Great People, Great Job, Poor Management
Pros
If you are really interested in gaming and seeing the other side of game production and support, working with ZeniMax is definitely for you. From the first day I was hired I immediately met like-minded people who were not only friendly and open but knowledgeable in their fields. My job as a Game Support Agent actually made me feel that I was making an impact and contributing something to improving the game rather than just being a mindless cog in the machine. They provide you with full benefits including a free health plan if you are single and without children. There is of course a chain of command but it never felt forced or that my supervisors were my "betters". There were fun activities such as a Halloween cosplay contest in the office, a launch party to celebrate the game, and a fun company picnic. This was one of the few jobs where I never had to force myself to go to.
Cons
The hours are unorthodox. This was in the midst of changing when I left. I worked from 2pm to 11pm which sounds great until you bring into account that as a game company you are required to work weekends. My days off were usually Sunday and Monday. However the hours kept changing due to shifting demands on the game. My days off then moved to Monday and Tuesday then to Tuesday and Wednesday every few months. It was very disorientating. There is very little consistency or stability. So much so that a common saying in the office was: "the only consistent thing is change." One manager may tell you to answer a customer's inquiry one way and then you turn around and another manager will tell you to do the opposite. Often times the middle management had no idea what the higher-ups were up to and vice versa. Since it's ultimately an online customer service job, you will encounter some players who just cannot or will not be pleased no matter what you do. If you are not gamer or familiar with the world of MMOs you will need to brace yourself for strange requests and customers making a fuss over something minor. I once had a player who asked that I recall the entire backstory of a single tower in an end-game area. In another case, I received angry messages demanding why after a patch, their characters' armor and weapons changed color tone. I also felt a bit mislead near the end of my time there. Throughout training and all throughout my time there, the management and the higher ups all emphasized that even if you were a temp-worker or full-time, you were a part of the "Zenimax Family". But after a year there, people started dropping off and being laid off as if they were nothing. And with very little reasoning. People who were considered among the best agents were laid off with no forewarning or anything. I was laid off with just a tap on the shoulder and told to go to the Human Resource office. I later learned that everyone, including the full-time staff were just a part of a massive hiring surge. After the game launched and interest waned, everyone who was hired was expendable.
