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NCSoft looking for apprentices in game testing
A GamesIndustry.biz report details a new endeavor by NCsoft to enrich its UK segment of the games industry with trained game testers. In conjunction with City College Brighton, PartnerTrans and Skillset, the Guild Wars publisher is launching an apprenticeship program in the field of quality assurance. The Trump-less program is not only trumpeted as a means of enhancing a vital part of gaming development, it also acts as an entry-point for those aiming for a spot in game development.Four trainees have already enrolled, with three joining NCsoft's Brighton-based QA department for year-long stints. They will be given regular training at City College, constant input from an "experienced practitioner" and, depending on the size of bugs encountered, a very large mallet. Perhaps other developers could gain some insight by adopting a similar program.
Montreal QA specialist doubles as more developers come to town
Montreal outsourcing and post production specialist Babel Media is gearing up for the city's impending game development growth, doubling the size of its facility, while adding 350 new jobs; to its existing 150. While Babel serves the interests of a variety of media formats, Ubisoft's grand plans and Eidos' moving in have spurred Babel's decision to bulk up. Known for its translation services, the company specializes in functionality QA, localized translation and audio creation, localization QA, and localized packaging and manuals."We have recently signed contracts with clients who, without exaggeration, own some of the greatest Intellectual Property in the world," said Babel managing director Algy Williams, adding, "We will be testing their games across all platforms, including PS3 and Xbox 360, and we need to recruit talented and motivated people who are looking for a career in the games industry." Anyone need a job?
Prospective QA manager shuns Sony practices, Microsoft too
Sparked by uproar over a "game-killing" bug in Genji, Ritual Entertainment QA manager Michael Russell recalls a job interview for FPQA Manager, held at Sony's San Diego offices. There he caught a glimpse of Sony's QA process, which, according to Russell, "allows creativity to squash quality" -- he promptly removed himself from consideration for the job.Before Ritual, Russell was a lead tester at Microsoft Game Studios. He claims his previous employer is also failing at quality assurance, but from the other end of the spectrum: "At Microsoft, the stringent QA processes often strangle creativity."Russell calls for some middle ground to be walked, lest the industry fall into turmoil, but neglects to offer any advice to Sony or Microsoft. Are we to be doomed by bugs and boredom?[Thanks, SickNic]
Are We All Just Beta Testers?
GameDaily has an interesting article up about how game developers seem to be using players as beta testers. Buggy code is released as a final product to the public with the thought that it can always be fixed with a later patch. And, while the article specifically discusses single player games, the argument is perhaps even more applicable to large MMO's in which regular patches to add content (and fix old bugs) are the norm. While it's understandable to an extent - World of Warcraft is a massive game, and it would be impossible to test every race, class, and talent spec in every situation - some of the bugs are sufficiently obvious that they make one wonder how much testing happens at all. However, perhaps MMO's are so expansive that it's imposible to give them the full quality assurance treatment in the traditional sense - which is why we've ended up with test servers and a regular patch cycle. What do you think - are we beta testing the software we're paying for? And should we be?
