Quote: "even if its not why do you keep changing jobs? if your doing good in one company why move to the next company? why not find a real 9 - 5 job that you can hold down for more that a couple of months"
Many reasons behind this. Often project related, in most contracts your not assigned to a company for a set amount of time; but rather as long as a project lasts. As such as an artist I can choose to stay on for another project, or seek another company.
It really isn't that uncommon for companies to switch employees on a regular basis, simply because if you keep doing the same thing it can often get quite boring, particularly if your working on franchise games. The pressure is high, as fans of the series want everything under the sun in it.. your working on an already established title which means you have little room for deviation.
Sometimes you just don't like the jerk who is telling you what to do, while professional speaking you put your head down and get on with things, sometimes you thank god that you don't *have* to work with that guy ever again.
This is actually why I can see myself not only becomming a full-time member but actually staying where I'm working now.
Each of the companies I've been at so far, I've started on one project and found I've been transfered to a game series I really don't want to have anything to do with. While the pay was the best at EA, because of what I worked as.. I never got to actually be part of anything. What good is a few thousand a week take home, if your never credited for anything, or if your on a project just long enough to learn peoples names and then off to something else?
With Vivendi, I was also working under similar circumstances.. As I started off at one company and they decided that they wanted my talents to goto work in an undisclosed title. So they upped and moved me 200-odd miles north and place me in-charge of CGI for a game that quite frankly I hate with every fiber of my being.
What was worse about that post was the guy I replace, kept throwing it in my face that 'oh he had a degree from Ringling' and 'I can't possibly understand the mechanics of CGI given all my experience comes from within the industry'.
This is something constantly thrown in my face, not just my age, but also the fact that I do not have *any* qualifications in this field. Non-what-so-ever. He could never admit that someone who hasn't paid several hundred dollars for an education, could ever actually have the talent to do the job. You know what it's like working with people like that?
Constantly being told your an idiot by someone who believes he is better than you? So far, the only job I'd ever liked, was the one I had while working in Derby for a relatively small company.
I liked it because, the guy there who encouraged my talent was always so damn nice. I liked it because the entire team felt like they were working towards something, always asking opinions, never stifling any ideas. When I left that company, I was quite upset. Possibly more-so because I didn't just loose the job, but I lost this country.. when your marred with the brush of breaking contractual rights, companies in the UK turn thier backs on you. No matter how hard I tried to prove myself the only companies I found willing to take me were big companies in the states.
Small companies require god knows how many years with experience in the field doing such'n'such. Talent is overlooked for people with degrees. I'm quite bitter about that to say the least.
but now.. i'm back in the UK and i have a temporary contract with a company who was willing to give me a chance here. once again i feel at home, the people there are just so friendly, they value opinions. the games are not being created in order to make a profit, but to make something fun. i've missed that. i've missed feeling like i was part of the team rather than just 'that english upstart'. i've missed feeling like my opinions and my thoughts on something matter. possibly most of all, i've missed working on a game that i love inside-and-out, a title that i want to put my all into rather than something that fits in with the rest of the teams work, and where i got home when i'm suppose to.
Quote: "just cause someone is freelance doesnt mean they dont know anything... They could be very talented people they just dont want the hassle of working for one compnay 9 -5... maybe they want flexable hours where they can sleep in work with diffrent people and build up alot of experiance dealing with hundreds of people.... instead of just a few.... "
No, I know there are some very talent people out there. Talent isn't part of the problem I have with freelancers, it's the attitude. They are far more money orientated, caring more for what they pocket than the end result. While this is true that isn't how all of them work, it is how a majority of them do.
They all end up showing thier true nature. I keep getting told by alot of people 'But you freelance too on occasions, doesn't that mean you hate yourself?', thing is though I charge exactly what I'd earn normally. I've never complained about a job, and I'll provide a service that is upto a given standard I'll accept myself else I knock money off.
I don't believe money should be the goal, really it's just a requirement to make rent. I'd do this stuff for free if I could, this is why I often lend my services to the guys and gals around here for free.
Quote: "Why attack people that do freelance i really dont think freelance would be for people that dont get along with other people you see cause they have to work with alot more people that someone working for one company."
There is no mandate when working for a company that you have to be socialable... Freelancers generally tend to be people who want more money than those who work full-time, it is almost as simple as that most of the time.
The price you pay for freelancing is you are almost never credited for your work, compensated but never credited. Same as not being 'directly' on the development team... quite sad really.
