So this isn't exactly true. EA has many open source projects that are not well publicized.

http://gpl.ea.com/

Additionally, EA purchased ESN which also has open source contributions that are maintained after the purchase. It might be fair to say that Orbit is the LATEST EA open source project, but not the first.

We talked EA into releasing the source code of SimCity Classic under GPL v3 several years ago:

https://github.com/SimHacker/micropolis

Those aren't projects developed by EA. They are just source releases of the LGPL components used in EA games.

These are just the GPL releases, but they contain bits of code from EA if you start digging. IIRC the EAWebKit release contains a big chunk of EASTL. EASTL is EA's implementation of the C++ STL that was for a long time considered so great as to be a competitive advantage.

If anyone is interested in the EASTL here's the source code

https://github.com/paulhodge/EASTL

Apparently works out of the box with G++/GCC, some modifications were made to get it working Clang/LLVM

Yeh. This is BioWare's first open source project but it is not EA's.

https://github.com/Eonblast/Emysql for example, was originally written at EA.

Good Article. I'm actively trying to move out of the industry (or into a company that has more opportunity connected with non-games) now after almost 10 years in.

I'm fortunate that my skills are way more transferable than the majority of game developers (I build and lead SaaS teams), but it can be a bit of a slog to actually shift gears.

Games are a place to be if you're really passionate about it or you feel like there's another hill to take. In general tho, there are much more meaningful things you can do with your life (like raise kids). So I'm on the hunt for a job that lets me continue to build awesome products while have the ability to see my kid on a regular basis (not just 6 months out of the year).

I've done what you're attempting to do, and your instincts are right: there are much more interesting and worthwhile things outside of the game industry, including kids. It might be arrogant to say, but game developers are ninjas compared to the rest of the dev world. Doing complex AI/graphics/networking at 60fps is a hell of a lot harder than a typical CRUD app.

I'm glad for my time in the game industry because it sharpened my skills and made the rest of my life a cake walk. But, I wouldn't want to go back due to the exploitation I see in it.

Happens to me. Distraction is the first cure, I fall asleep all the time with the tv on. A good book or something else to take your mind off it will help.

The second is melatonin. Help yourself sleep. It'll replace that feeling of full and satiation you normally have. After a few days, you'll be used to it.