LIFE AS A DEVELOPMENT QA ASSISTANT LEAD

LIFE AS A DEVELOPMENT QA ASSISTANT LEAD
Matthew Fite, life as a Development QA Assistant Lead
My name is Matthew Fite, and I am one of the Development QA Assistant Leads at Visceral Games. It’s a very exciting time for us here at Visceral, as we are in the process of creating some amazing games, such as the one that I am currently working on, Dante’s Inferno.

In Visceral’s QA Department, we pride ourselves on helping the Development Teams produce the highest quality of titles.  I am often asked what it’s like working in Visceral’s QA Department, so I thought I would share my experiences.

My day-to-day usually starts out with a hot Caramel Macchiato. I get to my desk, and usually take a brief moment to straighten up my collection of GI Joe figures. Once they are in place, I hit the workload. I organize our daily tasks, and help lead our QA Team in their testing efforts. We look at the game, and make sure that it’s functional and looking good. When we do find any bugs or issues, we dive into the C++ Code and get our hands dirty, trying to help the Developers weed out any problems. And every now and then, when I am too slow to duck, I take a Nerf Ball or dart to the eye.

The Visceral QA Team is very unique. It’s unlike any other QA Teams that I have worked with in the past. We are extremely passionate about our work, and dedicated to doing whatever it takes to help make the best games possible. We have easily mowed through 15 hour work days, deadline pressures, and a host of other obstacles in our way. Regardless of the situation, we band together to succeed, and at times even sacrifice our own best interests for the good of our teammates.

I am often asked what it takes to become a tester at Visceral. I can tell you that you have to have passion for gaming, be able to respond well to pressure, and be able to adapt to changing circumstances every day. I arrived at EA almost 4 years ago, and set a trail of fire through the QA Department with hard work

Right now I’m focused on our newest title at Visceral, Dante’s Inferno, and it’s looking better and better every day. It seems that every day I get in, and take a look at the game, there is always something newly added in the game that makes me go “aww – did that just happen?” or, “dude, that’s really gross.” It’s absolutely fantastic to test a game like Inferno. It seems that storytelling can be lacking in games today, and this title is also a refreshing reminder that stories “do” matter in games.

It’s also exciting to be following the strong group we have in the studio. They have made a great impact on me personally, and they have made it that much more important for me to dedicate myself to help make our titles great.