Valve: Doing it fucking right
[QUOTE=BenJammin';35661955]I had dreams of working at Valve when I was a kid but I realized the amount of math skills and practice required for anything that has to do with making games was too daunting and discouraging for me.[/QUOTE]
Hey man I have severe dyscalculia, and I got a pretty good job in the games business :smile: but then again, I don't work with code
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/26mVM.png[/IMG]
lol
[QUOTE=smurfy;35663836]I don't think it's that amazing
Making your employees feel like an important part of a reputable developer (i.e. by telling them the instant they join that they are equal to every other employee) will motivate them, inspire them and result in good products
Making them feel like a disposable cog in the massive corporate machines of Activision or EA will result in shitty products
That is, it should be no surprise that Valve, a company known for making good games, also treats its employees well, because these things are linked. It's the same for Google
I think the reason everyone doesn't use this model is that the execs can't get shit done. As it says in this handbook, if Gabe says he wants something done, everyone can just say no and that's it. Who is going to willingly structure their company so that they have no power?[/QUOTE]
Also, since Steam is so massively successful that Valve may as well be printing money, they can afford to be a creative powerhouse instead of a regular company.
[QUOTE=Upgrade123;35662995]Being a sounds designer/composer for Valve would be kick ass.[/QUOTE]
Valve would definitely be awesome to work for, but you wouldn't really be able to compose full time there - they want people who are going to work in many different areas.
I graduate from my BA(hons) Animation degree in about 4 weeks, plan on spending the first 3-4 years in London getting industry experience... then I shit you not, I'm gonna submit my CV to Valve, Weta and Pixar every 6 months for the rest of my career.
[QUOTE=Scotchair;35664094]I graduate from my BA(hons) Animation degree in about 4 weeks, plan on spending the first 3-4 years in London getting industry experience... then I shit you not, I'm gonna submit my CV to Valve, Weta and Pixar every 6 months for the rest of my career.[/QUOTE]
Why not google, they're awesome too.
Cause an animator/vfx artist wouldn't be much use at google...
[QUOTE=Scotchair;35664151]Cause an animator/vfx artist wouldn't be much use at google...[/QUOTE]
You never know, they have so many projects going on, I'm sure they have some work for you.
[QUOTE=Juniez;35664208][img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1157653/weier.png[/img][/QUOTE]
Wisconsin isn't [I]that[/I] bad..
I mean err valve hire me im from WI and i design levels
[QUOTE=nikomo;35661843]You know you're slightly different from other people when you're more excited over the structuring than the week-long company vacation.[/QUOTE]
I like how much collaboration and real working-together there is. Also that you're not hired to fill a specific role, you're there to use all of your skills to create the best product possible for the costumers along with the other skills your fellow employees have. I'm the kind of guy that would rather have a wider set of skills that I'm very good at, rather than a one trick dog that's a master.
Now that I have a sense of the working environment, I'm actually going to work towards this as a goal, and not just a dream anymore. I want to see my creative potential, and Valve sounds like the best place to do that, while meeting new people and serve the Steam community that I've been a part of for years.
[QUOTE=just-a-boy;35663625]Kind of the type of system the world at large could use. People evaluating the situation from their own perspective and helping out voluntarily where they feel it's needed. The fact that such a system has brought Valve such success gives me hope.
But Human greed...[/QUOTE]
Indeed, lots of different types of greed too, not all of them monetary or physical resource based.
There always seems to be people who want to control the private lives and opinions of others.
I feel Valve is a good example of a community culture that is not compulsory to join and even if you do join your own path is left very much up to you. I'm guessing the hiring/auditing process helps weed out the control seekers.
None of us will ever get a job at valve.
Whether any of us get a job at Valve or not I think that the real message we should each take from this is that hierarchical traditional business structure is unnecessary and that if we want to do something we should get together voluntarily with like-minded individuals and do it without imposing unnecessary restrictions.
Natural leaders would emerge and people could voluntarily opt into working under them or alongside them depending on the individually evolving team dynamic.
Get into valve > Infinite bragging rights on fp?
remember: valve has 250~ employes and they get thousands of resumes each year
oh and if your life story isn't as amazing as these people:
[URL="http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/people.html"]http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/people.html[/URL]
you have an almost zero chance of being hired
id like to own a company like this one day. maybe not for games, but something in the creative industry
[QUOTE=Bobie;35664513]id like to own a company like this one day. maybe not for games, but something in the creative industry[/QUOTE]
Open an outsourcing company in China, treat them well, get rep :v:
Or India perhaps, they're growing like fuck over there and their country produces some pretty motivated and dedicated workers
[QUOTE=AceOfDivine;35664563]Open an outsourcing company in China, treat them well, get rep :v:[/QUOTE]
every game would end up being a WoW clone or the next starcraft sequel
[QUOTE=AJisAwesome15;35664358]None of us will ever get a job at valve.[/QUOTE]
IIRC there's already a Valve Employee on FP.
What is this? No business hierarchy? Dirty Pinko Communist the lot of 'em!
[QUOTE=Rastadogg5;35664639]IIRC there's already a Valve Employee on FP.[/QUOTE]
Yes, PersonGuy.
[QUOTE=mak13two;35661588][IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/33nwx13.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Half-Life: Episode 3 ARG.
Calling it right now. :v:
[QUOTE=MaxOfS2D;35663762]dude, by the time you even qualify for any of the current job openings
(which are all like, senior-level participation in previous shipped projects — so Valve is [I]almost[/I] a retirement place for game devs when you think about it)
your parents won't have any authority over you any more, or will probably be deceased[/QUOTE]
Yes I understand that I have a long way to go, but long distances can be shorterned pretty quickly in some cases. Its just the issue that I have is that some people just don't understand me when I say that I'd want to at some point in my life to work for or with Valve.
I'm also a valve employee
[sp]no I'm not I'm a fucking LOSER :([/sp]
[QUOTE=mak13two;35661588][IMG]http://i43.tinypic.com/33nwx13.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Please be real.
I've seen several of the employee's vaction photos to hawaii that's mentioned about the big vaction they had, a few of them went and shoved a shovel into lava to cross it off their bucket list.
"Any work on EP3 must not be mentioned until the stars are right"
[QUOTE=booster;35665526]"Any work on EP3 must not be mentioned until the stars are right"[/QUOTE]
where is that?
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