So I am currently a college student living in Irvine, CA which many of you know is nearby to many well known game development studios.
Blizzard Entertainment (Irvine, CA)
Red 5 Studios (Laguna Hills, CA)
Activision (Santa Monica, CA)
Turtle Rock Studios Inc. (Lake Forest, CA)
Digital Entertainment Brothers (Tustin, CA) Just to name a few.
As of right now my job has no potential for growth, meaning i can expect none of the promotions, raises, or benefits of full time workers even though technically i work full time.
With that being said if anyone has any knowledge about getting into the gaming industry as a quality assurance analyst (I am aware that these are usually full time temporary positions) or any other foot in the door position, I would be more than willing to hear anything and everything they choose to share about the subject. Should you pros out there want to help me, we can discuss my credentials and what not, which are not as bad as you may think, or at least i hope.
Anyways, I pondered what community i might ask but i could not think of any as superior as the TL guys. Thanks for your time.
Being a game tester is not all exciting or glamorous as it's sounds to be. Your typical day will involve running into walls, running into loops, trying your hardest to make the game crash and looking for spelling errors or mistakes in the GUI. I've known some game companies who have thrown out resumes for having one word spelt wrong on the resumes because if you can't spot a mistake on your own resume how will you be able to spots bugs and glitches on a finished product.
In addition you have to have played bad and good games everything from A++ titles like CoD to barbie horse adventures and explain in great detail why the game was bad.
Hours aren't that great either in the games industry as there is no real union or overtime and espcially when your pushed to release a demo for big events like E3 it can get really stressful and crunching.
If you want to get into the games industry start specializing in one specific field such as 3D animation, moddelling, texturing, programming, software development etc. Get really good at your technical skills and have an impressive folio.
Another good start is to get into the modding community so open your SC editor and start playing around.
On March 01 2011 19:55 zenith8 wrote: Being a game tester is not all exciting or glamorous as it's sounds to be. Your typical day will involve running into walls, running into loops, trying your hardest to make the game crash and looking for spelling errors or mistakes in the GUI. I've known some game companies who have thrown out resumes for having one word spelt wrong on the resumes because if you can't spot a mistake on your own resume how will you be able to spots bugs and glitches on a finished product.
^ This. I'm a former QA Tester (for almost 2 years) and I can definitely confirm most of the above. The amount of 'fun' you'll have at the job is very dependent on what kind of team you're on. Other than that though, the actual work is basically just a test of your patience. Especially if you're starting off, the likeliness of being placed on a lower tier title is pretty high.
I came into the job with literally just a high school diploma and I'm grateful that I was even given the opportunity to work in QA. But in the end, I hit a wall and learned that I needed more of an educated background if I wanted to climb up further in the gaming industry. (Areas such as audio, programming, graphics, etc...)
What I'm pretty much trying to say is that working as a tester is a great way to get your foot into the gaming industry, but it's nothing more than that. It's not a position to be working toward but rather to start from.
The job is horribly competitive (at least it is here in Australia). I applied for HEAPS of places before I got accepted to volunteer at a local studio. NDAs are a hassle and many places just don't have the time and the need to go through the paperwork to hire an entrant level employee.
The job is tedious and repetitive. You also need a strong grasp on how games are made and what is likely to have caused the bug/crash. You then need to be able to replicate the bug and then describe it in comprehensive, yet brief notes. One thing I found unbelievably frustrating at first was replicating a bug especially when you weren't expecting the initial bug/crash. You forget what button you pressed, which exact order of menus your went through, time left on the clock, etc.
Hours are frequently long and underpaid. Like zenith8, you often put in excess hours of unpaid work when it gets close to crunch time.
Some places treat QA/Testers well, others do not.
With all this said, I did enjoy the job. The environment is awesome with beanbags and music playing. People are typically nice and enjoy the same stuff. My boss was a great guy and actually paid me cash-in-hand even though I was volunteering. I learned a lot and made plenty of connections which I intend to capitalise on later.
Seems like more hassle than it's worth, I just don't see alot of companies doing the whole slumdog millionaire thing unless you happen to be extremely talented in any field related to developing an actual game. Take into account that there are people even willing to do this for free.
I don't have actual experience, so take my opinion for what it is. If you have a valuable set of skills and you figure this is the best way to get into the system then shoot for the stars!
Hey Akaisaac, I'd like to chime in with the guys who posted before me - I worked in Tokyo, on the "Localisation" team that supervised the portation of video games from jp to en and then to de - fr etc etc. And while you end up playing games quite a lot (which of course involved at least one serious issue of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), it was essentially still a job where you punched in at work in the morning and then got right down to whatever your team was working on - this involved at times having to cross-check all 12000 soundfiles that came in from the syncro studio against an excel-sheet with the subtitles written out - and so on. In my case application criteria were: being a native speaker of german, having a degree of some sorts and being in Japan at that time - a general aptitude in gaming was expected, but no in-depth knowledge of the company's games was asked for in my interview. A higher emphasis was placed on knowing more than just gaming, in fact. It helps to be a somewhat systematic person because
On March 01 2011 20:26 Jarvs wrote: You then need to be able to replicate the bug and then describe it in comprehensive, yet brief notes. One thing I found unbelievably frustrating at first was replicating a bug especially when you weren't expecting the initial bug/crash. You forget what button you pressed, which exact order of menus your went through, time left on the clock, etc.
is so very true. When reporting a bug / error / crash you usually have to write a short note that later goes to the programmers who will then wade through lines of code. Being concise and to the point is of time-saving importance, and you'd get kicked from the team / job if delivering too much stuff that needed clarification. And this doesn't just go for the massive "black screen when jumping down from that edge and landing right on the edge of.." - it goes for all the small "selection is highlighted in menues 1 to 17 but does not do so in menue x for button x".
Maybe this was because it was Japan, but with us working conditions rather tough, a lot of deadline pressure and strict rules. No sauntering over to the programmers to see what they are doing, no cell phones, and so on.
And yeah, with all this restated a couple of times now, it was a good job with truly great moments. Applicationwise, I'd check company websites for openings and make triple sure that your application is water tight, worrying more about your resume / cover letter than about high scores at games (I guess what I am trying to say here is that being an absolute Grand Master Leage SC2 nerd might not make you a better game tester for Barbie Horse Adventure Reloaded than someone who plays all kinds of games at a normal level).
Thanks for all the responses guys, I want to remind you that I'm not doing this because there will be great hours, or fun stuff to do at work, but because I really want to get involved with the gaming industry in some way to see if it would be worth a change in major.
Currently I study architecture which is most likely my chosen career path, but I could get into programming and I have a mild understanding of C++ and Java. And being that I study architecture I can model stuff in 3-D fairly well in 3DS Max, Autodesk Revit and associated programs, and I'm looking at Maya.
So far you guys have expanded my understanding of the industry quite a bit, so thanks a lot. Time to start working on a watertight resume and cover letter i guess.
I was friends with a game tester once, and he said it was the opposite of fun. It was, literally, just a lot of little tedious tests to make sure that the game runs smoothly. It isn't like in Grandma's boy where they just sit around playing video games all the time. You'll get a list of instructions that will be like "Approach wall A and walk along it. Are you able to walk smoothly against the wall?" and stuff like that.
I go to school for game design and many of my fellow students test games at Nintendo as a summer job. They pretty much universally say that it's a boring and tedious job, but that it pays the bills and provides valuable insight on how game development works. While it's true that testing provides a good way to get your foot in the door, it's pretty damn hard to move up from there into a position where you have a more direct impact on what happens in the game. I would recommend getting some kind of marketable degree.
Architecture would actually work fairly well for this -- being able to design and model believable interior and exterior spaces is something that definitely comes in handy in games. I could be 100% wrong about this, but I've heard of several companies that use SketchUp to mock up buildings and levels. I mean, you probably wouldn't make use of something like AutoCAD, but you are definitely learning skills that could come in handy when you're looking for a job.
Game testing is an entry level position and like most other entry level jobs, it's very hard to go up the ladders. Being a tester does give you a feel of what it's like working in a game studio but at the same time, there are a lot of major differences between the design studio and testing studio work environments.
A few years back, during the summer, I worked as a game tester for EA games. We used to test all sorts of games and trust me...The "enjoyable factor" depends HIGHLY on the game you are working on. I was lucky to end up testing games such as NFS, FIFA and other well known franchises but other people were not so lucky. Suffice to say, they found their jobs very miserable. We also had very little contact with the actual game designers/programmers/graphic design teams and all of our instructions were usually relayed to us via middlemen/women who were, simply put, ordinary administrative people. Overall, I found it to be a nice experience at a young age (I was only 17) but at the same time, It made me realize that working in the gaming industry was definitely not a career path for me.
Lastly, I'd also like comment on this statement :
its like becoming a chef; first, you start out as a waiter.
That isn't necessarily true because if you don't have the appropriate education level, no matter how long you've been in the business and regardless of all the experiences you've accumulated over the years, you still won't be able to attain those jobs. Why? Because there will be hundreds of college graduates with better qualifications than you also waiting in line. The only thing you can hope for is a promotion to senior level tester. If you are really lucky and have worked long enough, you might be able to take an administrative position within the testing team if one of the previous workers quit their job or is being relocated.
I hope this helps you with the decisions you want to take but if I were you, I'd stick with architecture
On March 02 2011 03:40 Node wrote: I mean, you probably wouldn't make use of something like AutoCAD, but you are definitely learning skills that could come in handy when you're looking for a job.
I am ahead of the curve AutoCAD is a dying skill. Not even architectural firms are looking for people highly experienced in 2-D drawing skills.
BIM (Building Information Modeling AKA 3-D structure modeling) is the future of the industry. This is awesome because skills that I learn in this field can easily be applicable to different industries, even if it isn't the video game development industry.
I concur with all of the above in that you should:
1. Get a college degree in the area of game design and production where you eventually want to work
2. Try to get into game testing (or some other aspect of game production) as a summer internship or something as a way of getting your foot in the door, and then use the contacts and networks you build there to land a real job using your shiny new degree.
Without an education, you're probably going to spend the rest of your career with your foot still stuck in the door.
I worked as a tester for 5 years and have been in the industry for about 8 years. I can't comment on every publisher or developer since every company is different, and each has different expectations and practices. I don't regret being a tester in the least, and it did well to prepare me for being a producer which is what I do now.
Depending on the studio, the hours can be quite long (one week I racked up 100 hours during a particular crunch period). Certain studios treat you as a temp and nothing more, others will give you opportunities to move up in the company, particularly if you make your mark as someone knowledgeable, approachable, and personable, just like any other job. Game skill isn't as important as thinking creatively. Some studios put more emphasis on open-ended testing while others choose to strictly adhere to a test plan, but most operate under some hybrid structure.
When you are first hired as a QA Tester, you are literally a dime a dozen. You're hired as someone to put man-hours on a title, find bugs, write them up, and do regression testing to verify that they're fixed. It's up to you to go above and beyond that task: submit game ideas to the company, find ways to improve efficiency, think like a designer or programmer and try and find the most fundamental flaws with the game and exploit them to find the most destructive effects or crashes, make your goals and interests known. Doing all this and maintaining a positive outlook is more likely to get you noticed and therefore increase your chances at moving into a more respected position.
I used to draw and create character art in Photoshop as a hobby, so I printed out a couple of my portfolio pieces at work and created standees to decorate my cubicle. One of the marketing people walked by and saw them and asked if I was interested in creating promotional artwork for one of our new titles. Another time, I was asked to do Kleenex testing on a new RTS game. Seeing that I had 300 APM and that I played the game differently than anyone else who had looked at the game before me, the producer asked about my background in RTS and, upon learning that I followed professional Starcraft, I became a chief balance consultant. Those are just a couple of examples, but they distinguished me from the rest of the 60+ testers on the QA team.
i actually liked testing. unfortunately it's not high paying. =)
every company IS different though, but if you somehow manage to network yourself with people who aren't testers, you can easily find positions to move into. i had a friend who moved from testing to production for mobile games at bandai namco, and almost all his coworkers managed to move out to high positions like producer or lead translator at other companies like tecmo and atlus. however they were bilingual and had extensive experience so that worked to their favor.
i had friends at EA that said that once you go full-time there, they really take care of you. but before that you're treated like trash.
as far as getting in, contact temp agencies and apply through company websites since a lot of companies use those.
also, the game industry is filled with a lot of jerks and douchebags, from the classic nerd stereotype to the "i am greater than you at every game i touch" to the brown-noser, etc. being an amicable, reasonable person is not hard to do and gets you pretty far.
There's been some excellent advice in this thread so far and it's needless for me to restate any of it. I would be somewhat wary about using a position in QA for the sole reason of advancing in a company, however.
Gabe Newell (of Valve Software) recently partook in a 40 minute video conference with a Sports/Entertainment Marketing Class from an Indiana Highschool. Towards the end a student asked a question regarding work experience and getting a job at Valve, and Gabe's response was interesting and relevant to this thread. Of course, not all companies conduct themselves in the same way as Valve, and Gabe's view isn't indicative of every suit in every software company, so assimilate this information in a way you see fit to.
The question occurs at approximately 37:27, or click HERE to begin watching at that precise time on YouTube. I've roughly transcribed the response in question in case you can't watch the video for any reason. Important parts highlighted:
Student: I notice many of the jobs at Valve require 3 or more years of experience in the business. How would you recommend one acquire that experience?
GabeN: Those are just made up requirements.
If somebody walked in and said, "I have no formal experience but here's this website I've been running and this series of Flash games that I've been developing, and here's the process by which they get better." Then we'd say, "awesome."
The best way to start getting experience is don't wait for somebody to give you the opportunity. Put up a website. Try to figure out how many people are coming to your website. Try to figure out how to get more people to come to your website. Try some stuff! Make sure that you fail occasionally because if you're not failing then you probably aren't fully exploring your different options.
That's how Facebook got started; it really was some project that [Mark] Zuckerberg started in his dorm room. Michael Dell started 'Dell' in his dorm room at university. So there's no reason that you guys can't do the same thing right now, and showing that you know how to that - to build an audience for a property and evolve that property over time - is one of the best ways to get experience that will open doors for you.
I think you have a better chance at being successful in our industry that way, than by some of the classic methods which are to come in through QA or try to come in through support. The reason for that is that at most companies they put in all of these barriers to try to keep those people from moving out of QA and support. 90% of those people who go and get those kind of entry level jobs have the goal of not having those jobs. And so, at some companies you can actually get fired for trying to get out of support positions and into the development organisation, as strange as that sounds.
Build a Flash game and ship it; make it better and you'll get everybody's attention if you've got talent. And also make sure that the people who are working with you on it are the best people that you know how to find because that'll have the biggest impact on your own success than just about any other decision you make.
It's likely that the entire interview will be interesting to you and anyone else who's reading this thread and I do recommend watching it all, but it was that particular question which I wanted to bring to your attention.
The only career path starting as a tester with no degree offers is that of management. The path is pretty straight forward: Trainee Tester Senior Tester Head Tester Team Leader Head of Testing
Then, after a lot of politics and getting screwed over by younger people with degrees - you'll eventually earn a position in management. Most likely you'll just be the assistant manager of the company's testing branch (you'll never become head of department through promotions, the top position is always assigned from above for accountability). However - if you've REALLY proven yourself, if you've signed off on hiring a lot of women (for fostering equality), had a long series of flawlessly approved projects (almost impossible to achieve) and extremely good relations with development - you _could_ get shot at managing development.
Now, you won't actually work with developers - the programmers, designers & creative artists don't want to be told what to do by someone who doesn't know the trade. You will be working as a production manager basically making sure the project is on track. You'll gather information from the department heads (who won't be answering to you, but who will be reporting to you) and assess by how much the schedule is fucked. It then becomes your job to constantly rework the schedule in a way that motivates the existence of overtime.
Every project will require loads of overtime, but overtime is expensive. In fact, your bosses will hire consultants and pay them substantial sums to have them tell you you should increase productivity by activities such as 'teambuilding'. Anyways - every department will be clamoring for maximum overtime, they will tell you it's absolutely necessary and offer you socially accepted bribes such as coveted tickets to sporting events and privy to inside information (gossip) in exchange for it. Your job will be to roll a dice and see which department needs the OT the most (a call you'll pretty much never be able to make based on a proper assessment of facts). Everyone who doesn't get it will hate you. The rest will laugh behind your back.
If the game is released on time, receives a strong metacritic score or simply sells well - everyone will be happy and you'll start shaking the right hands and climbing ranks. What you'll quickly realize though - is that all those factors that determine the outcome of your future, are decided by events ENTIRELY outside of your control! Every project will be Russian roulette, because if the game fails, it's your ass on the line. Middle management always goes first when a company "restructures" or "revitalizes" so your job will be in constant jeopardy.
Wanna climb the ladder of jobs in gaming? I say get a degree and find out what you need to do to become one of those consultant fellows..
Unfortunately I can't bring any additional good information myself but I just wanted to say that the people who have posted here have pretty much summed it up nicely and I agree with Aelfric, it's nice to have so many knowledgeable people in all kinds of areas.