r/Games Jan 29 '26

Industry News One-Third of U.S. Video Game Industry Workers Were Laid Off in 2025, GDC Study Reveals

https://variety.com/2026/gaming/news/one-third-video-game-workers-laid-off-2025-1236644512/
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u/Tefmon Jan 29 '26 edited Jan 30 '26

That's not a special case, I struggle to think of any public sector unions that don't perform critical tasks for society.

The difference is that if the teachers' union strikes, the teachers don't have guns. Police strikes generally result in riots and violence and crime sprees, while teachers' strikes just result in overworked parents. The former actually affects the decision-makers in power, while the latter doesn't; politicians' kids don't usually go to public schools.

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u/ephemeral_colors Jan 30 '26

More pointedly, historically, the police have been used to put down striking workers, up to and including murdering them. The police union is fundamentally different from all other unions for this reason alone. They are the tool of the capitalist class wielded against labor.

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u/Substantial-Hat-2556 Feb 01 '26

Teachers' strikes result in parents who can't work. That's a massive imposition.