Behind the scenes, what kind of support do Paradox have access to?

[Peace Weaver]

I'm curious what the office life is like at Paradox Studios (Are all the development teams for the various games located in the same offices, for that matter?). While witnessing the scrimmage that is occurring in the Stellaris forum, I find myself genuinely concerned for the well being of Paradox staff - I can't imagine what it'd be like to work in an environment where you have an audience examining everything you do under a microscope, ready to implicate you in their own personal tug of wars. It's one thing if you were all trained or experienced as PR representatives and talk show hosts or something, or developing games behind closed curtains without any public dialogue, but I can't imagine that sort of social pressure being easy for the average coder or artist that you'd have working on one of your games, when there is a commitment to continued development and engagement with the player base.

Do you have an HR department with resources to keep the hearth going in the offices and actively support people, or is it more of an ad-hoc camaraderie between staff that holds you all together?

Maybe your next hire should be an in-office therapist if you haven't already got one, and I'm not kidding at all. I think someone trained in a creative arts therapy (whether specializing in music, art or drama) would be a huge asset to a development team.

 

[XYN]

I doubt they are bothered by any of it.

For an average coder approval of the team leader is usually more important than whatever users say.

And it is natural that users rant about bugs. Everyone who works in the field understands that bugs are inevitable, and their glaring presence in the released product is often more an administrative issue rather than technical.

 

[ozmono2005]

I feel a doctor handing out soothing medication would be beneficial for all internet users. Chemical bliss for the win as the kids say.

 

[lukesilveira]

I'm curious what the office life is like at Paradox Studios (Are all the development teams for the various games located in the same offices, for that matter?). While witnessing the scrimmage that is occurring in the Stellaris forum, I find myself genuinely concerned for the well being of Paradox staff - I can't imagine what it'd be like to work in an environment where you have an audience examining everything you do under a microscope, ready to implicate you in their own personal tug of wars. It's one thing if you were all trained or experienced as PR representatives and talk show hosts or something, or developing games behind closed curtains without any public dialogue, but I can't imagine that sort of social pressure being easy for the average coder or artist that you'd have working on one of your games, when there is a commitment to continued development and engagement with the player base.

Do you have an HR department with resources to keep the hearth going in the offices and actively support people, or is it more of an ad-hoc camaraderie between staff that holds you all together?

Maybe your next hire should be an in-office therapist if you haven't already got one, and I'm not kidding at all. I think someone trained in a creative arts therapy (whether specializing in music, art or drama) would be a huge asset to a development team.

Hah, you should check out Forums of other game Studios.

 

[caedussl]

Hah, you should check out Forums of other game Studios.

So true. Nothing on these forums will ever compare to some of the vitriol elsewhere. Like at Bioware's original forum, that was set up similar to this one, where it got so bad they shut it down (hateful, sexist, threatening comments abounded).

 

[petertju]

Or the Total War forum, my god did I learn a lot of new words there