But the consensus at least so far from within the industry seems squarely in favor of open-ended internet access. When I polled professionals on LinkedIn, the results showed a striking dichotomy: Industry developers were 100 percent in favor of an open internet policy; non-industry software developers were 100 percent in favor of some kind of company control restricting internet access in the office. Many particulars, from specifics of the development process to accepted status quo to different flavors of general company culture, could cause this result, but it emphasizes a striking difference in attitude and expectation between the game industry and the greater software development environment.
Regardless of its origin, one issue high in developers' minds and in the minds of entrepreneurs out to create companies was one of trust and company culture.
"No company that I've worked for has ever restricted total internet access, although like you, I've heard stories of this being done quite successfully in Europe. I think it comes down to the developers; by its nature, creative work requires the occasional break (working 8 solid productive hours with no breaks is simply not realistic), whether that break takes the form of a quick walk around the office or a trip to a favorite website or playing a game. Like anything, breaks can be abused; there's a difference between playing one game of Spider Solitaire for 10 minutes, and playing a marathon session for half a day. And ultimately, it comes down to having the people and the culture where one small distraction doesn't balloon like that, where people willingly focus themselves on getting the job done. I doubt that a strong work ethic is something you could force on people by corporate sanction; rather, be rigorous in your hiring procedures, and if you've got the right people on your team then you won't need such restrictions."
- Ian Schreiber, Game Designer, Visiting Professor at Ohio State University
From top to bottom the trust issue is key, not just in the formation of positive company culture, but in the related creation of an environment that makes developers feel motivated to put their best work forward for the studio. The creative element of game development means the attitude with which we approach our jobs can be as critical as the technical skills necessary to execute on project objectives.
"Working in the games industry or pretty much anything creative, any internet restriction is a bad one. Not only does it create distrust but such policies are enforced by management, who may not understand the creative needs of the team. I have looked at web sites on the clock that would get people in other industries fired but they were the best source for the texture reference I needed. Likewise, I use YouTube all the time to find reference for animations.
Any restrictions (and this applies to any industry) just tells me that the people who hired me aren't trusting me to do my job. Results speak louder than any hour by hour monitoring."
- Ryan Duffin, Senior Animator at Guerrilla Games
