Research firm names Riot Games a top medium-sized US workplace

Research firm Great Place To Work has named League of Legends developer Riot Games the third-best medium-sized workplace in the United States. Riot Games, based Santa Monica, California, was the only game developer to be named to the medium-sized list.

"We aspire to make Riot Games a legitimately great place to work, so it feels great to be recognized for our efforts to create a culture where Rioters can thrive," the company said in a statement.

This was the first year that Riot Games applied for selection to the list. Surveys about life at Riot Games were sent to randomly selected employees, as were questionnaires about the company's culture and programs.

"This process gave us the opportunity to share Riot culture and stories, but also gave us a chance to take cultural inventory of where we're at and where we still need to go," Riot Games said.

Riot Games employees--or Rioters--work their own hours and have an unlimited amount of paid time off, according to Great Place to Work. 98 percent of employees said they look forward to coming to work and about the same percentage said they don't consider their work "just a job."

Riot Games has 843 full-time employees, up from 678 full-time staff in 2012 and 347 people in 2011. Men make up 85 percent of full-time Riot Games staff and about 75 percent are under 34.

"The player comes first and drives all business decisions as opposed to pure profitability," one Rioter said. "The management really practices what it preaches. Top management has created a great work environment where the mentality is no constraints and everyone is equal."

94 percent of employees said they feel like they are treated fairly regardless of their position. The same ratio said management is approachable and easy to talk with.

In terms of benefits, Riot Games pays 80 percent of health care costs and offer over 200 hours of training (public speaking, leadership, etc.) per year.

Though Rioters set their own hours, this does not encourage a culture of slacking off, the report said. 78 percent of employees said they are encouraged to balance work and their personal lives, though work hours are known to be long. To assist in balancing this, Riot Games offers a meal delivery service for those who work late and finds "many ways" to involve partners and family in the workplace.

In terms of pay, 63 percent of Rioters said they feel they receive a "fair share" of the organization's profits, while 79 percent said they feel they are paid fairly for the work they do. Overall, 98 percent of Rioters said they endorse the company as a "great workplace."

Earlier this year, Riot Games was listed as the fourth-best company to work for as part of the Top Tech Companies to Work For in 2013 list from Glassdoor and Business Insider.