Caron WillsIn that period I was often told that video games would never be a source of income and that very few people made a living from testing them.
I would tend to agree. I would further emphasize the truth in that statement in today's world. Especially with a perspective triple "A" title, the beta testers and alpha testers line up around the block and test for free, spending hours running a game's "gauntlets" and reporting bugs with varying levels of skill. A hugely useful pool of information that tweaks the game to the needs of the crowd that will likely enjoy the game when it is released.
I never got my hopes up. In fact, working in the industry of games was never really my intent. I've been happy with reaching into the depths of productivity applications to search and detail bugs. I can dictate a set of steps that will get our developers to the bug with a preciseness that few others attain without practice but my work focus has changed. My skills are being redirected as our clients change. Lately I've found myself logging hours and hours behind Mac and Linux systems to test the features and bugs of various gaming titles.
My newest focus is World of Tanks. If you haven't heard, it's a first person shooter from the seat of a tank. I would liken it to the spirit of BZFlag but in a much more realistic setting. I started off thinking I would never be addicted enough to this game to "get lost in it" hunting tanks. My first looks at the game were at the menus, the garage, the functionality of changing screen sizes, the behavior of getting to a browser from the game. The "tedious" tasks that "just work" after a team of developers and quality assurance masters comb through a title.
Soon the real gameplay started. With an intense title comes the need to play...TEST...for hours. At first, my ability was feeble. I haven't been a "gamer" for years and the abilities of those in their teens to trash a thirty-something tanker became apparent. The round would start, I would chug along and then I'd be done for. My poor "crew" bailing out from the malicious attack. I did what I could, finding places to hide and hoping to not be seen, all in the spirit of watching trees render and tanks whirl by.
Then it happened. From the place I was cowering, I zeroed in on a tank, aimed and DESTROYED. Something awakened in my mind and my thirst to experience triumph again and again surfaced. I was now using my hours of practice hiding to my advantage. The map was blinking and dropping red indicators in place and I was searching for them in my sights, rotating my view over the scenery to detect and annihilate the next unsuspecting tank.
"Where are you?" escaped from my lips and the connection was made. I'm not a tank, I'm a ninja in a tank. Preying on the enemy from the stealth of the shadows. I've now proven to be quite good in some instances. I've heard the exclamations from behind me as I obliterate my unsuspecting targets. Yes, my assassin skills are still there.
I'll never attain the reflex and skill I once enjoyed in my teens but if I've hidden and spotted a tank, certain death is on the way!
About Caron Wills
Caron has been working in the computer software industry for over 10 years. She joined
CodeWeavers in 2008 and became the Quality Assurance Manager for CodeWeavers in 2009. Contact Caron at caron@codeweavers.com and learn more about her professional accomplishments on LinkedIn.
