Been there, did that! I worked in the gaming industry from the early to late 2000s, mostly on big MMOs. While most people seem to be desperate to get in, I go

Been there, did that! I worked in the gaming industry from the early to late 2000s, mostly on big MMOs. While most people seem to be desperate to get in, I got into the industry by pure accident. I had a particular skill set that these companies needed and I was in the right place at the right time. There were some enjoyable aspects, such as some of the people I met and the crazy acomplishments that I can list, but when I left that last job I really didn't look back. I started working less hours, being less stressed out, got more respect in my industry, gained employment stability, and started getting paid literally more than double. I had a job interview with Valve about a year ago now. It was the first time I had interviewed at a gaming company in a long time. It really reminded me why I left. While I think Valve would have given me some neat technical challenges, and I have to admit that they turned me down before I could do the same, the people I interviewed with seemed miserable. We just didn't click attitude wise. There were very few smiles during the all-day I spent there and it was pretty obvious that people were overworked to the extreme. In one interview set, phone notifications were constantly going off every four or five minutes, and it was pretty obvious that was the norm, not an exception. By the time it was over I was really turned off. I didn't want to join the misery. I'm at the point in my life where I'm looking for a new adventure and money isn't a big issue anymore. Maybe I'll join a startup, but I'll almost certainly avoid a gaming startup, and I'd advise you to do the same.