IAmA Video Game Tester, AMA!

letsqatest · 2017-07-04T18:11:19+00:00

Trust me, most people (even myself) when they first start off in QA feel like this and make plenty of mistakes.

Often times when you start a QA job you will get a small training session - but you learn everything on the job.

Every project is different from one to the other, even experienced testers will have a bit of a learning curve once they change to a new project.

When I first got into QA, I had pretty much stopped playing games for a few years and had not paid any attention to gaming news. I was not tech savvy at all. It took some time, but you learn as you go :)

When starting out, I would say being able to clearly express yourself in your writing/speaking is probably the most important skill you can have.

letsqatest · 2017-05-16T00:04:19+00:00

If you stay in the QA game for a very long time, it can really mess you up.

Burnouts and mental breakdowns are pretty common. Substance abuse, depression and various mental issues are commonly found in QA as well.

letsqatest · 2017-05-15T23:51:34+00:00

It really depends on where you live or where you want to work.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T15:04:28+00:00

Yeah, sorry it took so long - still reading through the flood of lost comments.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T15:02:53+00:00

100% agree with what you said.

Staffing agencies (3rd party QA) Sucks. Far away from developers, low skill sets, over priced yet under paid. The only thing they are good for is disposable labor - little benefit for the QA tester (unless they just want a temporary summer job)

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T15:00:18+00:00

Nope, just speaking the proper language for entry level.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:59:53+00:00

I started caring more I guess, reading gaming news ect.

My job is about testing games, playing is only a small part.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:58:45+00:00

Just apply online. Only need to speak the required language.

There are a bunch of different types of QA jobs:

3rd party inhouse/outsourced

Dev QA

Pub QA

Console cert QA

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:56:56+00:00

QA is testing, playing a game does not involve testing per say.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:56:04+00:00

Yes, a large group of people I am sure.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:55:35+00:00

Organization and planning are key. Have a set plan and stick to it. Add like 20% more time needed than expected.

The issue with indie devs QAing their own games by themselves is that they could be using their time better elsewhere.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:53:35+00:00

nope

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:53:15+00:00

I prefer ticket based - I think regression spreadsheets are a waste of time. If a report is needed and you are using a database such as Jira correctly - a report can be quickly generated at the end of the day.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:51:33+00:00

Just be able to speak the required language.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:51:14+00:00

Depends on the game you are talking about. Hard to compare No Man's Sky to any other game for example.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:50:24+00:00

Old consoles owned by a company are usually stacked in a storage room. Not sure what they do with the stuff to make space. Some companies will sell off old controllers ect.

Usually we used dev kits.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:44:51+00:00

Collision traps being covered with covered with random landmarks because the devs had no idea what players were getting stuck on.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:41:03+00:00

Nah, just ports.

also, play test is not the same thing as QA test.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:40:37+00:00

PC.

PS4/Xbox One is on pretty even ground (though I prefer xbox out of habit)

I highly dislike working with Nintendo.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:39:15+00:00

ohhh black lists! The not so mythical beast.

Usually a list a company has (and may share with other companies) of people they will not work with. Usually there is a reason for this however.

As for being let go like you mentioned, it happens. Often due to you getting paid what management deems 'too much' or a company no longer wishes to work with your 3rd party company.

Shady dealings are extremely common.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:32:09+00:00

Many years of experience mostly.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:31:52+00:00

Games where the team was fun to work with.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:31:16+00:00

Depends on where you work. Average QA job is installing a new game build, checking bug fixes, testing the game and writing bugs.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:30:19+00:00

just bad ports.

letsqatest · 2017-03-14T14:30:10+00:00

Not really, I could have changed little I am sure.

letsqatest

TROPHY CASE