Scandalous recruitment standard at a Polish game studio \u2014 in a sauna with a striptease

Renowned developer Adrian Chmielarz, head of The Astronauts studio creating the looter shooter Witchfire, revealed shocking details about recruiting practices at a Polish game development studio. On his Facebook* page, he shared a story that sparked outrage among both gamers and industry professionals.

A recruiter offered a girl looking for a job in game development a visit to a sauna completely naked as one of the employment conditions. Chmielarz described his reaction as follows: 

“I've seen a lot in my life, but I've never seen anything like this. Especially in my field of work — among game developers.” 

“Acting as a recruiter, the employee explained that candidates must understand various types of saunas, and his “narrative girls” were supposed to go to the sauna with him to experience it firsthand and write great scenes for the game based on it. In this regard, I have a question: have you lost your mind or what?”

Chmielarz noted that the idea that one has to experience something personally to create an engaging story is false. As an example, he cited Steven Spielberg, who created “Schindler's List” without personal experience of saving Jews during World War II.

Chmielarz further criticized the recruiter for imposing his fetish and personal experience, suggesting that colleagues should choose a comfortable format and company for such an “experience.”

It is worth noting that the job requirements clearly state that visiting the sauna is an undeniable obligation.

The story sparked widespread outrage and discussions about hiring standards and ethics in the gaming industry. A continuation is possible.

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Illustration source: Facebook*

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*Facebook is owned by Meta, recognized as an extremist and terrorist organization in the Russian Federation

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Cover author: The Astronauts. Cover source: The Astronauts