Video Game Testing

[Guy In Rubber Suit]

Again I guess my experience is pretty unique. It can get tough but for the most part I'm surrounded by awesome people who talk, joke around and enjoy hanging out afterwards. So far I haven't burnt out on video games and I've been there for about 9 months with 4 of those being constant 80 hour weeks of overtime. I don't play as much but that's also because I want to develop my other interests in animation and art and try to land a job in that field.

It's a job that pays money, not much, but it's money and it's not flipping burgers. You don't have to deal with customers and there are opportunities to grow if you give yourself the chance. Oh and you do get to have your name in the credits.

[Audity]

Hm, game design. I'm definitely not an artist (really bad at that). But plotting out "how things should be" is a type of design, I'd assume. I'm always thinking about things and how they "should have been done this or that way", so somewhere in the myst of the gaming industry ladder I should be able to be influential in that sense, without having to know code or be artistic (pictorially, anyway). I'm not much of a complete inventor of genius overall gameplans, but with others' work before me, I could potentially correct their oversights for the better. Kind of like remixing game music, though creating something from nothing isn't completely beyond me.

I'm still up in the air for anything. I rarely play games ever anymore, but I feel it might be refreshing if I go into its field and believe I'm improving things.

[chumble spuzz]

...plotting out "how things should be"...how [things] "should have been done this or that way"...without having to know code or be artistic...

Sounds like a designer to me. Your summary is a bit crude (totally understandable, given lack of experience), but still on the right track, I think. Unfortunately I can't give much advice on how to get a design position other than through QA rock-stardom, but then, I'm not sure there's a better route.

I'm a little worried that you say you don't play games much anymore, but then, there's no shortage of developers who don't play games for recreation. They do for research, though.

If I may share a story: During my interview at SP, I was interviewed by one of the designers, and he asked me what I would change in RE4:Wii. I couldn't think of anything worthwhile, because I figured Capcom had thought of everything, having repurposed the game twice over (and I was applying as an animator, but that's neither here nor there). But he mentioned he'd do away with (or modify) the attache case, in favor of (forgive me, these are not his words) a "real-time weapon change" solution. While the wiimote might not have been accommodating for such a change, I could see his reasoning that it broke up the flow of the action and reminded the player that "you're playing a video game," and it made sense. So, picking apart even the games you love is definitely a good habit to get into, if you find that game design proper is indeed your aim.