Among small to medium-sized companies, however, the practice is still rampant.
A report by the Korea Creative Content Agency showed that 19.1 percent of workers in the game industry have experienced ‘crunch mode’ on the most recent company project.
“Companies with labor unions may together be able to coordinate a reasonable solution. However, those without labor unions may be exposed to a risk of malpractice,” said Bae Soo-chan, head of labor union at online gaming giant Nexon Co.
In contrast, management welcomed the government plans, emphasizing the fact that “crunch mode” is inevitable in the gaming industry especially prior to the release of a new game or a major update.
“If we aren’t allowed to concentrate our workforce in emergency situations immediately prior to the release or during service shutdowns, delays will be inevitable, and our service quality will only deteriorate,” a manager-level developer said.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
