Over the last few days, I've been watching the ION Storm expose' and its inevitable backlash. I must admit that I find a certain cynical interest in peering into the dark heart of a company which was considered to be the ultimate development haven from exactly the same sort of behavior that Porter and Romero seem to be exhibiting. It's fascinating to observe, but more than a little saddening to consider.

Now, some of you who were thinking of entering development as a career are asking, "geez, is it like this elsewhere in the gaming industry?" Maybe making games for a living isn't such a sweet deal after all. Do you really want this kind of aggravation in your day-to-day work life?

Well, I've received a lot of questions over the last few years about how things work "in the industry", and I've been answering them as well as I can. But what it all really boils down to is this: the gaming industry is exactly like any other type of industry, only with more cool toys.

No matter what field you work in, whether it be computer games, MIS, salmon research, mobile phone development, fast food management, or public service, there will always be the same mix of people -- the slacker, the workaholic, the good boss, the bad boss, the creative guy who thinks that since he's got three patents or a major award he can just sit on his butt and get paid, the annoying loud guy, the perennial kids' fundraiser, the political backstabber, the person with every brand of aspirin in his desk, the executive who is only in it for the money, the executive who loves the company, the motivator, the whiner, the technophobe, the really funny guy, and lots and lots of average joes like you and me who just want to do our jobs well and be rewarded for our efforts and maybe get promoted one day.

This is universal. This is perpetual. This is why Dilbert is so darn funny. We've all been there. We're all there now. And no matter how far we run, we'll all still be there. Yes, this ION Storm crap happens elsewhere in the game development industry, though rarely to the extent we're seeing here. Yes, there are some development and management egos who could happily watch every co-worker spontaneously combust and burn, screaming, around them so long as watching pays more (or the same as) helping to put the fires out. Yes, the very existence of these pinheads creates resentment and antipathy in the people who have to deal with them.

But you know what? A lot of really good games happen too. A lot of fun projects make people happy to come to work. A lot of managers are profuse with their compliments and excited about their teams. A lot of new Pentium II chips were purchased with company Christmas bonuses. A lot of developers and managers are sitting around after work tonight to play Quake II or Half-Life over the company LAN.

It's true, the ION Storm debacle shows the seedy underbelly of game development, and one which can be found, to a greater or lesser extent, in practically every game company out there. But the same can be said for auto manufacturers, and wouldn't you rather be coding an orcish warrior than gluing down vanity mirrors?

The choice, of course, is yours.