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Video Game Tester

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"Video games were always around when I was growing up, so I'm not sure there's really a defining moment when I decided that I was interested in games," says Matthew Burns. He's a game producer and former tester in Seattle, Washington.

"As I got older, I noticed how rapidly the technology was developing," Burns says. "It seemed that each new generation of games showed huge advances in graphics, sound and complexity. So, it seemed like a field where lots of interesting things were happening, and happening very fast. I think that's what attracted me to games as a career."

Burns is now a senior producer at the University of Washington's Center for Game Science. The center creates educational and scientific discovery games.

Burns is also the founder of a small indie studio called Shadegrown Games. He was previously at a company where he worked on Halo 4 as a producer. Prior to that he worked at another company as a producer on Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach.

"My first job in the game industry was as a tester," says Burns. "That's how I got my foot in the door. I didn't know anyone special, so I just applied for the job and went through the interviews. I stayed in the test department for a couple years before moving to a role in production."

Over the years, Burns has seen various kinds of work arrangements for testers.

"Some test teams are simply shoved into a big, dark room, where they sit in rows and just play the games for eight or more hours a day," he says. "Others get offices or cubicles, and some actually sit with the development team, which can be a great experience for the tester. It totally depends on the company, the kind of testing it is, and the needs of the production."

Naila Hadjas is a QA tester for Ludia, a game company. The company's games include Jurassic Park Builder and Family Feud. Ludia is the third game company that Hadjas has worked for.

"While going to college I was looking for a part-time job and I saw an ad in the newspaper about video game testing companies looking for testers," says Hadjas. "So, I called them, I applied and I got a job as a tester. And since then I've been working in that industry."

Like many video game testers, Hadjas' interest in games started early.

"My interest in games began when I was very young," she says. "I grew up with two big brothers, and I remember they were always playing video games, so growing up I just watched them and played with them. And since then my never-dying, everlasting love for video games never stopped."

Hadjas likes many different kinds of games. But as a tester she has to play all kinds of games, including the kinds that aren't her cup of tea.

"I personally enjoy adventure games, or RPGs (role-playing games)," she says. "Action games. Anything that you can just pick up and play, basically. I love mostly everything [although] maybe not necessarily sports.... Something with a good storyline."

Working as a tester isn't all fun. Besides having to play games that you might not like, the days can be long.

"Sometimes there can be periods where there's a lot of overtime, so that can take a little bit of a toll on a person," says Hadjas. "But the whole video game industry can be pretty demanding at points. There are a lot of peak (busy) points."

What makes it all worthwhile is a love for the games.

"You have to be passionate to like it," says Hadjas. "It can take a toll on you, just because it can be repetitive, or you might not agree with how you're making the game, or you would like to see some changes that would be better for the game but maybe they don't necessarily listen to you.... You really have to be very understanding of the business to enjoy your job as a tester. And you have to love the industry itself, in my opinion."

Nathan Pinard is a QA manager at Ludia. He has been in the industry for 10 years. He got his start as a game tester.

"I actually started as soon as the legal work age hit me," says Pinard. "At 16 my brother was working for another company... and basically got me in as a contractual tester. So, I kind of got lucky that my brother already had a foot in the industry."

At first Pinard simply saw the testing job as something temporary -- something to do while going to college.

"When I finished studying in multimedia that didn't end up being such a good career move, so I decided to stay in QA," he says.

Connections can be very important for those hoping to enter the industry, says Pinard. But even without connections, you can get in with some preparation and luck.

"What's really important, I believe, for someone who doesn't have experience, is to show that they're willing to learn -- that they are actually really good at learning right from the start," says Pinard. "What I mean by that is they should really try to do QA stuff before they get a foot in professionally. So, if they can get experience as a beta tester for online games, or... actually develop test cases themselves, like... play a game and try to reenact the QA work."

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