The Magic Behind Making Games
Bugs are pretty much the bane of anything they infest. Homes, picnic baskets, video games.
Game Art & Design alumna, Jordyn Holland, can tell you stories. A recent graduate, she鈥檚 already a veteran of the bug extermination wars, working as a Quality Assurance (QA) Tester for in Burbank and, before that, in Woodland Hills. She cut her teeth in the QA realm early on, as a QA Tester Intern at in North Hollywood.
It was Mark Zuckerberg who famously said, 鈥渕ove fast and break things.鈥� While Facebook鈥檚 founder may not have had video games in mind, the adage has applications in the game business. On the receiving end of broken things are specialists like Jordyn, who finds herself moving deliberately to detect and squash bugs well before final code. Of course, that means playing games for a living.
鈥淨A involves testing and 鈥榖reaking鈥� the game in order to ensure that everything is working properly and reporting any bugs or issues found through this process,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n a lot of ways, it involves puzzle-solving and figuring out not only what the problem is, but also how to reproduce it. Although QA procedures can vary between game studios, I was able to learn the basics of QA and what it entailed through the Woodbury program, which definitely helped when I was first applying for jobs.鈥�
Jordyn initially considered majoring in Animation but switched once she realized Game Art & Design could actually be a viable career option. 鈥淚 always loved the idea of creating games, but learning about the actual process of creating them furthered my desire to work in the field,鈥� she says. 鈥淏eing able to pursue a field that combined two of my favorite things鈥攁rt and games鈥攕eemed like a perfect fit.鈥�
For Jordyn, game development includes a dimension that Hollywood doesn鈥檛 quite touch鈥攜et. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much work that goes into making a game, but unlike a film or animation, the end user is not just passively viewing the game鈥攖hey actually get to be involved and have agency in how they play the game,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen making the game, you have to take into account what the player might do, which presents its own unique set of challenges and is why QA is so important.鈥�
Although she hasn’t worked as a game artist yet, Jordyn has joined a mentorship program at her current studio, which has enabled her to work directly with an environment artist to learn more about that process and practice. 鈥淢y hope is to transition into the environment art field, with a focus on 3D modeling and texturing, within the next few years,鈥� she says.
And what about after hours? Does game play cease when it鈥檚 quitting time? For Jordyn, decidedly not. 鈥淚 definitely consider myself a gamer,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 enjoy so many types of games that it鈥檚 often difficult to choose which I like best. “The Legend of Zelda” is one of my favorites. I鈥檝e loved the worlds and characters, and the multifaceted nature of the games. There is always so much to do, from puzzle-solving and collecting new equipment, to combating unique enemies and exploring huge open worlds. Each game provides such a great sense of adventure.鈥�