What are the pressures affecting game students during a game production course? : A qualitative research conducted over a small population of undergraduate international game students

Abstract: The game industry is modern and as such in constant evolution, therefore it needs information on how to better its work practices either it be on a professional level or at a training level. This thesis focuses on game education, specifically on the game students partaking in such education and developing a game as part of a game-based development course. The study investigated what kinds of pressure might be afflicting game students at Uppsala University during their game production courses and what are the effects of such pressures on the work/life balance of the concerned game students. To conduct the data collection, a survey with close and open-ended questions was used to gather information on focused topics but also get the opinion of the respondents on the matter. As a result of the research, it was possible to learn that the game students are pushing themselves to adopt overworking tendencies during their game production course. This behavior would be motivated by the different pressures affecting them during their game production course like the pressure to produce high-quality work. The conclusion reached is that the pressures affecting game students during their game production courses are related to the lack of healthy work habits of game students when working independently on their game productions. The pressures have impacts on the work/life balance of the affected students who often end up sacrificing their well-being in favor of work. This decision can have the opposite effect as work/life balance conflicts can hinder a game student's chances of academic success. To address this issue this thesis recommends game schools to support game students who are working independently by leading them to adopt healthy work habits and helping them to cope with the pressures of their environment.