Pros
* Incredible perks, from tons of swag and free food to subsidized gym memberships and healthcare benefits. Pay is competitive (in my experience), but I have seen some pay complaints while looking through other reviews, so draw your own conclusions. * Player-oriented, global focus means that the company is actively trying to make decisions that positively impact the customer. This is not just lip-service; cost discussions nearly always take a backseat to player concern. * Executive leadership make it a point to be accessible and transparent and seem to honestly believe in cultural values. * Tons of growth opportunities. Riot hires for people, not positions, so they will help you to heavily invest in your future, even if that's in a different position than the one you hired into. If you can recognize a need on another team and can make a case for why you can fill that need, it's likely that you'll be able to move there. * The vast majority of Rioters are A-type personalities who get things done and are not afraid to challenge bad decisions when they see them. However, it is not (in my experience) a particularly cutthroat work environment. Everyone understands that they are on the same team and work fervently to support you when possible. These are hands-down some of the best and brightest coworkers I've ever had. * Bottom-up instead of top-down approach to processes means that generally teams do what works for them instead of being handed process mandates from overseers who may be out of the loop. * Trying and failing is encouraged and actively de-stigmatized. * From a QA perspective, QA is generally seen as valued work and you are treated well. Adoption/acceptance happens quickly on a team if you can prove your worth. Having worked at several other major games companies in the Southern California area, I can tell you firsthand that this is NOT usually the case for the rest of the industry.
Kontras
* Ambiguous roles can lead to confusion/failure if you require static goals and/or structure to be successful. Be prepared to decide for yourself exactly what you can/will handle, because no one else will decide for you. * In that vein, very little standardization of work processes/best practices; each team does what makes sense for them, for better or worse. Be prepared to learn a whole new set of tools and skills if you change teams. * Communication between teams can be difficult (but is still encouraged). * Most positions require an extremely strong resume and/or quite a bit of work experience to qualify for. Very few truly entry level positions. * Bias towards hiring A-type personalities means that unless you are comfortable challenging and actively contributing to a team, you do not belong here. Riot is not a place for wallflowers. * Coworkers can be blunt and open conflict is preferred over backstabbing politics. If you cannot easily take criticism or are afraid of conflict, this is not the work environment for you. * Living in LA is the worst. Expensive, crowded, noisy, awful traffic, no parking anywhere. Santa Monica is a little better, but unless you're willing to shell out $1500-$3000 a month, don't get any ideas about living there.