BOUNDARYLESS CAREERS IN-BETWEEN VIDEO GAME FIELDS AND INDUSTRIES: THE JOB EXPERIENCES OF EXPATRIATE AND REMOTE WORKERS IN CZECH VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY

Resumen

The paper addresses the job experiences of expatriate and remote workers in the Czech game industry through their evaluation of its negative and positive features. The Czech game industry is divided between the video game field of smaller indie teams and the dominant industry incumbents, drawing from the same indie ethos. By using the push-pull migration model, both positive and negatively perceived qualities of the Czech game industry are discussed, complemented by the concept of boundaryless careers to address virtual connections to this production environment by remote workers. Method of repeated semi-structured interviews was employed to cover industry developments in a state of constant flux. 28 participants, mostly belonging to the triad of programmers, artists and designers were interviewed, with 14 from Eastern Europe and 14 from the West (i.e., Western Europe and North and South America). Respondents were pulled to the Czech game industry due to it being highly diversified into many mid-sized companies. However, they were met with shock factors, pushing them to move to other industries. Among them were discrepancies between indie and industrial qualities. Many studios had long-existing live service products, using outdated proprietary engines. Higher company structures were inaccessible due to being occupied by local leads. Similar contention appeared with remote workers, undermining the notion of boundaryless careers void of cultural influences. The Czech game industry was, likewise, evaluated as non-developed concerning labour inclusivity or diversified portfolios of games, with the risk of falling behind in the highly competitive and transnational video game field.