Quality of Life (QoL)
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Events • Resources • White Paper • Discussion
Forums • Committee
The mission of the IGDA’s Quality of Life Committee is to make the process of game development easier and more pleasant for everyone.
QoL Events & Presentations
The IGDA hosts several Quality of Life oriented events, summits and lectures each year. These events serve the purpose of furthering the IGDA's QoL work, providing a forum for developers to converse/connect and to work together to overcome challenges of poor working conditions. The proceedings, notes and materials from these events are catalogued (as much as possible) on this page.
QoL Resources
A compilation of resources and references are provided to help educate the industry on the issues, challenges and opportunities related to quality of life and working conditions. Resources are provided in the following categories:
- IGDA Documents
- Improving Quality of Life in the Workplace
- Why Good Quality of Life is Good Business
- QoL Press Coverage
- Articles and Essays
- Personal Quality of Life Resources
- Legal Cases
- Governmental Resources
Quality of Life White Paper
The Committee has documented the impact of quality of life issues on employee turnover and on the loss of qualified personnel in the Quality of Life White Paper. The White Paper elaborates on “best practices” to improve quality of life and reap the economic benefits of a happier team. The Committee first presented this White Paper at a panel during the 2004 Game Developers Conference.
Discussion Forums
Dive into the Quality of Life Discussion Forum. The IGDA hosts online discussion forums to faciliate peer-to-peer communication and the sharing of knowledge.
Related Special Interest Groups
Human Resources SIG
A big part of the quality of life challenge is about human resource management. While there are many general purpose HR resources, there is nothing specific to the game industry. The HR-SIG is meant to be resource for the community of game industry HR professionals and those involved in the HR process. The HR-SIG's private mailing list often discussed quality of life related issues and solutions.
Production SIG
The Production SIG is dedicated to refining and formalizing a structured approach to game production, one that outlines proven practices for development teams taking on interactive projects. Instead of reinventing the wheel, inexperienced and veteran development teams can both benefit from a toolbox of production strategies drawn from the experience of industry leaders.