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A dark future for testers?

by: Shawn Sines -
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Long has "internal tester" been an entry vector into the world of video game development. Many of todays most popular designers arose from the pits of QA inside the studios they in some cases now run. According to his blog though, David Perry says the future isn't quite so bright for those who are hoping to get in the door through the testing corps. Perry points out some interesting facts and figures to support his claims including the most obvious:

"(4) 150,000 people testing, kills 20 people testing, I don't care how you slice it. Interestingly testing needs really bad players too, yet I've never seen a test team hire some? That's the guy that jumps at a locked door 100 times because he has no idea what he's doing, and uncovers some great bugs testers don't find."

Something I've always known and witnessed first hand over the years as a reviewer and player. Read on for his other interesting points.

For a counterpoint you might want to check out Rom's Rants - where QA manager Michael Russell calls David on his theory in his personal blog.