QA Three

I love being part of the QA Team. While it comes with understated salary digits compared to the rest of the developers, it's an often very misunderstood and underestimated job by those outside the gaming industry it makes having the job that much sweeter.

The opportunity to be a part of Anino Games way back in the summer of 2011 gave me a first-hand experience to what my first job would be like a year and a month later. My practicum with the company earned me rare opportunities to take command of a handful of people in the absence of someone more experienced. The wonderful irony of training real employed trainees when there wasn't any salary for the effort. It was felt.

Anino similarly provided me with a pool of friends that will be cherished forever. The opportunity to work with much of the same band of people I did back in my practicum days was priceless. These small friendships quickly evolved into posse's that shared meals together.

My other cohort in the QA Department is Tristan. He's a few months my superior, but I'm just as amazed at his diligence, despite having various complaints. He gets the job done somehow. We became a duo team-testing several projects together, so we quickly understood how the other works. I couldn't have asked for a better teammate. Especially when you take into consideration his excellent magic tricks and innate designer/programmer prowess.

3 months ago, I had the fine and wonderful opportunity to work with Jamie, an OJT who stayed with Anino after my departure to complete my senior year. When I rejoined the company last May, I heard stories of Jamie mostly from Bea (her teacher who urged Jamie and her friend to apply) that involved interesting comparisons to myself in terms of capabilities. I recall Bea fondly likening Jamie and I to Brawlers or Berserkers who could do so much in the world of D&D.

Meeting her personally last September/October was somehow pleasing. These past 3 months gave me the great chance of watching her work, interact with her and have a sense of what Bea was talking about. Tristan and I were eternally grateful that she was there to shoulder the workload.

It was ultimately a give-and-take between us if I considered our professional relationship: I taught Excel tricks, she taught Cinematics. Timing couldn't have been better.

Together, the 3 of us comprised what I fondly called "the QA Three", inspired by Thor's "the Warriors Three". Towards December, we began planning dinners along with our resident engineers, Fix-It Felix and Marvin the Martian.

Overall, I'm a bit bummed out that the QA triumvirate disbanded last Monday due to Jamie's contract ending after the company Christmas Party. But we all definitely came away with awesome, unforgettable memories we'll cherish forever.

Clockwise from the left: Nikka, Tristan, JD, Jamie, Me

The best memory we'll take away aside from the various dinners would be the QA Shakey's Dinner we financed last December 13. Our QA department comprised of our QA Director JD, Senior QA (now Associate Producer) Nikka, and the QA Three (Tristan, Jamie and myself), so we decided to have a dinner to have a long overdue celebration of mine and Tristan's regularization status with the company, as well as Jamie's farewell party.

Good luck to Jamie wherever she may go, and best wishes to our little QA family in the coming year!