CliffyB.com -- Rants and Rambling

You've Been Given a Job Offer!

Cliff Bleszinski, Epic Games

I've started this document because of the horror stories I've heard from hard working, talented developers. It's an ongoing thing, so if you have any additions feel free to email me.

1. Ask to see the employment contract BEFORE you move from where you're at (or leave your current job officially.) More often than not many companies will move a new employee cross the country and then when they arrive they'll hand the person a contract on day 1 like "Oh, and sign this."

First thing to do with the contract is bring it to a lawyer. Save up some money (buy a few less DVD's) and get one to look it over. It's the old rule - learn to read everything before you sign and make sure you have legal counsel. Even if it's just you. Always assume that at any point things could go to shit and if the employer could use something against you they will. (even if they all seemed "really nice!" It's not show friends, it's show business.)

Now, a few things to look out for in your contract:

Offers for advances on royalties and bonuses. Never, ever take them. It's leverage for the company to legally threaten you in any given situation. (FYI, it is a frequent thing for a company to expect moving expenses (and possible signing bonuses) back if you ditch them within the first year. This is a reasonable request.)

NON COMPETE clauses. Non-competes can encompass a lot of things, but usually they exist to bind the employee from going to another gaming company - specifically, if you're working at a company that makes Racing games they don't want you going to another company that makes Racing games as well. However, it is usually used (and to much effect) to prevent a person from working in the entire GAMING INDUSTRY for however long the non-compete is. "If you quit this company, you can't make games for a year!" Non-competes are largely unenforceable but they're still used because most employees won't bother to get a lawyer and find out. It's all about scare tactics. In fact, they're illegal in California - I was forwarded a couple of links about this, check it out. First Link, Second Link.

See if your job and job description are clearly defined. If you're a level designer, are you allowed to have and use programs like Photoshop and Max besides the in-house editor? Or do the Powers that Be prevent this? If you're an artist, ask how much creative freedom you'll have. Will you be able to participate in defining the style of the title? At smaller companies you may bounce around and do multiple things; at larger companies you may be "The guy who makes trees for this project." It's your job to find out what you're doing.

2. Ask about health care and 401K plans. A good employer should have a PPO where there's a low co-pay for doctor visits and an option to participate in a retirement plan.

3. Find out who your ACTUAL, REAL BOSS will be and get to know him or her. Frequently at large companies you have 6 or more bosses and they'll all manipulate you for their own agenda. i.e. Producer A says 'Hey, you should work on level 5 today' and right after Producer B says 'No, you should work on level 4! Producer A is an idiot, I rank higher than him' (which may or may not be the case...) There are TOO MANY PRODUCERS in this industry. Yes, we need some, but not 4 on a project!

4. Ask for DETAILED examples of how the bonuses or royalties work. All companies promise them and 99.9% of them fail to ever deliver. And know the difference between NET and GROSS royalties. (NET is what you really get to keep.)

5. Ask your potential employers about the last games they've played. Be wary of a game company that doesn't know games. And bear in mind that just because you play a lot of games it doesn't always mean your opinion means more than someone else in the company - just because you watch a lot of films doesn't make you a good director. It's just one piece of the puzzle.

6. Ask to talk to other employees during the interview process. If they fly you out on a Sunday when no one is at the office and you're not allowed to meet many of your future co-workers then it's probably a bad sign. A good employer has little to hide and won't have any problems with you chatting up other workers during the interview visit.

7. Ask about e3 and GDC. Ask if the company will send you (bear in mind that large companies can only send who needs to go; otherwise the expenses would be insane) and if they won't pay for it then ask if they'll maybe help out. (i.e. pay for your registration as long as you handle travel and hotel...)

8. Do your homework about the company - startups pop up every day and die every day. Has the company been around for years? What's the turnover rate? (ask the other employees "How long have you been here?") ASK AROUND. Find other people in the industry; even former employees and talk to them. Ask them about their experiences working with the company and try to get a feel for what it is like before you move.

9. Ask about credit on the project. If the company you're working for refuses to acknowledge your work by name and title (i.e. John Smith - Programming) then they're hiding something. (i.e. they don't want headhunters to call you.)

One final thought - try to stick around to ship at least one game if you're unhappy. Nothing looks worse on a resume than to see a person who hops from company to company every year. Starting a game is fun and easy - finishing it is a big fat pain in the ass.