A major labor group is launching a campaign to unionize Quebec's entire video game industry, which has been plagued by mass layoffs in recent months.
Current and former video game workers like Rida Hamdani face professional burnout, job insecurity, and disparities in treatment, and believe forming a union would alleviate these challenges. .
Before leaving the field, Hamdani worked in quality assurance. He is currently part of a group working with Games Workers Unite Montreal in Quebec. National Union (CSN) To improve working conditions in the industry.
“I think there is a renewed interest in unionizing because working conditions have changed,” Hamdani said. “We are in an economic crisis. Many people are starting to rethink their situation.”
Thousands of video game workers around the world have already been laid off this year, and 2024 is on track to exceed job losses in 2023.
CSN told CBC News that none of the 15,000 people working in Quebec's $1.4 billion video game industry are union members.
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The city is known for its thriving video game industry, but it's been facing some ups and downs lately. Several big-name studios have announced layoffs.
Inspired by employees at Starbucks and Amazon, which have some level of union penetration, Game Workers Unite and CSN want to create a national union for video game workers.
“It's a very important industry for Quebec and one that can meet the needs of its workers,” Hamdani said. “But passion is often a source of exploitation,” he said, adding that many workers do not always know their rights.
CSN president Caroline Seneville said the video game industry “sold away what was supposedly a cool workplace to get people to accept that their working hours are infinite,” adding that on-site layoffs and unpaid overtime have made it harder for workers to work. He pointed out that interest in unions is increasing.
Seneville said that as the industry matures, perks such as having a ping pong table in the office “are no longer useful” as staff are juggling more responsibilities than when they were new graduates.
“When you're working and everything is going well, you don't necessarily feel the need to form a union,” she says.
rare in the industry
Jonathan Lessard, an associate professor of design and computational arts at Concordia University, said it's “quite unusual” for a game studio to form a union.
Efforts to unionize have been underway for 10 years, he said, but no significant results have been achieved.
Lessard pointed out that the industry's value is almost entirely based on its people.
“The situation is becoming more difficult,” he said. “Industry players may be more risk-averse.”
led by Jean-Jacques Hermans quebec video guildis a nonprofit cooperative representing 330 video game companies in the state.
“We're obviously open to anything in terms of better working conditions for our employees,” Hermans said.
Overall, he said, Quebec's thriving video game industry is more insulated from the mass layoffs and other issues facing other parts of the industry.
“We've been pretty shielded from the effects of what's going on around the world,” Hermans said. “Obviously there have been layoffs, but it's been four or 500 people, and we have 15,000 employees.”
He said employment in any field with tight production deadlines involves stress during times of crunch. He said Quebec game studios have taken steps over the past three to six years to reduce stress, such as allowing employees to work from home and offering options like four-day work weeks.
Hermans said a recent survey found that the majority of gaming industry employees in Quebec are satisfied with their jobs and enjoy their jobs, so “I think we need to take that into consideration.”
