What is culture? Crunch occurs in a cultural context where employers have a skewed relationship with health and the well-being of employees. Illustration by Hannah Wertz. Phrases that get thrown around a lot in discussions about the video games industry are “crunch culture”, “crunch time”, and “crunch crisis”. The crunch has been a common trend plaguing the video game industry for quite some time. How does culture unlock relevance? The culture of 'crunch' Overworking staff, sometimes called "crunch culture," is an ongoing problem for video game studios and the tech industry at large. Get insights into your competition. T he creation of video games have evolved from a collection of small computers whirring away in someone’s garage to a multibillion dollar industry. Uncover startup trends, get company funding data. How can cultural strategy help a client’s bottom line? As a word of If crunch culture is a problem across Rockstar, then at Rockstar Lincoln, it appears to be an epidemic. Find new prospects, beat competitors and quotas. Little do they realize they actually hurt production in the long run only to gain a minute amount of immediate productivity. ... During 'crunch' periods in the games industry, many individuals work upwards of 40 hours a week Is the crunch culture rooted in just CD Projekt Red? As an incubator for C&G's mission, design for culture, our monthly internal workshop series, Culture Crunch, explores big questions. But “crunch culture,” the expectation to push yourself harder than normal to meet a deadline, has marred the game’s hype. Sixteen years ago, the partner of an EA developer lifted the lid on “crunch culture” in the gaming industry. Crunch culture is a symptom of the growing problem all over the US/CA : management & executives forcing producers to work harder, for longer, and with little extra compensation. Crunch Culture: How Game Development Becomes Toxic. 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