I realize that this might be an unpopular opinion but I am open to having a discussion.
In game design circles the equivalent of a hackathon is called a game jam. They are almost universal and are seen as an excellent opportunity to both try out ideas and socialise with other people that you wouldn't normally get an opportunity to work with.
> Almost everyone that attends says they are exhausted by the end [...]
Same is true of the gym. That's not an argument against.
> [...] you tend to consume unhealthy food & beverages in the process.
That's a function of planning. When we run such events we provide healthy food (fruit, primarily) for free. But we also have pizza, as we do at all of our other social events. That is more of a function of group events than of hackathons per se.
I think your concern for the well-being of hackathon participants is admirable, and if you ran such an event I think you would do it very well. Have you considered organising something?
I could be wrong but that's just how I feel about it.
Lastly, if I were to organize a hackathon. I think the the first I would do would be making it at least a week long instead of 2-3 days. In addition, I would make it required to not allow participants to stay more than 8 hours each day. After all when I think of hackathons, I think it's a time to tinker with technology and come up with something cool. NOT staying up for 3 days straight to win some prize.
It’s disgusting behaviour because a hackathon is supposed to be about freedom of ideas, intellectual stimulation and humour and fun - and these companies are just purely exploiting it. They should be named and shamed.
I would add that any halfway decent manager understands that while a developer can sprint, it is by definition an exhausting short term gain, and this is an unsustainable medium and long term strategy : and if your manager doesn’t understand something so basic about people management, it’s time to look for a new job
The downside of week-long events is that you exclude people who have to go to work or have other commitments, but might be able to make time over a weekend.
The only exception are Game Jams. If hackathons were like Game Jams where you could use any tech you wanted but had to compete on a vague theme I’d be interested. The thing is that’s never the case. Private spaces cost money, prizes cost money, any sponsors are going to want a return on their investment. So that’s why Hackathons suck. IMO it has nothing to do with the food or long hours.
That said, if I was forced to participate in that environment instead of choosing to, or if it was for work or some other purpose that restricted my choice of projects and collaborators, then I would of course resent it, but at that point its not really a hackathon anymore, its a different kind of event stealing the name in hopes of stealing the same energy.
It's fairly well known that they're problematic at best, in that they epitomize the practices of an industry obsessed with exploiting younger workers, crunch time, and gender imbalance.
e.g. people who are struggling to make ends meet and need actual work that pays cash, or people who have a bunch of responsibility with very little time (family to look after)
that said, such people are also disadvantaged in the workforce generally as they may lack the free time and money to be able to pursue opportunities for better jobs to help bootstrap into better circumstances, so it ain't something hackathon specific.
I worked for a company which runs one a year, and I honestly look forward to it. Having a chance to cut loose and show what you can do is a welcome change from the daily grind.
It also lets you show stuff that honestly you are more interested in, and maybe, you can get a product out of it - which means, you get to work on what you actually enjoy. As a way to influence a business to show what is possible, there isn't a lot better.
I think they have their place. Just not as a BAU thing.
I think that is a company culture thing, and not a hackathon thing though.
I don't even expect to see much of a correlation between company culture like that and hackathons. Or even in which direction the correlation would be if there was one.
But, I'm in New Zealand, and we have a different culture. So, it could be just that.
Some of my favourite projects I've made during hackathons
There is no perfect singular deterministic test which can gauge an individuals success.
The best we can do is measure people on the contributions they can make. Use the level of impact those contributions make.
This leads into building teams. You can't take the best engineers and build an all star team. Teams are made up of different levels and types of contributions.
When a team is looking to hire people, chemistry is the most important part.
I think for some in some ways it's an effort to compensate for lack of self-esteem and prove yourself that you're worthy of praise and rewards.
But they're a good way to figure out what is important, and what you can do. And you probably can take the lessons learned and apply them elsewhere (in more sane/moderate ways)
you too can participate in the workathon, with the chance to perhaps win payment for your work!
