Not a family-friendly environment
Age: 49
Location: Springfield, Mass.
Position: Game designer
I worked at a video game publisher for about 4 years. It seemed like everyone was at least 10 years younger than me, like sort of a hip-hop culture. The impression I got was that the video game industry was an industry for the very young. They didn't have any families to speak of; their only life was this studio where the games were made. If they weren't making games they were playing games. This was their home away from home.
I had two children. Wanting to go home to see my family was a sign of disloyalty. It was very difficult. I had play dates and school functions to go to. The other workers resented that I wasn't there at whatever odd hour they happened to be there. There was a lot of friction between myself and the other coworkers, so I started looking for other opportunities. It wasn't a good fit.
NEXT: Too young, out of place
