Good place to work on games
Pros
Feels like a startup, but seems stable enough to last (with two games still going strong after half a decade). While there is a lot of legacy code, that code is not nearly as bad as I feared, compared to most codebases of the same age I've worked on. Games are fun, and coding games is fun. Lots of sharp people, who aren't arrogant. Decent balance between enough process to keep things on track but not too much to drown in, although that does seem largely down to each team to get right independently. Atmosphere, location (downtown SF right off multiple bus/Metro/BART), hours (11-7), perks (food, etc.).
Cons
The pay seems good for the games industry, but that's still significantly lower than I could get elsewhere. It seems like, at least for engineers, you're expected to dive in and figure out how things work, quickly, on your own initiative—which I enjoy, but I'm not sure everyone would. The old building may look pretty cool, but it means the office is cold and clammy or hot and muggy whenever the weather isn't great outside. Which is especially unpleasant when we have an all-hands meeting and pack everyone together.
