problems they encounter, which in turn helps the developers to know exactly where in their INTERVIEW code they need to start looking.

gIQ: If QA is so important – why does it suffer Ahead of the Game QA & Localisation from such a negative consumer rep? Forum in London this June, Gaming IQ caught up with forum speaker and Niklas: One thing that most people outside the professional Swede, Niklas Lundström of business fail to realise is that a game can have Paradox Interactive, to chat about the undergone lots and lots of excellent QA and still importance of QA in today’s industry, and a be really buggy. The state of a game from a few of the challenges that Paradox have functionality or usability standpoint hinges on so faced much more than just the testing of the game; every so often a development team doesn’t have the time, resources or ability to prioritise to keep gIQ: So Niklas, why is QA important in gaming? up with everything that QA reports to them. This leads to crunches that – if allowed to go on too Niklas: QA is important for a number of reasons, long – will hamper the quality of their product, the most obvious being to find bugs in games. regardless of how well tested the game is. Even if the developers don’t have the time or resources to fix everything QA finds, it’s still If you’re playing a game and see a bunch of glaring bugs and issues, you can be almost valuable to build up a database of issues. This certain that QA has seen and reported these way you get a much more sober view of the state “Experienced QA are able to see at an early of the project. same issues. What you don’t see, however, are stage what might be broken in a game” all the other glaring issues that QA has already QA is, however, also important as a “sanity reported and that the developers have check” for the developers, where QA can come help the developers meet the target quality of addressed. in with fresh eyes and comment on things that their game. Experienced QA are able to see at an are unintuitive, tedious or simply not fun in the early stage what might be broken in a game and game. Overall it falls on the QA department to immediately find ways of replicating the

“ QA is often seen as a stepping stone to greener pastures in the industry, instead gIQ: So do you think the industry as a whole can fairly new and untested in “live” situations, but do anything to change this perspective? essentially QA gets involved when we receive a of a valuable department in its own

vertical slice from the developer. At this point right…” Niklas: I think there is a general problem in the we’re mostly taking a quick look at the game to industry where QA is seen as the “lowest tier” try to determine what we can do in terms of within a game development studio or a playtesting the game, so that we’re able to find gIQ: Some people have commented in the past publisher. QA often have equally as tough any design or interface problems at an early that a few of Paradox’s earlier titles (such as the working conditions as everyone else, but with stage. We then start getting increasingly more Hearts of Iron franchise) have been quite buggy worse pay (often they’re unpaid interns) and few involved around alpha review and forward. We at release – what would you say to this, and has opportunities to grow within the company. QA is work very closely with production and an Paradox changed anything with this in mind? often seen as a stepping stone to greener important aspect for us is the close dialogue we pastures in the industry, instead of a valuable keep with our producers. Niklas: Back in those days Paradox was still a department in its own right where employees pretty small company with limited resources. are given an opportunity to advance within QA gIQ: What are the key challenges or bottlenecks Combine this with the fact that the internally and improve on their salary there. The industry that you tend to face working in the QA team? developed titles in particular are extremely as a whole needs to adjust its attitude towards complex; it was very hard for the team to deliver QA as a profession and that sort of thing always Niklas: Being a relatively small team working on stable and relatively bug-free releases. Since this takes time. many titles from developers around the world, it easily leads to customers feeling like they’re is often a bit of a challenge planning and paying money to essentially be beta testers, it’s gIQ: How do you incorporate QA effectively into communicating everything. The fact that many of been very important for Paradox to keep Paradox projects, and get the most out of it? our developers are in completely different time supporting these games long after release to

zones from our own complicates this further. So reward our extremely loyal fan base. Niklas: With Paradox growing very rapidly over essentially our single most challenging task is to the past couple of years, the QA process has coordinate everything and ensure that all our Since the release of a game like Hearts of Iron III, been growing and adapting as well. Many developers and titles receive the attention they though, our QA setup has changed dramatically, methods that we have implemented are still need. where we have one team dedicated to the

Paradox wants to keep delivering a plethora of since it’ll automatically improve your games where gamers should feel that they can communication with them, which helps you Paradox Development Studio games and another always find something that appeals to them in funnel the information coming from them. This team dedicated to the games published by our catalogue. Every game can’t and shouldn’t be way you’ll understand the process behind their Paradox Interactive. No game studio is ever for everyone, but there should be a game for mountain of bug reports that otherwise may put going to deliver a completely bug-free title, but everyone. a crunching developer off. Paradox certainly hasn’t been asleep at the wheel in ensuring that we deliver significantly gIQ: You’re speaking at the Game QA & For a QA tester starting out in the business, you more polished games in the future. Localisation Forum in London this June, the may have the ambition to “climb the ladder” and world’s first ever QA & localisation-dedicated move on to becoming a programmer, designer or gIQ: Do you think there are any particular two-day meeting for the gaming industry – why producer – which is fine – but remember that the general trends you’ve seen emerging in the did you get involved in it, and what are you work you’re doing right now is just as important industry at the moment with regards to QA? looking forward to about it the most? to the end product, and unless you stay in the

present and work hard at what you’re doing in Niklas: I hope so. It’s hard to speak for other Niklas: It’s going to be a fun, interesting and QA, you’ll probably never get the opportunity to companies, and I think there are still a lot of hopefully informative couple of days and it’s also land that designer gig you might be aiming for. examples of how it shouldn’t be done in terms of my first visit to London so I’m stoked! working conditions and testing routines, but at Paradox I definitely feel that there is a healthy gIQ: If you could give one piece of advice to Niklas is Associate QA Manager at Paradox QA environment. People see the enormous either a developer just starting to grow their QA Interactive, responsible for team leadership, difference QA makes and it’s noticeable for us in team, or a QA tester putting their first foot on setting up testing routines and administrating QA as well when the effort we put in is visible in the industry career ladder, what would it be? bug-reporting software. the end product. Niklas: For a developer implementing their first He will be speaking alongside Sony, Microsoft, gIQ: What’s the Paradox ‘vision of the future’? EA, Ubisoft, Sega and Disney at the QA & QA team, my first advice is to make them feel Niklas: That’s probably a question better th like a part of your team. This is not only good for Localisation Forum on June 25-26 in London, UK directed at our CEO Fred Wester, and I’m sure he them because it makes them work harder and could talk all day about it, but it’s safe to say that Book your ticket at www.gamingQA.com feel more appreciated; it’s also good for you