I am sure a lot of you have either seen or even own a Starbucks Card. It's like a debit card for Starbucks. I know people have received them as stocking stuffers or as small gifts. I've received several through work or through volunteering.
While the immediate benefit of the cards is of course buying stuff at Starbucks, you should hang onto those cards, even if they have no funds on them. Did you know that each Starbucks Card entitles you to two free hours of Starbucks wi-fi access per day? It is true. I only discovered this on Wednesday.
This applies in both Canada and the US though I am unsure if one card will work in another country. Given the ubiquity of Starbucks locations, keep this in mind in your hometown or while traveling. Two free hours a day is significant, so keep this in mind when you need to find a place to Twitter.
The yearly Game Developer magazine salary survey has been released for calendar year 2008. The average salary for an American developer across all disciplines and experience ranges is $79 000 USD. That's a useless stat really since there's so much variability due to different job functions, companies, geography, and experience.
The stat I'm most interested in is how much do programmers make. In the US, the average programmer salary is a whopping $85K USD. If you convert that into Canadian dollars (for today at least), that's about $100K CAD. I make considerably less than an average American game programmer, especially if the dollar is factored into it.
I have the hard copy version of the survey which actually has Canadian survey data. While the sample size for Canada is smaller (and thus possibly less accurate), I believe it maybe more relevant. The average Canadian game programmer rakes in $65 500 USD or approx. $77K CAD. This stats makes me feel slightly better but it still doesn't change the fact that I would almost definitely get paid more if I plied my trade in the US. Also of note is that if you're gonna makes games in Canada, do it as far west as you can. People making games in the Maritimes make the least, while those in B.C. make the most. Keep in mind though, the cost of living goes way up as you move from east to west.
Last but certainly not least, is the data on QA personnel. The average salaried QA person in games in Canada makes about $35K USD or $42K CAD. In both Canada and the US, people working in QA still make significantly less than all other disciplines. That's just the QA people who have managed to get a salaried position. The majority of the QA workforce are hourly workers not represented in the survey. It's been a while since I was in that position but I believe the hourly wage is still in the $10-12 range.
In the end, the stats are nice to know but the thing I appreciate the most is that as of now, I can continue to make a living writing software for video games. Given how the last couple months have gone, I feel pretty lucky about that.
So just after the holiday break, I brought a pair of slippers to work. The reason behind this starts with a co-worker of mine. He is well known for taking off his shoes when he gets to work and walks around the studio all day in his socks. He says for him, it just feels really comfortable to do so and since we have a casual dress code, it's all good. He only puts his shoes on to go for lunch and when he goes to the bathroom.
I don't wear uncomfortable shoes, so if I had to, it wouldn't be a big deal if I kept my shoes on all day. I do admit though, it is rather nice to kick off my shoes and make myself feel at home while at work. What I didn't like though was walking around in socks where other people might be wearing shoes. Sure the cleaning staff keeps everything generally spotless but I've encountered the odd coffee spill or errant grape on the floor that made me regret being in socks. I could just put my shoes on whenever I leave my desk but that's inconvenient.
To solve this problem, I decided to get a pair slippers from Wal-Mart. They had a wide selection including some really boring slippers that old men wear when they go get the paper off the porch. If you know me, old man slippers aren't really my style. I wanted to be careful though since if I picked an unsuitable pair, say a pink one, that would give off the wrong impression. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I ended up choosing a fuzzy blue pair with yellow ducks on it. It had just the right mix of frivolity without giving off too much of a gay vibe. I hope. Anyways, I've really come to enjoy wearing my slippers. I can kick them off when I'm at my desk but still have something protecting my feet as I walk around.
People on my team have made a lot of positive comments about them. Lots of co-workers have said its a good idea but I've yet to see anyone else get slippers. Since I wear them in the elevator to go to the other floors in the studio, it's there where I get the most entertaining reactions. Other people in the studio don't really care but it's hilarious when it's me and three other accountants in suits and ties in the same elevator car. They kinda make a quick stare at my slippers before averting their eyes. I act as if there's nothing weird at all going and sometimes I have this really serious look on my face, even though I yellow ducks on my feet. The odd time, a woman from a non-EA floor will make a nice comment about them, which I appreciate. I just hope she doesn't think I'd be a great person to watch Sex in the City with all weekend.
I'll be doing the slippers thing when we move to Burnaby.
Last Friday, I was told that on the first day of work when myself and my co-workers move to Burnaby we will all have new business cards waiting on our desks.
If you've read this blog for a long time, you'll know this development has some significance for me. If you need some reminding, read this, that, and here. I was supposed to get business cards from EA about a year and a half ago but some things got in the way of that. First, about a year ago we were told the skate team was supposed to move into this fancy new Yaletown studio. In fact, it was scheduled to be around this time. So it didn't make sense to make cards with an address that was going to be invalid so soon. So they waited. Then EA realized the company was losing lots of money, so to cut costs, we abandoned the plans to move to the fancy new studio. I was kinda bummed but I was gonna be even more bummed by the next development. Not only were we not moving to Yaletown, we were going to abandon downtown Vancouver altogether and shack up with the folks in Burnaby. So again, another reason not to make cards until we were settled somewhere.
So here we are. I'll be getting business cards at the beginning of June. I know the sample size is small but the facts remain, I have never received business cards and not quit my job within 45 days. Sure, this has happened only twice but strange things do occur. I've watched a lot of Twilight Zone episodes.
I actually not all that worried based on one fact. For those two previous jobs, I was clearly unsatisfied with employer for many different reasons. I really have nothing to complain about in my current job. I suppose they could give us free pastries more often. Does that count as a complaint?
While doing some random surfing on the weekend, I stumbled upon the web site for the ABC News show What Would You Do? Though the show has been airing segments since the early new year, I was somewhat surprised that I was not aware of it. While WWYD takes its pedigree from Candid Camera, the issues it addresses are much more serious. Veteran ABC reporter John Quinones is the on camera personality who takes us through each show.
The setup for each WWYD scenario is similar. At the core is the situation or question they want to examine. A location is determined and then actors are hired to enact the scenario. Hidden cameras are placed to catch all the action. Unsuspecting people then get caught up in the scenario. At appropriate time, the people are then let in on the ruse. Quinones then interviews the participants, those who chose to get involved and even those who didn't.
The type of scenarios that have been written cover an extremely wide variety. Some of the less serious issues involve things like would a person say something if their online dating partner looked nothing like their picture on the first date? Or, would you confront a wedding crasher? How about stopping a loud cell phone talker in a restaurant?
The most compelling pieces though come from the scenarios that deal with serious issues like racism, abuse, and bullying. In one example, random shoppers are exposed to a black woman who is asked to leave an upscale clothing store. In another, people at an open house witness a realtor telling a Muslim couple that terrorists are not welcome in the community.
I was completely fascinated by the various setups and how the show's producers always through in a different variable in each one. For example, they usually examine how changing the gender of one of the participants affects people's responses. Other times, they'll change the race instead. My entire Saturday afternoon was spent viewing all these segments online.
After having done dozens and dozens of these segments, the show has discovered some very interesting trends. First, there will always be people who witness the event but who don't say nor do anything. Second, people always speak up or spring to action faster and more often if a woman is involved compared to a man, even if the situation is identical. Last but certainly not least, women by a large margin are far more willing to intervene than men even if it the situation clearly could present a danger to them physically. Quinones says in one segment that research has indicated the brain chemistry of women have predisposed them to act and intervene, more so than the brains in men. So while Hollywood might have you think that most men are macho, in reality and everyday life, there's a greater chance that a woman will come to your aid.
In the segment you see above, the actors are a blind woman, a blind man, and a man posing as a bakery clerk. The clerk is rude to both blind people and then, in plain sight of all the customers, will attempt to short change them. Will anyone speak up? Watch the clip to find out.
If you like what you see, I encourage you to watch more segments on the WWYD web site. Alternatively, you can see them on YouTube by just searching for the show's name.
