Valve is one of the best game companies in the world. Titles like Half Life, Portal and Team Fortress have contributed to a legacy of games as art and dedication to delivering great products.
It’s also one of the most unique companies in the world, boasting a talented staff that is allowed immense creative freedom. That’s why this document, the Valve Handbook for New Employees, is such a fascinating read. Valve works like no other game company out there and the handbook offers a fantastic look at how it’s put together.
The handbook appears to be legitimate, as it was posted to the Flamehaus forums by a member who got it from Greg Coomer of Valve. It goes over a variety of sections to do with the company’s methods and operations. This organizational chart, exhibiting the flat nature of the company’s organization, is pretty awesome. As is the fact that Valve calls its teams of employees ‘Cabals’.
You can read the whole document below, I highly recommend it for anyone, whether you’re a gamer or not. It’s a great bit of education on the way that creative companies can be run. And it’s also freakin’ hilarious.
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