Which Video Game Company is the Best Employer?

So you've read the article on how to get into the game industry, and you've decided, "Hey, I want to do that." You've decided you're ready to start at the bottom and work your way up; you're going to claw your way up the corporate ladder and eventually make your own video games. But one major question comes to mind: what company do you want to work for?

Some people would think this is absolutely trivial - they don't care, they just want to work on video games. But for anyone with a serious interest in advancement, you have to approach this decision carefully. Getting stuck in the wrong company can either downright ruin your chances of getting your dream career in the industry or just create a generally frustrating and stressful work environment that forever turns you off from a potentially great career path. Another frequent problem that those interested in getting into the industry run into is that they often enter into companies whose work policies or gaming history clashes with their own interests.

For example, a fan of EverQuest is not likely going to enjoy his or her tenure at Blizzard Entertainment, while someone who loathes large corporate settings and prefers personalization is not going to enjoy working at EA games.

In many regards, picking a game company to try to get into depends highly on what you "want". If you just want to get your foot in the door, you just want that job on your resume, it really is advisable to take what you can get. If this means a basic Temp Agency that puts you on a Quality Assurance team for three months, then so be it. The most important part of landing where you want to land is to simply make sure that you have industry experience on that resume of yours.

So assuming you have an option, who should you aim for?

If you're looking to have a deal of creative say in a project, the best bet would be to look into smaller companies, such as Green Monster Games, or other small studios that are looking to "break into" the market. Although most of them refer to themselves as "leaders" in the industry or brag about their incredible number of released titles, don't forget that many of these are either simple re-designs for cross compatibility purposes or were simply projects that the studio itself worked on as assistants, almost like apprentice studios. Look seriously at their credentials, do they have any award winning titles? Are they involved in any way with a larger corporation or are they likely to attract one?

Does the game they are working on have promise? Has it been done before? Take this into true and serious consideration, as many companies have started down a project and were on the verge of release, only to have all the effort scrapped, many of the designers laid off, and the entire project disappearing into oblivion. Even games that showed remarkable promise, such as Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising, have been seemingly permanently shelved in favor of other projects with more "market" value.

The following are some gaming companies one might be interested in looking into:

Blizzard Entertainment - At this point, it's literally impossible to have not heard the name Blizzard if you know even the slightest about the gaming world. Originally a contender because of their games Diablo and WarCraft, the company has since generated an enormous, multi-million customer following. They've made their claim primarily in making high fantasy or sci-fi games that are simple to understand, quick to get into, and remarkably easy to become proficient at with little time played. In many ways, Blizzard produced games that were a "boon" to the casual player, as they also usually sacrificed heavily in their graphics in favor of a more trademark, cartoon style of animation.

Working for this company would be several gamers' dream jobs - but one has to be careful as without realistic expectations this "dream job" could quickly turn into a nightmare. With over 8 million customers for their MMO, players are rabid, demanding, and in some cases even strange and violent. There is a constant pressure from all angles to make sure things are done "right", and that's without considering the actual office environment. Where a player may see themselves as working in a large office all day making sure they were just fine tuning that dragon, the environment itself is a little less glamorous and a little more typically corporate.

Profit is the bottom line interest - and frankly, with a name like Blizzard, they aren't going to settle for less than they feel they can get their hands on. There is a multi-million man pool to recruit from, so getting into the company itself is very difficult from a design perspective without having inside friends. On the other note, however, getting into Quality Assurance is relatively easy, recognizing that they frequently release new content that constantly needs to be checked up on. However, as is the case with many companies, QA is heavily looked down upon at Blizzard, and it's been reported that there's a constant "rift" between QA and design there.

Sony Online Entertainment - The company that largely brought MMOs to the main stream, this creator of EverQuest is a great place to start in the game industry, but an even better springboard. There are many routes in - though many of them start at lower entry positions like Quality Assurance or Customer Service. Originally an organization known as 989 Studios, it took a number of twists and turns as Verant Interactive and finally landing as Sony Online Entertainment after being bought by Sony.

Some take contention with the idea of working for Sony - others simply don't like the quality of their products released. Despite some of the problems that could be found working there, there's a very real benefit to working at an office located in San Diego, California. The company is thoroughly enjoyable to work in and usually treats its employees very well for the duration of their working there.

However, as was the case with Untold Legends: Dark Kingdoms, once a certain game has launched, it should come as no surprise when one's employment simply ceases.

EA Games - Even Blizzard is required to acknowledge the supremacy of EA Games. Not content with releasing a single greatest hit game in The Sims, they're also responsible for any of the other Sim games such as Sim City, Sim Life, and others. EA also has a stranglehold on the sports game market - competitor 2KSports is already contemplating releasing sports games that don't use actual players on the grounds that their profits do not allow them to pay the Players' Associations the hefty fees necessary to implement them. Meanwhile, EA Games has also released other titles that have become synonymous with success, such as the ever popular Battlefield series.

However, as was the case with Blizzard, EA is a successful company, they know very well they are a successful company, and have zero interest in opinions on how their company can be "more successful", as they've gotten along just fine without you. Reports are consistently out that the corporate setting is something of a "game design sweatshop", where some of the developers are well taken care of, but are expected to produce results with minimal complaints, or else they are simply outright replaced.

There is very little face to EA Games - they are a heavy corporation with heavy marketing tools and understanding. To this end, a mystique has been built around this company that has become easy to hate, so bragging that you work for this company will not usually net envy as much as it will net contempt. That doesn't stop people from buying EA Games wholesale, as the popular Madden NFL, NHL, NBA Live, and Sims games have proven.

This would be an excellent choice of company if you are interested in a "big" release name on your resume - but its best to go through EA if you're more interested in the business aspect of the game industry than the design side, EA would be an excellent choice to make.