Feature: Take This Job and Love It! - Game Tester - Colin Munson
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Name: Colin Munson Title: Designer/Tester - Insomniac Games Notable Past Projects: Jedi Knight, Curse of Monkey Island, Mechwarrior 3 Current Project: Ratchet and Clank Schooling/Degree: Some Art School General duties of your position/title: Find, isolate and document bugs. Evaluate gameplay scenarios and suggest changes if needed. How many people are in your department/team? If you are a manager, many people do you oversee? There are usually between 5 and 15 testers on any given project. The number of testers depends on the scope of the project and the platform on which the title will be released (PC or Console). The bulk of the testing for Ratchet and Clank is being performed at Sony. What was the most valuable bit of knowledge or experience you brought with you to the job? Love of the Industry. Whether you are trying to break into the industry, or looking to be a career tester, I found the people who had an active interest in the game making process excelled the quickest and furthest. Nothing takes the place of raw enthusiasm. What was the first major lesson you learned once you started working in the industry? Do not play the game. I got sick of every game I tested very quickly because I tested the game like I would play a game at home. I soon realized that, if I was going to make it as a tester, I was going to have to approach every project with a little more detachment. What academic focuses would you recommend for someone who wants to do your job someday? A tester's primary concern is documenting bugs so good writing skills are critical. Any knowledge of programming, art, or design theory helps, because a good understanding of the product makes a better tester. Common misconceptions about your job? People often marvel at the fact that I play video games for a living. It sounds great on paper, but the fact is: I play one video game for 3-9 months at a time, often working 18+ hours a day, 7 days a week. Is college a necessity, a really good idea, or not required for your line of work? College is not a necessity to be a tester. Often, however, people become testers to break into design, engineering, or production. In those cases, college is a really good idea. What tools and software do you use on a regular basis? I use boring software like Filemaker Pro mostly (a database management package), but I am often asked to do design tasks in 3D packages (like Maya and 3D Studio), or scripting. What's your advice for breaking into your line of work? A technical background or a creative/technical writing education will get you a job anywhere. Get a good resume together and start emailing it to every company you can think of. Get a video game magazine (like this one) and find the Advertiser's Index. This is a quick way to get the names of other game companies that you had not thought of.
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