A lot of kids grow up thinking about how cool it would be to test video games for a living. They can think of nothing more enjoyable than playing different games over and over, searching for glitches, pushing engine limits and evaluating what users will experience once the game is released. As it turns out, this career is actually more widespread and essential to the game industry than most people think. Albeit not always as glamorous as the childhood dream would make it out to be, game-testers are indispensable when it comes to producing quality gaming technology. This component of development and its importance in relation to the games we produce is a point of emphasis for Blue Goji. Two of our top-notch testers, that always get the job done, are Brian Villareal (Lead QA Tester) and Josh Miles (QA Tester).
Dream Team
Both graduates of the Art Institute, Brian and Josh are the dynamic duo that keeps all of our games functional and fun. When we make changes to a game or have a new one coming down the pipe, these two are the first and last to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the game. But the life of a game-tester is not always fun. Unfortunately, sometimes Brian and Josh are put in charge of finding a single glitch within a very small portion of a game, that requires them to repeat the same action or motion endlessly, until the glitch can be recreated and subsequently eliminated. “ I’m surprised that I haven’t had dreams about some of the games we’ve tested.” says Brian. Both testers are well adept at identifying problems and creating workable solutions. Without their tireless efforts, none of our games would be as successful as they are.
Positive Projects
Recently, our experience at SXSW and IHRSA revealed some issues with the competitive aspects of our VR games. Josh and Brian have been put in charge of testing and fixing two important projects for our Infinity eSports platform. Brian is currently testing and developing a new version of our game GoWings, that will be an integral component of our Blue Goji EverCare program. This program will be aimed at reshaping healthcare for veterans, older adults and people with chronic conditions.
Endless Drive
Similarly, Josh is working on a retooling of our game GoBikes, where additional aspects of motion detection, as well as the inclusion of a system of dynamic items, will radically change and improve the competitive nature of the racing experience. When asked if he was having dreams about the game GoBikes, from having worked on it so closely, Josh responded saying, “GoBikes dreams? If you’re having dreams about video games, you need to play more video games.” It is clear that Josh’s passion for gaming serves him well when testing GoBikes.
Q Means Quality
Both of these projects are central to our mission of gamifying exercise and incentivizing players to be active while enjoying the traditional thrill of playing video games. We are fortunate to have such a competent team of testers, assuring that our games are of the highest possible quality. More to come soon on what makes Blue Goji and our team so great.
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