QA is often considered the entry point of the game studio. Many developers, artists, and designers start out in the QA ranks, using the department as a stepping stone to get to their final job.

But what about those people who want to turn QA into a career? These are the people that get up every day with no other goal than to make a developer cry with the sheer amount of bugs they are about to rain down upon him like fire and brimstone during the Rapture.

Great testers like these are pure gold to a game studio. Unfortunately I’ve seen too many of these brave souls come into my office for an interview, full of passion about games, but not much else. No one ever told them that all of their training and test experiences have not adequately prepared them for a full-time job at a game studio.

In this article, I hope to expose some of the not-so-obvious skills necessary to compete in the QA job market. You will be able to use this knowledge to not only wow your next interviewer with your bug finding skills, but also with your ability to be a long-term and productive member of the studio.

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Read the full 3 page article on Game Carreer Guide…

From a few months ago, but still worth mentioning.

VMC Game Labs, a video game testing and quality assurance firm, has announced that it will open up a development and testing center in Montreal. The new center will create approximately 165 new jobs for the city.

“We received a warm welcome and unfailing support from our local partners, and that played a big part in our decision," said Steve Fowler, head of product development for VMC Game Labs. “Investissement Quebec and Montreal International helped us at every key stage of our project. This support, together with the strategic advantages of Montreal, will help us reach our growth objectives in a highly competitive sector.”

Line Beauchamp, the Minister of Culture and Communications and Minister responsible for the Montreal region, pointed out that Quebec’s success in this video game development sector is largely attributable to a qualified and creative workforce, commenting: “There is incomparable talent in Quebec in every sphere of multimedia. The 3D special effects industry was born in Montreal and the city continues to dazzle the industry.”