Every year, National Stress Awareness Day (November 5th) offers an opportunity to reflect on how we manage pressure, workload, and mental health in the workplace. For those in the games industry, stress and overwork remain ongoing challenges in some parts.
The GDC State of the Industry 2025 report highlights both progress and growing concerns around working hours and wellbeing in game development.
The Reality of Overwork in Game Development
According to the report, 57% of developers now work 40 hours or fewer per week, down from 64% the previous year – the first decline since GDC began asking this question in 2019. Meanwhile, 13% of developers report working over 51 hours per week, up from 8% last year.
The report also found that:
- 79% of developers have worked more than 41 hours in a single week.
- 51% have worked over 50 hours in one week (up from 46%).
- 28% have worked over 60 hours (up from 24%).
When asked why they worked over 40 hours, two-thirds (67%) cited self-pressure, a slightly lower number than last year, but a significant insight nonetheless. Importantly, fewer developers are dismissing their hours as “not excessive”: only 23% said they didn’t view their extra hours as a problem, down from 36% in 2024. This signals a growing recognition that long hours and self-imposed pressure are not sustainable – and that burnout is a real risk.
Why Stress Awareness Day Matters
Stress Awareness Day reminds us that mental health is not a side issue, it’s foundational to creative, collaborative, and sustainable work. In game development, where passion often blurs into perfectionism, acknowledging stress and setting boundaries can make the difference between thriving and burning out.
Studios that actively support mental wellbeing don’t just create healthier workplaces; they also create better games, stronger teams, and longer-lasting careers.
How Studios Can Support Mental Wellbeing
Here are several meaningful steps game studios can take to acknowledge Stress Awareness Day – and to promote lasting change beyond it:
1. Open Conversations About Mental Health
Encourage honest discussions about stress, workload, and burnout without stigma. A studio-wide conversation, a Q&A session, or a wellbeing-focused Slack channel can help normalise talking about mental health.
2. Audit Workload and Scheduling Practices
Review scheduling and milestone planning to ensure deadlines are achievable without crunch. The data from the GDC report makes it clear: excessive hours are not isolated incidents, they’re systemic. Leaders should model balanced work habits and celebrate efficiency, not exhaustion.
3. Offer Mental Health Resources
Provide access to mental health support, such as employee assistance programmes, therapy stipends, or wellness days. If budgets are tight, partnering with mental health organisations – such as Safe In Our World – or offering self-guided digital tools can still make a major difference.
4. Encourage Rest and Recovery
Simple initiatives, like no-meeting days, flexible schedules, or mandatory time-off policies after a major milestone, can help employees reset and recharge. Encourage staff to take full advantage of their annual days.
5. Train Managers to Recognise Burnout
Team leads and producers should be equipped to spot early signs of burnout, such as withdrawal, irritability, declining creativity, and know how to respond compassionately. Early intervention prevents long-term harm.
6. Celebrate Healthy Productivity
Instead of rewarding ‘hero hours,’ celebrate teams that deliver great work on time and within sustainable limits. Reinforce that working smarter – not longer – is what success looks like.
A Culture Shift Worth Building
The 2025 GDC report shows that more developers are recognising when their workload becomes unhealthy. This is an important cultural shift. As more studios acknowledge that stress, overwork, and burnout are industry-wide issues, there’s an opportunity to build a healthier norm – one where creativity is nurtured, not drained, by the process of making games.
Learn more about Mental health in the workplace right here on Empower Up.
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Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
