John DeWhitt, QA Tester
Marvel Heroes Forums: DeJohnMustard
Like Chris, John didn’t come from a background in gaming. For seven years, John worked in film – doing rigging, grip, electric and camera work, creative writing, the list goes on – but he still had an underlying passion for video games. After leaving the film industry, he came home to the Bay Area, leaving Los Angeles behind. He heard about an opening for a QA position at Gazillion a little over half a year ago. “I didn’t think I’d get an interview, let alone a job because I had no background in QA.”
The environment was much different from what he was used to in his film days. “There’s a patience with employees here where people aren’t afraid to ask questions and talk to each other to learn without being scolded and being put down for wanting to learn. There isn’t a lot of politics – nobody really guns anyone down for a job or promotion.” John said on his first day, every single person in the department had sent him a private message to welcome him, and let him know if he needed anything or had questions, he had no reason to be afraid to ask. “I can tell someone something is horribly wrong [in the game], and I won’t get ripped apart for it,” he laughed, “I worked for a baker – talk about going into a job and not wanting to be there. That was it.”
John gives advice that applies to any career, not just QA. “It all starts with having a relentless persistence and really applying to everything. I really lucked out – I never considered going into QA and gaming, but when I heard about this opportunity I thought, ‘why not?’ Learn and teach yourself things, make yourself more viable and move up. Have a passion for it. If you’re not passionate about gaming, there are other careers that are easier and not as time consuming. Having a passion for it is really what’s important and where it all starts.”
