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EA_Spouse Forum Becoming Thriving Community

Posted by Zonk on Thu Dec 09, 2004 11:48 AM
from the the-rant-that-launched-a-thousand-posts dept.
Businesses Entertainment Games
An anonymous reader writes "Kotaku has a story about the EA_Spouse Live Journal, which has become its own community of sorts, fostering endless rumors and gossip about EA culture. The site has more than 3,500 replies to the original diatribe post and grows daily. The latest finds include a link to an NPR story on the whole EA fiasco (the NPR reporter trolled the board for interviews) and copies of the contracts for Senior Vice President of Human Resources Rusty Rueff and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial & Administration Officer Warren Jenson. When is a T-shirt coming out?"
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[+] EA Spouse Outed 104 comments
patio11 writes "EA Spouse, who sparked a revolution (or, at least, a wave of lawsuits and promises for improvement) in the game development industry with a blog post decrying labor practices at Electronics Arts, was outed as Erin Hoffman in a Mercury News article. She and then-fiance, now-husband Leander Hasty were plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits against EA and continue to develop games and be activists for better working conditions for game developers." From the article: "More than a year later, game developers have won settlements in three class-action lawsuits alleging EA created exhausting work schedules without paying overtime and successfully pressed employers to ease unrelenting workloads. And EA Spouse, whose true identity has been cloaked until now, is becoming a voice against America's culture of overwork."
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  • NPR Link (Score:5, Informative)

    by plagioclase (454483) on Thursday December 09 2004, @11:54AM (#11043134) Homepage
    Here's a link [npr.org] to the NPR story that was mentioned.

  • T-Shirt (Score:3, Funny)

    by TychoCelchuuu (835690) on Thursday December 09 2004, @12:01PM (#11043208) Journal
    What would it say? My husband worked himself to death coding a physics engine and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt?
  • I thought that "leaked" internal memo previosly mentioned meant that EA was going to change all of this and pay overtime and allow normal work hours.
    • the memo said that EA was 'considering' changing policies which dictate which employees get overtime or not.

      basically the memo was a 'stopgap' put out by the management to try and stop the obvious discontent that comes with having the entire world laugh at your company...let alone the internal discontent that the EA drones themselves must be feeling - those that are smart enough to care...

      In other words, EA management are 'considering' changing the rules...which you can read to mean that they are waiting
    • Yeah, what everyone else said.

      The "leaked" memo was just HR placating the masses. I don't remember the exact wording of it (as I don't speak HRese) but it amount to "we will be reevaluating our policies and will be considering reclassifying some of our workers." Which probably translates to "some of you will be fired. And Probst gets a raise."

      Also included in there was allusion that EA felt that the laws regarding overtime were 'outdated' and 'evil' and holding back their wonderful creative teams, but since

  • EA has a Class action lawsuit (Score:4, Informative)

    by BrookHarty (9119) on Thursday December 09 2004, @12:32PM (#11043577) Homepage Journal
    A lawyer representing the plaintiffs addresses a proposed class-action lawsuit seeking unpaid overtime from the world's biggest third-party publisher.
    http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11/11/news_61129 98.html [gamespot.com]

  • Soon to run out of space (Score:3, Interesting)

    by samael (12612) <Andrew@Ducker.org.uk> on Thursday December 09 2004, @12:55PM (#11043823) Homepage
    Livejournal has a 5000-comment limit. She may have to actually make a second post...

  • Having not read the article... (Score:5, Funny)

    by MrWa (144753) on Thursday December 09 2004, @01:05PM (#11043925) Homepage
    is this a website to find bored, lonely housewives looking for a good time?

  • Interview of Interest. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Alkaiser (114022) on Thursday December 09 2004, @01:09PM (#11043984) Homepage
    Netjak.com [netjak.com] is running an interview with the aforementioned spouse today.

  • The T-Shirt (Score:4, Funny)

    by Digital_Quartz (75366) on Thursday December 09 2004, @01:13PM (#11044067) Homepage
    The T-Shirt [cafepress.com]
    • The T-shirt reads: "I worked 90 hours a week for EA, and all I didn't even get this lousy T-shirt."

      Is that grammatically correct? The wording doesn't even make sense...

      It should read: "... and all I didn't even get is this lousy T-shirt."
      or
      "... and I didn't get even get this lousy T-shirt."

      I can't believe anyone would actually wear the shirt as it is currently worded.
    • EA spent all day sodomizing me with a hat rack, and then paid me in gift certificates for mashed potatos from El Pollo Loco

  • I hope the AC means that the NPR reporter trawled the board for interviews.

    I mean, I'm sure trolling it would work, but it doesn't quite seem to fit as responsible journalism...

    • Actually, some friends have the theory that EA Spouse is...a MAN, baby!

      But that, still doesn't excuse how much of an ass you are. It's not just her that's complaining, there are several other people who are coming out named, and talking about how awful this company is.
      • Yeah, it eludes me what they are talking about though. I can accept it when someone quits and then complains about it, to 'warn' others. Those folks on the other hand just don't accept what it entails if you work a job that is a dream to plenty of talented young people across the world. Seriously, what is wrong with the world when people in prestigious positions, earning shitloads of money get to complain about 'exploitation' to a mass audience? I've seen EA compared to a sweatshop on numerous sites and tha
        • Here's the thing, they're comparing this job at EA to other jobs they've had in the industry that are that same dream for the talented youth you mention. The conditions there suck ass, and they're trying to warn the doe-eyed youth from being driven to the slaughter.

          The people there have pointed out how EA is driving for a younger, more naive work force that they can suck the life out of for 2-5 years then jettison, like a disposable booster rocket. These aren't positions of prestige in any way, shape or
          • So, basically EA pays less than other developers? Well, see, there is your solution.

            I never bought the whole 'suck the life from the young'uns' line. Thing is, whatever job you take when you start your professional career you have to make up for your laking experience. This is often done through long hours or less money. Well, the market pays for experience. That is certainly not a big suprise. And, unless EA enters the business of selling human flesh, there is no way that they take something out of the
            • Because lawyers keep quiet. But really, is there any reason to? Just because it's a standard in a completely different industry doesn't mean it has any application whatsoever.

              Lawyers are also generally shady people, and like doctors, realize they can get any piece of arm candy they want, and their wives are golddiggers. So there's no love there. The wife doesn't give a crap whether advocate comes home on time...so long as he buys her a car. /End disparaging lawyer/doctor comment.

              Also, the market doesn'
        • yeah, flamebait would be more appropriate if my opinion doesn't pass the tolerance test on slashdot. Ahh, why do I even bother. I had karma to burn anyways.
          Also, about the 'provoke a response' thing. How is that bad? I can't think of a single statement, oral or written in the history of mankind that wasn't tailored to 'provoke a response'.
          • You still don't get it, do you.

            It's not that your opinion itself wasn't "Slashdot-appropriate." Plenty of people have taken the position that EA employees are paid according to supply and demand. Plenty of people have said that they should switch jobs if they don't like their current employment. But they're not getting modded down.

            Your post was modded down because... ...it's that your post was gratuitously insulting to anyone who disagreed with you. ...it makes a threat of physical violence against th
              • Hmm. Can't take the karma hit? Start posting anonymously.

                After ignoring those things which are simple restatements of earlier claims and gratuitous insults, there are only two things in your response that even remotely warrant a rebuttal.

                First, the claim that I'm the one who doesn't understand what sexism is. What part of "punch her in the face", or "Don't you get it? You scare your husband away, you whiney broom" was I supposed to interpret as gender neutral? You assumed that EA_spouse was a woman

      • Re:Cry me a fucking river (Score:1, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward

        If the mayority of 'liberals' can't bear that,

        Liberal mayors... hmmm. Anyway thanks for associating obnoxiousness and a lack of compassion with opposition to liberalism. The L word has been so demonized within the US over the last few years that it really needs people like you to strengthen it again.

        To answer your question: a troll isn't a stupidly spelt and worded question. A troll is a, usually insincere, posting designed to attract emotional responses. You can certainly post something you fundament

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