Valve Lists Some New (and Really Weird) Job Vacancies

Did you ever want to work in the games industry, but didn’t necessarily go down that specific road when you went to university? Well, there may be some hope for you yet!

Following new job listings on their official website, Valve is looking to hire both psychologists and economists. Why you ask? Well, the short answer is, we don’t know. The long answer is that they might be looking to think ‘outside for the box’ for future development!

Valve is Hiring… Psychologists & Economists

So, have we piqued your interest? Well, one would presume that if you are a psychologist or economist, you’re (hopefully) doing pretty well for yourselves. If you did, however, want to get into the gaming industry, this might be your perfect opportunity!

The official job description for the psychologist role states:

“In order to create exceptional products that people will use and appreciate, we need to know about human behavior. And about the motivations and influences underlying how and why people do what they do.

We believe that all game designers are, in a sense, experimental psychologists. That is why we’re looking for an experimental psychologist with superior research skills to apply knowledge and methodologies from psychology to game design and all aspects of Valve’s operations. We want to leverage your experience with experimental design, research methods, statistics, and human behavior. To help craft even more compelling gameplay experiences for future Valve titles.

As for the economists, well, it seems that Valve wants somebody with an analytical mind to study their numbers and come up with some interesting (and presumably, new) conclusions.

“One thing we have at Valve is data. Lots and lots of data. We are looking for an experienced economist to help us leverage all that information to improve our customers’ experiences and make better decisions.

You’d get to use your extensive knowledge of economics, statistics, and data mining methods to derive insights from Valve’s gameplay, social, and financial data. You’d explore the complex social institutions and economic phenomena that emerge from in-game virtual economies, examine the factors that drive customers’ choices on Steam (Valve’s successful game distribution platform), and study trends that help inform the future of gaming.”

What Do We Think?

Personally, I’m disappointed that Gaben didn’t want an economist to decide how to invest his truckloads of money earned on Steam while the psychologist discusses his apparent fear of the number 3.

If you are interested in applying for these roles though, you can check out the official links (with more details descriptions) via the links here!

• Psychology – Check the link here!
• Economist – Check the link here!

What do you think? Is Valve trying some unusual new ideas in the gaming industry? Are you thinking about applying? – Let us know in the comments!