[EliRivers]

You seem to be suggesting that such a culture is not an impediment to success, based on the existence of some success.

I could blindfold myself and throw darts at a board. The fact that I hit the board sometimes doesn't mean that the blindfold isn't an impediment.

Many more movies fail before even reaching the screen. Just because we see some success doesn't mean that the culture isn't an impediment to success. Perhaps a different culture would produce many more successes.

We would need a lot more data before we could draw any such conclusions.

Edit: I see that's exactly what you're saying from your reply; "...such culture is not an impediment to success." I disagree; we cannot draw that conclusion from the data.

Extra edit: Oh, your answer has vanished.

[lmm]

If you won competitive darts championships while blindfolded, that would suggest the blindfold wasn't an impediment.

Given how long the movie industry has been around and how many studios have gone bankrupt through competition, I would think that any cultures that significantly impeded productivity would have been stamped out by now.

[rsynnott]

> Given how long the movie industry has been around and how many studios have gone bankrupt through competition, I would think that any cultures that significantly impeded productivity would have been stamped out by now.

A movie studio is generally either very successful, or soon dead; there's not that much middle ground. So relatively small optimisations (such as not creating a hostile work environment that drives away employees) may not have much of an effect on survival.

[EliRivers]

"If you won competitive darts championships while blindfolded, that would suggest the blindfold wasn't an impediment."

How many of the other competitors were blindfolded?

How many of the other movie studios have this culture?

"I would think that any cultures that significantly impeded productivity would have been stamped out by now."

Evolution doesn't always lead to better final outcomes. In a culture of dickheads, being a slightly bigger dickhead can give a personal advantage. Soon, everyone is a raging dickhead. The same applies to companies. The same applies to species (although with them it's not so much "raging dickhead" as "some small individually advantageous feature").

[lmm]

> Evolution doesn't always lead to better final outcomes. In a culture of dickheads, being a slightly bigger dickhead can give a personal advantage. Soon, everyone is a raging dickhead. The same applies to companies. The same applies to species (although with them it's not so much "raging dickhead" as "some small individually advantageous feature").

You're moving the goalposts. Are Riot "dickheads" here? Maybe. That's a very different argument from saying that their culture makes their games worse.

[TomMarius]

But it's apparent that the culture doesn't prevent success even in other industries

[EliRivers]

Yet it could be impeding success, like throwing darts at a board while blindfolded. I'll still hit the board sometimes. So is the blindfold no impediment?

[xsace]

Well I still think it shouldn't come as a surprise. We've got many example of successful industries with such culture, why would video game work any different.

[rsynnott]

The average company in the video games industry isn't like what's described; it does seem to be especially bad.

[TomMarius]

I completely agree. Never wanted to say otherwise, just that it doesn't prevent it. I don't think your metaphor is correct, though. Some people actually thrive in this environment (of course most of the time at the cost of others, but let's put that aside - not that it's not a problem), who thrives while blindfolded?

[majewsky]

> Who thrives while blindfolded?

Those people that solve Rubik's Cubes while blindfolded, maybe?

[TomMarius]

I'm not sure that's thriving. They can do it very well, but the blindfold doesn't improve their performance.

[glenneroo]

I don't even understand why the blindfold analogy is even useful or relevant to the entire discussion. It's just adding another layer of complexity to an already complicated issue.