A totally different ballgame

Valve - Handbook for Employees

A fearless adventure in knowing what to do when no one’s there telling you what to do

In 1996 Valve set out to make great games. In addition to creating several of the world’s most award-winning games, Valve is also a developer of leading-edge technologies including the Source® game engine and Steam®, the premier online gaming platform.

Valve released its employee handbook to the public because, according to Valve co-founder Gabe Newell, somebody asked. “I’d mentioned the handbook on a podcast and one of the listeners contacted us and said, ‘Hey, can I get a copy?’ So [designer] Greg Coomer sent him a copy and all of a sudden, it got posted online,” he says.

The handbook attracted a lot of attention because, in addition to offering company massage rooms and free food, Valve has a unique corporate structure rarely seen at such a large company: Valve has 300 employees but no managers or bosses at all. This handbook is about the choices Valve employee's are going to be making and how to think about them. Mainly, it’s about how not to freak out.