Chris Hayward started his career in visual effects for the film industry in 2008, a gig he calls his “lucky” job because he made six figures in one year.
He sought the security of a stable paycheck. But tired of the grueling hours, Hayward left after a couple years, taking a job doing architectural visualization for the U.S. Department of Defense. Then the recession hit and he was laid off less than a year later in a round of budget cuts.
“I thought I was safe leaving film to do the D.O.D. stuff,” he said. “And then we got the budget cut and I was like, ‘OK that's not safe.’ Then I figured I'll go to video games because video games take long development cycles so I'll be employed for a long time.”
Because it takes longer to make a video game than do post production on a film, game design seemed a safer bet than visual effects. The visual effects industry in the U.S. is being whittled away by outsourcing due to the allure of foreign tax subsidies.
One notorious case involves the 238 people who lost their jobs after Rhythm 'N Hues Studios filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, 11 days after winning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects for “Life of Pi.”
But that boom-and-bust cycle is also characteristic of the video game industry, as studios beef up their workforce to meet a deadline and purge part of their payroll at the end of the project.
“As I've gotten older, I'm wiser. I know more,” Hayward said. “I should be charging a lot more. But instead of charging for my experience and my wisdom, I'm having to charge less just to compete with the global competition.”
Hayward’s salary dropped from $65,000 at the Department of Defense to $50,000 at a Maryland game studio. It climbed to $62,000 before he was laid off five years into the job, along with about 30 other people. Hayward then dropped to $60,000 when he relocated to a video game studio in Florida, though he never made that much because the company shut down three months later after a key client, Microsoft, canceled its contract.
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Hayward has since relocated home and decided to take a new approach to his livelihood. He’s going into business for himself, using powerful game engines that are free and available to the public.
“I learned all the skills necessary when I was in the industry,” Hayward said. “I've taken all those skills and bringing them back home now. And making a name for myself.”