Pros: At Riot, even as an intern, you are treated like a full-time Rioter, with all the responsibility, respect, and of course the perks of working at a game company. Riot has an excellent player-focused culture with tons of room for growth. It was great to be working alongside other passionate and driven individuals, like myself, to help deliver an amazing product to people all over the world.

Cons: The work can be tough, but that is what makes growth possible! Definitely worth it.

Pros: Riot is for a particular kind of person. If you are technically solid, demonstrate talent with personality and drive, this is the place for you. I have had more fun in my first 6 months here than I have in the past decade plus of software development. I have had plenty of leadership roles at other companies with a slew of fancy titles. I was BORED. Riot allowed me to be creative, productive, and free from title and politics. They honestly care about their players first, last, and everywhere in between. Fortunately, Rioters are players, so we love to do the work that will also selfishly benefit ourselves!

Cons: The lack of management can sometimes lead to a lack of organization.

Pros: - Housing close to the office (5-minute walk), provided by Riot. However, this was not followed up on, leading to many problems with the housing company. Issues included a bad key on move-in and a flood where repairs were not taken care of for weeks. - Weekly lunches with "bigwigs," which are influential leaders and "faces" of the company. There was great advice and structure here. - Impactful, meaningful, and challenging work. I built a product that will ship to the masses! - For the most part, treated like a full-time Rioter. I gave a presentation to an extended team, was able to give input in areas outside of the prescribed work, and received most benefits of full-time Rioters. - Tons of smart people who are always willing to help. - Work/life balance was encouraged. Personally, I don't play games during work hours, but it wasn't frowned upon by any means. - The amount of swag was way too much; it was tough to pack my suitcase going home. - For an engineer, growth is insane. The amount one can learn is empowering and somewhat overwhelming. Try to take in what is possible, not what is "wanted." - Floating is encouraged. Sometimes, a quick half-hour wandering around to another team really helps clear your head and gives you a sense of what other Rioters are doing at that point in time.

Cons: - The internship program is pretty new, meaning there are lots of kinks to work out (especially regarding where to go and what to do during off-hours). - There is a HUGE LACK OF DIRECT FEEDBACK in terms of inter-intern communication. - It is easy to get off-track in a project when Riot allows you to get involved in other events and projects not directly related to your role. - Culture fit is everything. Unless you're an all-star in a specific field (I seriously doubt any intern is), Riot will not hesitate to not invite you back if you mess up even once. - There is a zero-tolerance policy on any kind of non-positive behavior / attitude (reputation is everything). - The organization is not as "flatly-organized" as originally told; it is actually really top-down when it comes to hiring decisions and overall product strategy / vision. - There needs to be a dedicated team for the interns, instead of a "part-time project" for people in other teams. - Events were decent and frequent (once every other week or so), but bigger tech companies definitely have a better grasp on how to keep interns entertained. - A bigger emphasis is needed when it comes to onboarding interns. Although a separate presentation was made, the lack of follow-up on this onboarding made the intern experience confusing for the most part.