"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."