QA Video Game Testing Projects

As a contractor, I have worked on-site (and remotely) for numerous secured testing labs in the Seattle metro area. My experience includes over eight years of Quality Assurance Game Testing for companies like Microsoft, Bungie, Nintendo, WB Games and Z2Live on the Xbox 360, PS3, PC, DS, DS Lite, DSi XL & 3DS platforms, as well as testing mobile gaming apps on the iPhone and iPad.

Testing conditions & responsibilities vary with each contract, but tend to be ~66% Manual Black Box testing + ~33% Grey Box testing. The amounts of console-testing, PC (Steam) based-testing and mobile apps varies by project, but my testing experience has been roughly 60% console: 30% PC/Steam: 10% Mobile App.

I also have over a year of experience as a "Sky Marshal": a Nintendo of America Tier 2 UGC Community Moderator / Social Media Administrator. I was a Sky Marshal for Miiverse - a kid-friendly online social space maintained by Nintendo.

Additionally, I had five months of holiday-season Tier 1 Email Tech Support experience at Runic Games. During that time, I assisted with QA Game Testing Support of their inbound tech support ticket issues. I've done technical support for other (non-gaming industry) clients in the past, back when I spent ten years doing Customer Service roles at call centers, and other more-personal work environments.

Games I've Worked On

My professional QA Game Testing experience includes the following project titles/platforms:

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. - 3DS
Mario Golf: World Tour - 3DS
MetalStorm: Aces - Mobile App - iPhone, iPad, iPod
Nitro - Mobile App - iPhone, iPad, iPod
Torchlight - PC (some QA testing while on a holiday tech support contract)
Torchlight II - PC (some QA testing while on a holiday tech support contract)
Gotham City Impostors - XBOX 360, PS3, PC
Guardians of Middle-Earth - XBOX 360, PS3, PC
Pokémon Black and White - DS
Nintendogs + Cats - 3DS
Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition - Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Donkey Kong Country Returns (E3 Demo version) - Wii
Style Savvy - DS
WarioWare DIY - DS
Endless Ocean: Blue World - Wii
Glory of Heracles - DS
Last Window: The Secret of Cape West - DS
Pokémon Rumble - Wii
Electroplankton - DS
Metroid: Other M - Wii
Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics - DSi
Forza Motorsport 3 - XBOX 360
Crucible - PC (created & cancelled by Amazon Game Studios)
Destiny 2 - PC

Sample Bug Report

Due to industry-standard Non-Disclosure Agreements with game development clients, samples of such technical writing as bug reports, software user guides, troubleshooting guides, etc. are not allowed to be publicly shared.

In lieu of specific documents actually used on previous game projects, here is a hypothetical sample of what a bug report might look like.

Every project has its own standards for how documents are written (no two game projects are run alike, in my experience), as well as different bug tracking systems used, so details of actual bug reports will tend to vary in the real world.

This is just a hypothetical example of what a bug report from me might look like, based upon a common job interview question for QA Testers: "How would you test such-and-such?"

I've been asked during interviews, "Rex, how would you test...?"

• a car alarm
• a can of paint
• a ball point pen
• a toaster

Below is an example bug report I wrote for a job application, where I was asked, "How would you test a microwave that is said to sometimes overheat after a couple minutes of operation?"

Bug Report # XXXXXXX
Bug Type: Overheating Food
Bug Status/Resolution: Not Fixed
Reported by: Rex Young
Report Date: 01/27/2024
Product Title: Test Model Microwave
Product Build # XXXXX.XXXX
Report Title/Name: Test Model Overheating Food After 2 Minutes
Bug Description: Accumulating 3 months of standard operating usage results in a week of "acting up", followed by overheating any food contents during ~33% of standard operating usage, when cooking over two minutes.
Expected Results: Standard operating procedures (as per the product manual) result in cooking food sufficiently for consumption, without overheating.
Actual Results: Standard operating procedures (as per the product manual) result in overheated food.
Environment: Test Model with 3 months of regular, daily usage; Standard operating environment and operating procedures, as described in the product manual.
Severity: High
Priority: High
Bug Video Capture File: XXXXXXX.mp4

Repro Steps:

1. Operate the Test Model at least once daily for three months, within standard operating procedures.
2. After 3 months, test the Test Model (at least 2 continuous minutes), checking for irregular heating, or any general irregularities in its standard operations behavior.
3. If Overheating does not initially occur, but the Test Model behaves irregularly: repeat daily 2-minute testing for one week, and observe the results for any overheating.

Repro Frequency: 1/3