There are a lot of reasons why someone might want to check out a guide like T Dub Sanders'. One might be interested in the underside of the game testing field. Others might just want to know what they can gain from a guide that is written to help people understand their role in the gaming industry. Others still are just pining for that ultimate career working alongside game developers and designers.

Whatever the reason, T Dub Sanders has put together one of the biggest and best game testing guides on the market – one that shows the underpinnings of the career in their raw, real format. There are no false promises of automatic testing or sitting at home and playing the newest games for hundreds of dollars a day.

That stuff is all pretty much a pipe dream and most people know it – yet many guide writers try to tell everyone that they can become the biggest and best new game testers in a field that doesn't really exist every day and too many fall for it. On the other hand, what T Dub has put together is a much more realistic, much more comprehensive look at what game testing is really about – the hard work and dedication that goes into becoming someone in charge of all that code each day.

By showing what it really takes to be a game tester, T Dub opens up an actual, realistic path to getting into the industry. He showcases skills needed to get started as a tester, the classes or college majors that people better be willing to invest in if they want to be a professional in this field and much more to help them figure out not only if the career path is right for them but if they are going to be cut out for it. That means a great deal for someone who may or may not know exactly what a game tester does and how it operates.

For anyone that is thinking about taking the path toward becoming a game tester, one of the first things that needs to be done is to learn more about what the career entails. Those people should pick up T Dub's newest guide and get a real insider's look at the job and how it really works. If you're serious about doing what T Dub shows you, you'll be on the fast track toward game testing in no time flat.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Lasombra Files Episode 35: Past Partners

One Year Ago

Uh, hello, you okay in there Richard? Something smells burnt. You did tell him your name was Richard and not Richards, right? Oh, that does not look like a good situation. Cameraman lying dead at the feet of a maniac that wants to make Evil Cole look like a creampuff. Check. My pants suddenly wet with fear. Check. Evil Cole wannabe walking towards me and looking all zappy. Check. Legs moving to escape. Not check. Uh, we can talk about this right? Please? I don`t taste like chicken, I swear.

Name: Scott Hill
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Occupation: Corporate Drone (much easier to explain than my real title)
Country: United States

Disclaimer: This interview is reproduced as written by the interviewee except for grammar and spelling corrections. Pictures copyright of their artist/photographer/owner. All likenesses used are for parody and/or satirical purposes.

Lasombra: How long have you been gaming?

SirScud: Since I was four years old.

Lasombra: How did you find PSU?

SirScud: My friend used to be a member here. When I got my PS3 he told me about the site back in 2007. Before that, I wasn't really a member of any site, but I've been here ever since.

Lasombra: Are you solely a Sony gamer this generation or do you split your time between multiple systems?

SirScud: I originally only owned an Xbox 360 and it probably wasn't until 2008-09 that I really started to play my ps3.

At that point my time shifted primarily to the PS3. I will play just about anything but I knew I would've owned a PS3 because I am a rabid MGS fan, and there was no way I'd miss out on MGS4 on day one. Recently I purchased a Vita, and I haven't owned a handheld since the early Gameboy days.

Lasombra: What do you like about the community at PSU that keeps bringing you back for more?

SirScud: Simple, it's the discussions. We have a pretty great group of people with some really interesting opinions, good debates and a friendly atmosphere. Not to mention it's pretty laid back. Don't have to worry too much about a post getting you into trouble.

Lasombra: In your opinion, what needs to be done to help the community to grow bigger and better?

SirScud: This is a tough one. I've noticed that there are a good amount of members that only congregate on the main page of PSU, maybe comment on an article but never go post on the forums. I've also noticed people who only post on the forums, but never seem to check out the front page articles and leave comments.

I feel there's got to be some way to better merge the two together, instantly growing the community. But I think one way for the community to grow is to have a fun, positive atmosphere where your opinion isn't shot down in two seconds for being different from the rest.

Lasombra: Do you have any gaming goals for this year?

SirScud: Beat some games in my backlog because this holiday season is going to be packed with games I want for the Vita, PS3 and PS4. Going to be an expensive year.

Lasombra: Are you a Trophy hunter, and what do you think about trophies overall?

SirScud: I used to be a big Trophy hunter, and at times I strive to platinum a game. But lately, I will get that initial rush to begin a platinum run and then I just tire out. I don't really have it in me to complete some of the tasks to get some of the more difficult Trophies in games. Personally I think they add a lot of value to games. I won't sell games if I think I might want to try a platinum run down the line.

Lasombra: The PS2 dominated a console war like no other system. What tricks does Sony need to pull out of their hat to create the same magic with the PS4?

SirScud: I don't think they can, but it's not from a lack of trying. Microsoft has a strong grip on the market, I won't be surprised if we see them go neck and neck in sales next-gen. I think where Sony was smart this time was with an easy to develop for system.

We might see a lot of developers from many different studios make some crazy good games that might translate into system sellers. I don't think we will hear about the PS4 being hard to develop on, unlike the PS3. I think that alone might be Sony's best card moving forward.

Lasombra: Do you have a favourite era of gaming? The SNES/Genesis war? The reign of the PlayStation Reich? Hail to the NES?

SirScud: Nostalgia instantly makes things difficult to rate. I owned both a SNES and a Genesis, N64 and PS1. Those generations hold fond memories, but I was pretty young. If I had to pick, I'd say the N64/PlayStation 1 days were my favorite. It blew my mind the first time I played Mario 64. It was like nothing else. Not to mention the birth of the MGS saga, a game I played countless times.

Lasombra: Is there a lot of gaming culture in your area of the world? Unique stores, conventions, etc?

SirScud: Nothing really out of the ordinary. As far as I know there aren't any gaming specific conventions, but occasionally I hear of gaming tournaments. There are some locally owned used game shops.

Lasombra: Have you ever been burnt out from a gaming session?

SirScud: Yeah, I used to be an MMO guy where if I played it too long one day I would take like a week break from the game.

Lasombra: As the moderator of the community reviews and opinion group what are your plans to help expand the section, and keep it as active as possible.

SirScud: At the moment I've been pretty swamped at work, but I have a few plans in the future. Going to be a little hush hush about them for now, but I think the community will like it. One thing in particular will be a give back to the community type of thing, once a few things have been settled in my personal life. I've been pretty supportive of those that have posted work but it definitely could use some fresh blood.

Lasombra: What got you hooked into being a Trophy hunter originally?

SirScud: I guess it was something different but at the same time something familiar. In my old school gaming days I loved unlocking hidden characters or cheats in games, which usually required you doing something of skill to unlock. I guess Trophies are the new version of that process.

Lasombra: Why do you think some forum members never go to the front page?

SirScud: I think it's more directed to the veterans that know this place as ps3forums. I think some of those members don't really consider PSU as a whole, instead see it as two separate entities. However, I think that perception is changing. The Community Reviews and Opinions section is just one example to get members to go to both the forums and front page. If there was a way for forum threads to directly be linked to news articles, I think there would be a higher volume of people checking out front page stuff.

Lasombra: Being a former MMO player, do you think MMOs can work on a console? DC Universe Online has a lot of traction but it has been a barren genre for an online console.

SirScud: I think they are getting much better. I bought a PS2 to play Everquest Online Adventures, so I was that guy buying the network adapter and then eventually that guy who bought the hard drive just to play Final Fantasy IX.

But I played DC Universe Online with my ps3 back when it launched, and despite its technical issues, translated well with a controller. The problem is less about consoles vs. PC and more that the genre itself is transforming. Less and less people are willing to shell out $15 a month to play a game; Free-to-Play is changing how they work and function. I think the PS4 will see more MMOs within its first few years.

Lasombra: Having had a 360 and a PS3 will you be doing the same with the PS4 and Xbox One? Is the PS4 an auto-buy or will you be waiting for the first wave of launch titles?

SirScud: Sony-only this time around. I feel like the two consoles will practically mirror each other in content, so I rather not pay to play games online, not to mention I will already have so much to play and not enough time to play them all.

Lasombra: What kind of games are in your backlog that need to be finished before the holiday season? What games are you looking forward to and hoping for during the holidays?

SirScud: Some games I need to beat before major releases are Borderlands 2, Torchlight 2, Gravity Rush, Tactics Ogre, Valkyria Chronicles, and a few others I'm forgetting. I'm really looking forward in the future to games like Tearaway, Killzone: Shadow Fall, and The Last of Us, which I probably will buy immediately.

I remembered what happened that fateful day. I thought my partner had been killed and there was nothing I could do to stop the same happening to me. Instead whoever the maniac was had another purpose. The rest of the day was filled with the screams of becoming a guinea pig, something to be toyed with in a sick experiment. If I had remembered this past year that he had been alive I would like to think I would not have left him there or at least tried to do something, anything, but the man who went into that room and the one that came out were two different people in episode 36: Maniac Mansion. Now I have to relive the past in the present. As the life is being squeezed from me, V`s lifeless body hangs out the side of the vehicle, the past teasing me with deja vu. As if fate was simply not content to let me die, life is breathed back into me as an unknown voice commands Richard to unhand me.


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