What Do VALVe Employees Do?

AguyinaRPG · 05-22-2012, 05:16 PM

Hello my friends. I've been debating with a Steam buddy of mine over the work VALVe does. He's argued that the only true game they've actually released since 2007 was Portal 2, the rest of the stuff being outsourced with little involvement by VALVe. He also doesn't count games like Dota 2 to be actually working on a whole new game, so they won't actually have anything coming up in the coming year.

Let's ignore the range of faults with this argument and instead just ask this: With almost 300 employees at VALVe, what are they all relegated to? Can anyone find me any sources of who works in the various departments like Steam, Source, deveopment, etc.?

catshade · 05-22-2012, 05:30 PM

Making hats.

hypermuse · 05-22-2012, 05:30 PM

Not sure if it's relevant, but I thought this was pretty cool (It's a valve employee handbook).

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/04/21/va...ame=0&ns_fee=0

Epsilon · 05-22-2012, 05:36 PM

Your buddy is a bit of a moron. CS:GO is most certainly partially outsourced, but the two Left 4 Deads were both in-house, and Dota 2 is built from the ground-up with all new code and assets. If that's not building a new game, I don't know what is.

As far as I'm aware, there is no such list because there are no formal groups, and any list would certainly be out of date because people frequently move from project to project. So, for instance, the Portal 2 group probably swelled to basically the entire company in the few weeks before it went gold, just to get the thing shipped.

Bilateralrope · 05-22-2012, 05:38 PM

They mess with the flow of time

BurtonJ · 05-22-2012, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AguyinaRPG

With almost 300 employees at VALVe, what are they all relegated to? Can anyone find me any sources of who works in the various departments like Steam, Source, deveopment, etc.?

HERE is a good place to start.

I also suggest you read THIS and THIS.

Cheers!

cloropad · 05-22-2012, 05:44 PM

I hope they make games implanted in your brain and eyes, so you can explore a jungle and shoot enemies with your eyes and tell it where you walk with your brain.
..Maybe at E3 this year!

Foey · 05-22-2012, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypermuse

Not sure if it's relevant, but I thought this was pretty cool (It's a valve employee handbook).

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/04/21/va...ame=0&ns_fee=0

Which seems to explain in a nut shell what Valve employees do -- very little. A shocking new development in management theory: employees not required to do any work don't do any. So the only games Valve has managed to release for quite a few years now are from outside teams they bought (Portal, L4D, DOTA) or unimaginative retreads of old Valve ideas from a long time ago like the latest CS repeat.

bluz74 · 05-22-2012, 05:44 PM

Valve sets the bar and forces other game developers to make better games, products and communities.

BurtonJ · 05-22-2012, 05:46 PM

I just hangout with the Steam Mascots all day.

gigadrive08 · 05-22-2012, 05:54 PM

I've always wondered where do those mascots come from, are they from a specific Valve game or just cute little characters for Steam?

ReSt' In_PiEces · 05-22-2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BurtonJ

I just hangout with the Steam Mascots all day.

They're so cute, aren't they? Where can I get one of those? Please tell me, I NEED TO KNOW!

gigadrive08 · 05-22-2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foey

Which seems to explain in a nut shell what Valve employees do -- very little. A shocking new development in management theory: employees not required to do any work don't do any. So the only games Valve has managed to release for quite a few years now are from outside teams they bought (Portal, L4D, DOTA) or unimaginative retreads of old Valve ideas from a long time ago like the latest CS repeat.

This debate is old and tired. This is like saying any company didn't really make a game because they hired new people. From what I can tell, that's all that has ever happened. Talent is absorbed and all work towards that goal. It's not like it's "outsourced", they're all working together on a project once a team is acquired.

Although, I do wonder how active are these teams AFTER their respective games have been finished. For example, if any Valve employee such as BurtonJ is willing to answer this: How active are Portal 1/2 employees on the likes of, for example, Dota 2?

ReSt' In_PiEces · 05-22-2012, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluz74

Valve sets the bar and forces other game developers to make better games, products and communities.

Also this, except maybe for the "communities" part. VALVe developers sure take their time creating games, but at the end we know they will always deliver, no matter what. They set the bar. There isn't one bad game on their catalog (IMO).

Myself =P · 05-22-2012, 06:12 PM

Have brilliant ideas, but with somewhat strange inspiration

05-22-2012, 05:16 PM	#1
AguyinaRPG Join Date: Jun 2009 Reputation: 309 Posts: 859	What Do VALVe Employees Do? Hello my friends. I've been debating with a Steam buddy of mine over the work VALVe does. He's argued that the only true game they've actually released since 2007 was Portal 2, the rest of the stuff being outsourced with little involvement by VALVe. He also doesn't count games like Dota 2 to be actually working on a whole new game, so they won't actually have anything coming up in the coming year. Let's ignore the range of faults with this argument and instead just ask this: With almost 300 employees at VALVe, what are they all relegated to? Can anyone find me any sources of who works in the various departments like Steam, Source, deveopment, etc.?

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

05-22-2012, 05:30 PM	#2
catshade Join Date: Jul 2009 Reputation: 143 Posts: 169	Making hats.

05-22-2012, 05:30 PM	#3
hypermuse Join Date: Mar 2012 Reputation: 33 Posts: 20	Not sure if it's relevant, but I thought this was pretty cool (It's a valve employee handbook). http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/04/21/va...ame=0&ns_fee=0

05-22-2012, 05:36 PM	#4
Epsilon Join Date: Jan 2003 Reputation: 1795 Posts: 5,303	Your buddy is a bit of a moron. CS:GO is most certainly partially outsourced, but the two Left 4 Deads were both in-house, and Dota 2 is built from the ground-up with all new code and assets. If that's not building a new game, I don't know what is. As far as I'm aware, there is no such list because there are no formal groups, and any list would certainly be out of date because people frequently move from project to project. So, for instance, the Portal 2 group probably swelled to basically the entire company in the few weeks before it went gold, just to get the thing shipped.

05-22-2012, 05:38 PM	#5
Bilateralrope Join Date: Dec 2010 Reputation: 176 Posts: 973	They mess with the flow of time

05-22-2012, 05:44 PM	#7
cloropad Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Reputation: 290 Posts: 941	I hope they make games implanted in your brain and eyes, so you can explore a jungle and shoot enemies with your eyes and tell it where you walk with your brain. ..Maybe at E3 this year!

05-22-2012, 05:44 PM	#9
bluz74 Join Date: Aug 2009 Reputation: 33690 Posts: 5,576	Valve sets the bar and forces other game developers to make better games, products and communities.

05-22-2012, 05:46 PM	#10
BurtonJ Valve Join Date: Nov 2007 Reputation: 9968 Posts: 8,878	I just hangout with the Steam Mascots all day.

05-22-2012, 05:54 PM	#11
gigadrive08 Join Date: Apr 2012 Reputation: 59 Posts: 615	I've always wondered where do those mascots come from, are they from a specific Valve game or just cute little characters for Steam?

05-22-2012, 06:12 PM	#15
Myself =P Join Date: Jul 2010 Reputation: 452 Posts: 1,370	Have brilliant ideas, but with somewhat strange inspiration