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ian adams moves from PC Casual develoPer gameHouse to ios game
maker Z2live
You
moved from a medium-sized
company to a much smaller
one—how different was
the hiring and interviewing
process?
The interview with
Z2Live was really interesting.
There was a little of the normal
conversational interview,
but the bulk of it was doing
actual work: playing a game,
and writing bugs. It was
honestly kind of refreshing
to have an interview that was
less focused on my ability to
interview well, and far more on
my actual ability to do the job.
Do you find personality
and company culture to be a
bigger part of hiring in this
scenario?
Company culture was
very important to me. I was
most recently at a small
studio that was bought up by
a much larger corporation.
When I left my last job, one
of the first questions I asked
myself was what kind of
place I wanted to work next.
I decided I wanted to get
back to a small, independent
studio. I wanted to get back
to a company where you can
fit every employee in one
room, and you actually know
who everyone is and what
they do. Landing at a small
iOS publisher like Z2Live
is perfect. It’s nice to have
everyone feel close to the
product and be invested.
The biggest shift is that
we’re working on a very limited
range of hardware. I’ve gone
from a huge compatibility rack
with dozens of permutations
on OS versions, video cards,
sound cards, resolutions, and
on and on, to just working
with iOS. There are 9 major
permutations of hardware. We
support two versions of the
OS. Done.
Actually, the biggest
challenge in terms of the
technical side of testing is
that all the games have an
online component. With traDe
nations, I’m testing the client
updates, but I also have to
make sure that the hundreds
of thousands of people
playing on the old client aren’t
suddenly cut off when we
update the server. There are a
lot more moving parts to keep
track of.
You were previously in a
more hierarchical structure—
how do you find things
are different at your new
company?
The hierarchy in QA is
entirely flat. I’m lucky that
in my previous job we would
take turns being the Lead, so
I’m equally used to being in
charge and being directed.
We have all our testers in one
room, so rather than getting
assignments top down, we just
discuss what needs to be done,
and each of us volunteers to
take on a task. At my previous
company, a lot of the time
test cases were essentially
created as a way of proving to
producers that QA was doing
something. More of a paper
trail than a tool. Conversely,
we’re getting ready to ship
Dogfight: online, and while
we’re still creating test cases,
we’re creating them as we need
them, making sure the testing
is thorough instead of filling out
spread sheets for the sake of
having a lot of spread sheets
filled out.
How would you say QA
changes when you move from
a more traditional platform to
a touch or gesture-based one?
If someone feels stuck
in QA, how would you say
a lateral move to a smaller
company would affect their
career?
While I’d say mobility
improves at a small company,
I don’t think it’s a sure thing.
While a small company is
more intimate, and creates
more opportunities for you
to stretch into different roles,
and demonstrate your skill
and versatility, there’s a
possibility that a small enough
company just doesn’t HAVE
the position you’re qualified
to move into. Of course, that
can be generalized to any
company: There will be more
opportunities at a company
that is doing well than one that
is struggling.
good JoB
Hamburg-headquartered free-to-play online
game company Bigpoint has opened a new
branch in Sao Paulo, Brazil, its fifth office and
its first location in South America.
Viximo, a Cambridge, MA-based company
that specializes in distributing social games
beyond Facebook, has opened a new office
in San Francisco and hired game industry
veteran Sutton Trout to its management team.
BlaCk.
After departing from Codemasters earlier this
year, game industry veteran Stuart Black,
senior designer on the 2006 Criterion shooter
Black, will head up a new London-based
in-house development studio at City Interactive.
Long-serving general manager of Disney
Interactive Studios Graham Hopper will be
leaving the company as it continues to shift
focus away from boxed products and toward
digital releases.
Cloud-based game streaming service Gaikai
has found a new chief strategy officer in
former Jamdat Mobile and Electronic Arts exec
Nanea Reeves.
Ed Bartlett, co-founder of in-game ad firm
IGA Worldwide announced he has left the
company to pursue “new challenges in
gaming and beyond.”
Former Disney Online exec Arthur Houtman will
take the role of CEO at Vanguard Entertainment
Group, placing him at the reins of the new
company formed by Guerilla Games’ original
founders Martin de Ronde and Michiel Mol.
Tecmo Koei co-founder Yoichi Erikawa will
take over as CEO and president of the
company following the resignation of
Kenji Matsubara.
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