Sound off: Northwood responds

from Red and Black, Spring 2023

by Red and Black

patron program

We asked students and staff about their school-work-life balance. Here’s what they had to say.

“I balance my school-and-life responsibilities by organizing my time schedule ... I feel that I have a good balance.”

Are game developers getting too greedy?

by Daniel Gray

Are game developers becoming too greedy?

All game companies need to make money, but how they choose to do so can often ruin their games.

Game developers like Riot Games and Electronic Arts have been releasing in-game content, which has slowly been

“I balance [school and life] by working during free periods [I have]. I’m able to do a lot of my homework during them, [sometimes] during lunch, and then I still have work to do at home.” getting more and more expensive.

In the FPS Valorant made by Riot Games, developers are creating and releasing skins for weapons that started at $50 to $60 dollars, and have slowly risen to prices as high as $300 to access everything without having to play the game.

Another extreme example of this is in “Diablo Immortal,” where players can play as different characters and level up to unlock different things. Unlocking everything for one character would take 10 years of gameplay – or $100 thousand.

When will we reach a breaking point?

“I don’t try to balance my school-work and life. I don’t know how to keep track of that. It’s too hard, and it’s too much. It’s stressful. But it doesn’t affect my mental health.”

“I plan my work and I work my plan. I have a mental schedule of my ‘to-do’s and I’ll write it down if it gets hectic. I also take time to recharge and schedule R&R [rest and relaxation].”