Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Game Prod Pod
Game Prod Pod · July 9 · 35 min

One & Done

Tash returns from a wild weekend in Glasgow to debate the fine line between "passion" and "insidious crunch" with Luke. Plus, Matt serves up a curveball in True or Flase, and the team fails miserably at recording an intro together. The Cast Matt Ibbs: Games Leadership Coach / Host Natasha Nathani: Games Industry Veteran / Technical Producer Luke Timms: Games Industry Veteran / Product & Delivery Leader Episode 011: One and Done The "Passion" Trap. Is staying late at your desk a sign of dedication, or is it just poor production planning? In this episode, Tash and Luke clash over the reality of overtime in 2026. Tash is on "Sober Powerlifter" energy and is taking absolutely no excuses for bad scheduling. 🤯 Hot Topic: The Death of Crunch? We discuss the legacy of the "EA Spouse" letter and why months of 80-hour weeks are finally being called out. From Cyberpunk 2077 to the 4-day work week, we debate how to protect team mental health while still shipping blockbusters. 🎲 True or Flase: Can you spot the fake game between a cozy-punk record store simulator (Wax Heads), an evolutionary crab roguelite (Everything is Crab), and a dry newspaper factory manager (Drayton Incorporated)? 💡 Key Takeaways: Passion is Not Currency: Do not let employers use your love of games to justify free overtime. The Contract Shift: If a contract takes three weeks to sign, the project start date has moved—you are not "three weeks behind." The 4-Day Work Week Works: You can do more high-quality work in 4 focused days than 5 fatigued ones. 🎙️ Sound Bites: "Sober Tash is just really vicious." "If you're passionate, you will work overtime... No, that's just an insipid way of saying crunch." "Drayton Incorporated sounds so dull, it has to be a real game." "Modesty is for amateurs."

0:00-35:49
Play in
Transcript file

transcript

No transcript — this publisher did not publish one.

show notes

Tash returns from a wild weekend in Glasgow to debate the fine line between "passion" and "insidious crunch" with Luke. Plus, Matt serves up a curveball in True or Flase, and the team fails miserably at recording an intro together.

The Cast

  • Matt Ibbs: Games Leadership Coach / Host
  • Natasha Nathani: Games Industry Veteran / Technical Producer
  • Luke Timms: Games Industry Veteran / Product & Delivery Leader

Episode 011: One and Done

The "Passion" Trap. Is staying late at your desk a sign of dedication, or is it just poor production planning? In this episode, Tash and Luke clash over the reality of overtime in 2026. Tash is on "Sober Powerlifter" energy and is taking absolutely no excuses for bad scheduling.

🤯 Hot Topic: The Death of Crunch? We discuss the legacy of the "EA Spouse" letter and why months of 80-hour weeks are finally being called out. From Cyberpunk 2077 to the 4-day work week, we debate how to protect team mental health while still shipping blockbusters.

🎲 True or Flase: Can you spot the fake game between a cozy-punk record store simulator (Wax Heads), an evolutionary crab roguelite (Everything is Crab), and a dry newspaper factory manager (Drayton Incorporated)?

💡 Key Takeaways:

  • Passion is Not Currency: Do not let employers use your love of games to justify free overtime.
  • The Contract Shift: If a contract takes three weeks to sign, the project start date has moved—you are not "three weeks behind."
  • The 4-Day Work Week Works: You can do more high-quality work in 4 focused days than 5 fatigued ones.

🎙️ Sound Bites:

  • "Sober Tash is just really vicious."
  • "If you're passionate, you will work overtime... No, that's just an insipid way of saying crunch."
  • "Drayton Incorporated sounds so dull, it has to be a real game."
  • "Modesty is for amateurs."

more episodes

All episodes