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[JakOfTheShadows]

Thanks for the translation alexandros! As a software engineer I love reading anything/everything about how Valve is run. The thing I always wonder is how well their system can scale and handle the issues I've seen in very large software companies.

but also took part in transactions and item exchanges of digital products whose value exceeded $1,4 billion annually – not virtual dollars, real dollars!

The power of hats!

 

[CassSept]

That was a mighty interesting read, I recommend everyone to read it all instead of skipping to the bolded parts, really.

 

[Gsak]

GreekGAF FTW! Σωστός ο Αλέξανδρος!

 

[Timedog]

Can someone tell me how to earn 40-80k playing a video game and selling stuff or whatever? I'll do that easily.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

Can someone tell me how to earn 40-80k playing a video game and selling stuff or whatever? I'll do that easily.

With Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2, all you have to do is make in-game items (hats and other cosmetics specifically, though weapons also fall under this category), have Valve make them official items available to the respective games' playerbases though crates, drops and the in-game stores, and cash the checks you get. This does, however, require you to be able to model and/or texture, and/or work with other people who can do the stuff you can't.

Or, ya know, you can farm gold in WoW.

 

[-COOLIO-]

Can someone tell me how to earn 40-80k playing a video game and selling stuff or whatever? I'll do that easily.

I know, right? They must be working 24/7.

 

[TheExodu5]

The power of hats!

There's no indication that this is just hats and virtual items. Remember that games can be traded virtually, so they may be counting more than just that.

I'd guess that $1.4billion is the entirety of Steam's yearly revenue.

If we're considering 50 million unique users, that's $28 per user per year. Far too high to just be for virtual items. Seems reasonable if we're counting game sales as well, however.

 

[DTKT]

This should be a big discussion for everyone today, given the current climate of large companies in the industry. Its funny, I don't work in the game industry (yet) but my current job and the ones before would all function better without management stepping on everyones feet trying to justify their jobs.

I think that the key is the level of competence and maturity you require from your employees. Because you can't have someone who's just there to fit in. You require so much from each member that they must be 100% dedicated to working in a boss-less workplace. I'm sure that you can have an amazing worker with exceptional technical skills but who's just unable to have the initiative or drive to work in that kind of environment. It's not just about your technical expertise, it's also how you work.

It sounds amazing, but the hard part is probably making sure every single employee is actually able to fit in. I would love to see something like "A day with a Valve programmer" or the same thing with different departments.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

What is up with this pic

It's an edited version of Gabe accepting the Pioneer Award at the 2010 Game Developers Conference. Dunno why it was edited to show him holding a Wii U, though.

 

[wutwutwut]

Stack ranking seems like it would create an incredibly competitive work environment, which is obviously a good thing for a company.

Microsoft and Google also employ stack ranking, but from what I know it doesn't work out as well there. Stack ranking only works when everyone's an A+ player -- MS and Google have significant numbers of B and C-grade engineers depending on the team. (One way stack ranking can harm a company is that interviewers might lower the hiring bar to make themselves look better. That is obviously not an issue at Valve)

 

[RedSwirl]

Stack ranking seems like it would create an incredibly competitive work environment, which is obviously a good thing for a company.

Isn't that what comments said about Valve on some sight where people anonymously rate companies they've worked for?

 

[Log4Girlz]

Can someone tell me how to earn 40-80k playing a video game and selling stuff or whatever? I'll do that easily.

I can tell you for a small fee.

 

[nephilimdj]

Can someone tell me how to earn 40-80k playing a video game and selling stuff or whatever? I'll do that easily.

People go on idle servers in tf2 for weekly drops with there multiaccounts.
Doubt make 40k, but sure can make a few hundred. Atleast pays for the pcs idling at heavy load (due to GPU) power wise.

Still think the steam box is just a alienware pc, just running Linux with steam insiped os (like the google ubuntu they had at walmart)

 

[DTKT]

People go on idle servers in tf2 for weekly drops with there multiaccounts.
Doubt make 40k, but sure can make a few hundred. Atleast pays for the pcs idling at heavy load (due to GPU) power wise.

Text mode. ;p

 

[Evlar]

Sounds like wearable computing.

 

[Josh7289]

At the same time, I got the chance to “see the future”. You see, in addition to their game software, Valve has started developing hardware. Worried by Microsoft’s and Apple’s tendency to claim a bigger and bigger cut of its profits (in order to allow users access to Valve games through the computers that run their software), Valve has started experimenting with its own machines that give you the ability to run these games without a (Microsoft or Apple-controlled) computer. I’ve signed an NDA so I can’t reveal much more. I’ll just say that I really saw the future. (it’s not a small deal to see a virtual but highly realistic alien stand beside a real human in the same room with you, walk around the room and wink at you. And all that without a screen, a projector or even a computer near you&#8230

Wh... whoa... Wow.

 

[Amagon]

Great insightful article. And also,

someone in Valve, please hire me!!!

 

[GotEmRunnin]

If a alien winked at me I'd stop gaming.

 

[BudokaiMR2]

That is a really goddamn interesting article. I am also happy to see that even a 14 year old sees Valve as a "Godly company." You have a bright Nephew on your hands sir!

Also that last part about the future has me

 

[Persona86]

Wh... whoa... Wow.

My face said the same thing.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

Wh... whoa... Wow.

Anyone still denying some kind of Valve box within the next 1-2 years is kidding themselves at this point. They're gonna enter the hardware market in a biiiiiiiiiiiig way. Can't say how well they'll do, or exactly what form it will take, but rest assured something interesting is on the way from them.

Spoiler

and hopefully HL3 *sob*

 

[Vaporak]

They.... vote on each other's paycheck?

Okay.

I think in time that sort of structure to companies is going to be the norm, and the people of the future will look back on how we structure companies now the same way we look back at kings and dictators.

 

[Izayoi]

Virtual reality is going to be fucking great. It's nice to see that the industry is still moving forward.

 

[SteveWD40]

I do wonder how marketable this stuff will be outside the hardcore, that tech sounds like it would cost thousands of Dollars / Pounds / Schrute Bucks.

I admire Valve for trying to innovate rather than just releasing a "steambox", especially since said box running Linux wouldn't run most of the Steam catalouge.

 

[Kaako]

Whoa at that last paragraph. Bring on the future, Valve!

 

[alstein]

HL3 and TF3 exclusive to Steambox will make folks get it.

Next step games have to work on Steambox to be on Steam period.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

HL3 and TF3 exclusive to Steambox will make folks get it.

Next step games have to work on Steambox to be on Steam period.

I see what you're doing there, and I can't say I disagree.

 

[Wiktor]

I like Steam and Valve games, but I don't see myself ever switching to their OS or hardware.

 

[Wiktor]

HL3 and TF3 exclusive to Steambox will make folks get it.

Next step games have to work on Steambox to be on Steam period.

Lol..and people are afraid of the crap Microsoft might pull

 

[Limanima]

Interesting read.

About the VR thing: it was probably a PS Eye. The guy didn't knew who Valve was for christ sake.

 

[Empty]

thanks for the translation. lol at "godly company".

For example, in China at least 200,000 players earn from 40 to 80 thousand dollars annually

a little confused by this bit. surely there can't be 200,000 people earning more than 40k a year off of tf2.

 

[Boss Doggie]

Steambox definitely goes against the idea of Steam.

Mmmm virtual reality... virtual GabeN

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

I think in time that sort of structure to companies is going to be the norm, and the people of the future will look back on how we structure companies now the same way we look back at kings and dictators.

I agree that they'll think it was stupid, but I'd hope our future people would be smart enough to realize the difference between bad management and monarchy.

 

[IceMarker]

a little confused by this bit. surely there can't be 200,000 people earning more than 40k a year off of tf2.

I think he may have meant through trading virtual items for real money, not being the creator of the item itself (although I'm sure that fetches an even prettier penny as well.)

 

[alstein]

Steambox definitely goes against the idea of Steam.

Mmmm virtual reality... virtual GabeN

The idea of Steam is to make Valve money.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

Good job, alexandros, you got mentioned on Kotaku:

This is absolutely amazing. You may have heard of Yanis Varoufakis, the economist who recently took up a position at Valve as ‘Economist-In-Residence’. Currently he is observing and experimenting with the economies and sub-economies that exist within Steam — people trading hats and whatnot. But in a blog recently translated by Neogaf user alexandros, he went in-depth on some of his experiences and wrote about how he “saw the future”.

 

[Persona86]

Interesting read.

About the VR thing: it was probably a PS Eye. The guy didn't knew who Valve was for christ sake.

You missed a bit.

"And all that without a screen, a projector or even a computer near you…”

 

[nikatapi]

Great job, i had translated the part about the "alien standing next to a human" in a thread about the rumored valve hardware, but it went mostly unnoticed.

Thanks for posting this Αλέξανδρε

 

[Blizzard]

Sounds like wearable computing.

Yes.

Interesting read.

About the VR thing: it was probably a PS Eye. The guy didn't knew who Valve was for christ sake.

I highly doubt this. As far as I'm aware, Valve has been publicly interested in, and working on, wearable computing for at least the last couple of years. There was at least one high-profile hardware engineer who was hired, and who had video(s) of the personal stuff she'd made, like a crowbar controller. I'd assume that wouldn't be used for an actual game, but I expect some sort of VR goggles like Google goggles are involved. Valve seems to like messing with weird peripherals. See also that expensive force-feedback controller that they added support and custom levels for with Portal 2 and the Source engine.

Also, clearly the human and alien are the Mr. Half-life and a Vortigaunt, dun dun dunnnnn (ok probably not).

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Very good read. Valve is probably at a crossroad right now and is thinking pretty ambitiously. I'm excited for the company and what is to come in the next few years.

 

[DarkestFiber]

Very cool. Thanks for translating this, OP.

 

[Persona86]

Yes.


I highly doubt this. As far as I'm aware, Valve has been publicly interested in, and working on, wearable computing for at least the last couple of years. There was at least one high-profile hardware engineer who was hired, and who had video(s) of the personal stuff she'd made, like a crowbar controller. I'd assume that wouldn't be used for an actual game, but I expect some sort of VR goggles like Google goggles are involved Valve seems to like messing with weird peripherals. See also that expensive force-feedback controller that they added support and custom levels for with Portal 2 and the Source engine.

That's exactly what came to my mind too.

 

[mclem]

This should be a big discussion for everyone today, given the current climate of large companies in the industry. Its funny, I don't work in the game industry (yet) but my current job and the ones before would all function better without management stepping on everyones feet trying to justify their jobs.

Well, I think part of that is the fact that Valve can do things at their own pace; they aren't beholden to any publisher. Most of the interfering from management when I was in the industry was basically them passing on ways the publisher was interfering.