I found was incorrect or lacking. In one data source, I only found two credits, in another 13 credits were listed, but the description of my role in some of the games was completely off. Game professionals know that the only way to prove their claim to credit - for those fortunate to get them from the studio - is to keep screenshots of the credit line. Some of the games I had worked on over a decade ago are not accessible today. Finding a screenshot is just not an option. For me, it means that I don’t have valid proof and for someone opportunistic, it means that they can claim credits that they don’t really have. There is no credible way to prove or validate credits and that reality is fueling distrust.
ASSOCIATIONS’ EFFORTS FALLING SHORT The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) created a Game Credit Special Interest Group (SIG) and designed a credit guidelines system, indicating that any professional who worked on a game’s development for a certain period must be credited for their work. Unfortunately, enforcement of these guidelines with studios has been challenging, as less than 10 per cent of gaming professionals are IGDA members. IGDA is not alone, Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) is another organisation that tried to resolve the credits challenge and could not move the needle.
Games industry workers continue to be frustrated with these associations trying to take things into their own hands through social movements. #TranslatorInTheCredits is an example of a hashtag created to place social pressure on studios and agencies to recognize translators’ contribution. But, with limited reach and negotiation power, studios continue to have the upper hand.
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CREDITS TheXPlace is taking a different approach to work and to credits in the video games industry. Empowering talents to own their destiny, TheXPlace is building a trusted community and a platform that digitises the individual reference network of those who can vouch for one’s work.
July 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 7
It starts with automation where TheXPlace harvests credit listings from all primary sources today, and then allows workers to fill in the data gaps by asking their collaborators who they’ve worked with to verify and give them credit appropriately. TheXPlace then validates the feedback and retains a record of it. Credits are the key to unlocking the next opportunity, and with that in mind, TheXPlace provides professionals with easy tools to share their credits on social networks. This approach is intended to give control back to the professionals and also set the true north for the industry regarding validation of credits which everyone can trust.
It’s been calculated that there are more than five million videogame titles in existence (compared to 500,000 movies), and while we have reliable information on their release dates, platforms and the like, sufficiently detailed run downs of who worked on them are increasingly rare, with huge gaps that omit contracted workers and those that may have moved on before a game’s release. (Image credit: Mobygames)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
