Video game outsourcing

[julia.sadie]

What is your opinion about video game outsourcing to China? Do you think that it is fine that gaming companies are getting overseas outsourcing companies to develop video games?

[Amish_Gramish]

I voted that it is bad.
It's not that they are "taking away our jobs," but what ends up happening when you outsource is that the game ends up suffering and/or development costs inevitably are higher than what predicted as there has to be a lot more conversations about what to do and clarifications than if the people were just stationed inside the original development studio.

[Vyse Hazuky]

I think video-game outsourcing from Japan to western countries is killing the video-game industry.
Even worse, is japanese developers adopting business models and creative aesthetics similar to western ones.

I do remember during the 80s and the best part of the 90s when there were very distinct creative schools with a very defined japanese and north american ones, with classic british developers, french, german... More and more these days there's a crucial lack of originality as all seem to cater to the same needs and authorship in big profile games seems to vanish. On the other hand, this is obviously brought upon by undeniable economic pressure to maximize profits. Cheap labour or more cost-effective design processes are obvious pros for top-management but in an industry that should sustain itself on creativity and entertainment that just can't be.
As videogames should be taken as more than a product, outsourcing is a considerable plague that is corroding away at the fabric of quality game design, since only small, tight-knit teams (indies) can bear the strain of a small budget and employ guerrilla tactics to maximize their benefits without affecting quality or integrity.

I had no idea it was affecting american videogame companies with outsourcing to China (of course I knew of it in most other industries), but it has almost completely knocked out Japan's once-thriving industry, with only elite 1st party teams, subsisting the strains of authorship, and more creators like Nishi, Eno and Takahashi, concentrating on smaller games that they can keep control of.

A recent example was I Am Alive's outsourcing to Shanghai, when Darkworks was a pretty capable developer, which had created an interesting and different aesthetic with Cold Fear.

It's almost unavoidable that China, India, Brasil (and hopefully some Africa - Nigeria, Uganda, Angola) will eventually dominate the field, and that they can bring something new to the table, but never through outsourcing.
I'm sure pretty soon, China will end that and replace them with their own brands (or acquire foreign companies) to keep a better control of content and production.

Sorry for rambling, but it really grinds my gears.

[juris]

Good for the publishers but bad for our countrymen. They should keep the job within our country to lower the unemployment rate and also it also affect the quality of the game... and worst, they're copying our own ideas and apply it in their project.

[Aranda]

Outsourcing is suppose to cut costs but if it is not then there seems to be some problems there. If you are saying that communication is the problem then for sure the provider was not carefully interviewed.

One thing to consider when outsourcing is getting the right provider and to get one, you should consider reviews and feedback. Also, carefully interviewing them should be done so as to know how they handle tasks and projects and discuss agreements. It is also helpful, to know if the provider is interested or not.

[thatflOwerguy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brj2UkUPjCI

No but seriously, it can be bad it we lose all control of game companies, especially for translation purposes. Some non English speakers will never get the hang of the language properly, it's got to be one of the most difficult languages to learn after all.

Plus yeah, the job thing obviously. If people want the jobs, come to the U.K. and apply to them, why not? It's nice enough over here

[F-minus]

If you want it done right, do it yourself... By outsourcing it is possible to lose control of the final product. There are certain aspects that can be outsourced and not have that happen, but if not careful, it can send the final product into a death spin.