49% of devs feel industry lacks equal opportunities - IGDA
Survey finds one-third have negative view of the industry, but two-thirds are satisfied with their current job
The International Game Developers Association has released some findings of its 2015 Developer Satisfaction Survey, which gauged the attitudes of more than 2,900 developers on a variety of issues, from personal prospects to industry outlook.
When asked about the current state of the industry, 41.6 percent of developers said they had a positive outlook on it, with 33.5 percent responding negatively, and 24.9 percent holding a neutral view of it. While that's a somewhat generic question, the survey probed a bit deeper on specific issues.
For example, when asked if the industry provides equal treatment and opportunity for all, 48.8 percent of developers said no. Only 38.6 percent believed the industry had achieved such equality, while 12.5 percent answered that they were unsure. That ties into diversity, which 66.5 percent of developers said was an important factor in the industry. 16.4 percent said diversity was unimportant, while 17.1 percent were ambivalent on the topic. That's significantly different from last year's survey, when 79 percent of respondents said diversity was "very" or "somewhat" important for the industry.
Developers were almost evenly split about their own prospects, with the number viewing their opportunities negatively (36.5 percent) slightly outweighing those who were optimistic (33.7 percent) or neutral (29.9 percent) on the subject. Fortunately, they were more upbeat about their current positions, with 66.7 percent satisfied with their current job, compared to 17.6 percent who reported being unsatisfied, and 15.6 percent who were neutral. As might be expected, answers to a question about their current quality of life broke down very similarly, with 67.5 percent positive, 15 percent negative, and 17.5 percent neutral.
Respondents were also optimistic about their current employers, with 66.4 percent expecting moderate to considerable growth in the next three years, compared to just 11 percent projecting moderate to considerable downsizing.
A full summary of the Developer Satisfaction Survey is expected to be released during the IGDA Leadership Summit in Seattle, Washington September 2 and 3.