Our highly skilled Game Tester, Serhii, makes our games bulletproof. Does it sound like a dream job? Testing games can be hilarious, but it doesn’t come for free. Let’s find out about the perks and duties of a Product Tester in game dev. What role does the project management play in the product creation process, and who does the tester back it all up? Serhii has a strong background in project management and software product testing. He’s here to share his insights.
What career path did you take before becoming a Product Tester in the game studio?
Back in Ukraine, I’ve been working as a Head of the Supply department, having been responsible for supply chain management and operations in the industry of heavy machinery. Funnily, this had nothing to do with IT. My duty was to ensure that our clients had all the machinery parts ready for work - it could be stressful, and it involved a high level of flexibility and management skills, but it wasn’t a technical role at all. I dealt with international clients supporting their supply management, ranging from mining machines to construction site equipment.
This was something I enjoyed a strong background in, having a degree in Organizational management and operations backed by many years of experience. However, as time progressed, I got more and more intrigued by the world of information technology. So I took an intense IT course right after meddling with basic programming languages and reinvented my professional career.
How did your journey from management to a technical role look like?
Several coincidences caused me not only to leave my previous job but also to leave Ukraine in the summer 2021. I had no clear idea where in the EU I would end up living, but I settled in Bratislava, Slovakia, where I live until this day. This event also marked my shift to a more technical field.
Did you join QORPO right off the bat?
Yes. I applied for QORPO and got it. I wanted to start something that involves lots of software testing because it opens up a deeper understanding of software development not only from the developer’s point of view but also from the perspective of user experience, security specialist, and project manager. I have to be the one where all ends meet, and I have to ensure that the product works smoothly and doesn’t lack any quality properties it is intended to have.
What made you join QORPO specifically?
A slightly non-traditional, slightly innovative, and not necessarily usual nature of this company. I’m happy to be part of several projects, while every product is different and requires different approaches. The integration with blockchain also offers a slightly different point of view and a valuable experience with technology that, despite not being a novelty, is still in the process of being mass-adopted. We are working on games, an NFT marketplace, an esports platform, a basic website, a Web3 wallet, and a sort of gaming hub with social media functionalities - all of this demands a different approach and keeps me busy and curious.
What are the recent goals of you and your team?
As primarily product testers, obviously, we are continuously trying to nitpick all our products to make them work smoothly, bug-free, and make them operate at a high level of security. Right now, we are especially looking for new ways to automate our testing processes and standardize the best practices to overcome issues. The goal is to bring up a flawless testing automation framework that helps us get rid of the chores and focus only on the important things. Doing things manually is not exactly efficient, and it raises the risk of human error and robs you of a deep focus when you need to see the big picture in troubleshooting.
Testing plays a pivotal role in ensuring the reliability and quality of a software application. For instance, errors such as developers coding features incorrectly can introduce defects into the software product. If these defects go unnoticed and are not rectified during testing, they may lead to failures when the software is utilized by end-users.
Similarly, consider a scenario where a software product crashes due to invalid user input. In such a case, the underlying issue might be an insufficient data validation mechanism. The ultimate consequence of this defect is the software malfunctioning, causing user frustration and potentially resulting in financial losses.
Hence, testing is indispensable in the software development process to identify and address these issues, ultimately ensuring a smooth and reliable user experience.
What are you into in your free time?
I’m quite a lot into outdoor activities. I like taking long walks, doing hikes, and cycling. That’s why I try to minimize screen time when outside of work, to give my eyes and my back the rest that they deserve.
Thanks for the interview!
Thanks for having me.
