Is Remote Work Possible in the Game Industry? Explaining the Pros and Cons of Working from Home vs. the Office!
The Spread of Remote Work
Today, I would like to share my thoughts on the growing trend of working from home and remote work in game development.
Recently, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of companies adopting remote work has increased significantly. However, while some companies continue this practice, others have intentionally abolished it and returned to office-based work.
In conclusion, while I am generally in favor of remote work, when it comes to developing action games, I recommend a hybrid work model over full remote work. While the benefits of reduced commuting time and the ability to hire talented individuals from afar are significant, I feel that there are aspects where coming to the office is essential when considering the characteristics of action games.
The Benefits of Remote Work
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work spread explosively. The game industry is no exception, and I have the impression that more studios have adopted work-from-home policies. Programmers, in particular, often say things like, "I can concentrate better on coding at home" and "it's physically easier without the commute." I feel the same way, and I believe that by making full use of Slack and online meeting tools, any lack of communication can be sufficiently covered.
Furthermore, I think being able to easily hire freelancers and talented people living far away is a major advantage of remote work. Especially since many small and medium-sized game companies often struggle to secure top talent, hiring without geographical limitations is attractive. There are also increasing cases of introducing online office tools like Gather to make remote work run smoothly, and I imagine many teams are making various efforts, such as providing a "virtual break room" for casual conversation.
It is often said that "frequently meeting face-to-face has the benefit of increasing team solidarity," but I don't really agree with this. I think it's something that can be covered depending on how you use online calling tools and how you build your team culture. If you want to build personal relationships, I think holding a dinner party about once a month is enough, and there is no need to meet every day.
The Unique Difficulties of Action Game Development
Even so, the reason I feel that "full remote work is not recommended for action game development" is that the process of refining the "feel" and "exquisite sense of tempo" unique to action games is difficult in a remote environment.
In action games, "which buttons you are pressing and how" and "finger movements in 0.1-second increments" directly affect the quality of the game experience. Even if you play through an online screen, subtle lag and image quality issues make it hard to understand fine reactions, and you cannot actually show each other your hands. To finely adjust this sense of operation, I believe it is important for programmers, animators, and game designers to meet face-to-face almost every day, look at each other's hands, and ask directly, "How is this? Isn't this hard to do?".
Action games should be playtested by many different people. If you make them only based on the developer's intuition, there are cases where you might think "this is fine," but it turns out to be too difficult or feels dull to the actual players. I feel that an environment where you can check hand movements in real-time and provide immediate feedback is something you can only get by coming to the office.
To put it a bit strongly, if someone making an action game says, "It's perfectly possible to work remotely," I doubt their ability a little. If they think they can make adjustments all by themselves, it is highly likely that the work will not be enjoyable for people around the world, including casual players and children.
Introducing Hybrid Work by Work Area
Therefore, I recommend a hybrid work model where you come to the office 2-3 days a week and work remotely for the rest, and I have introduced this in my own team. We frequently set days for members who are creating the core parts of the action game—specifically the programmers, animators, and game designers responsible for player character actions—to gather and conduct face-to-face playtests.
On the other hand, for members in charge of parts unrelated to 3D control, such as background art or UI production, there should be many cases where full remote work is not a problem. After all, their work is primarily about creating assets according to specifications, and the frequency of face-to-face meetings is not that high.
Working Styles Tailored to the Project
Of course, not all game development focuses on "hand-operated controls" like action games. If it is a game with rigid specifications and planning documents, and a style close to mass production work, it could likely be completed without any issues via full remote work. If things proceed smoothly with just online communication, I think it is more efficient to spend the entire commute time on work.
However, if you are making an action game, how to set up an environment where you can check the player's fingertip movements and the movements on the screen at the same time will likely be a major key. There are ways to hold online meetings while showing your hands with a high-quality camera, but there are aspects where the hurdles for introduction are high, such as communication environments and the home equipment of the members.
Remote or office, or a combination of both. The optimal solution changes depending on the content of the game, the size of the team, and the company culture. I think it is important to choose a work style that matches the "game you want to create". I personally think it is ideal to be able to switch flexibly depending on the type of project.
Remote work will likely continue in the game development industry. However, for those aiming to work on action games in particular, or for those who value the player's sense of control, I strongly encourage you to try the approach of "getting the best of both worlds with a hybrid model."
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