All Gamers dream of a world where they can just play their favorite game, all day every day, but very few get the chance to make those dreams a reality. Gururaj is one of the few who was fortunate enough to make his passion into his profession. Like all gamers, Gururaj’s passion for gaming started at an early age, when he played old traditional board games with his friends.
When asked what fueled his passion for gaming, Gururaj highlighted an incident from his childhood when he used to play video games at his friend’s house.
“Watching the way my friends played games, overcoming all the obstacles to win fascinated me. I considered it an achievement to overcome all the challenges that the games threw at me to reach the goal. That truly fueled my passion for gaming.“
Entry into the Gaming Industry
While Gururaj’s competitiveness fueled his passion for gaming, his entry into the gaming industry started a bit later when he was a bit older, and a computer training institute had opened near his home.
His father wished for both him and his sister to upskill themselves by enrolling in one of the computer courses. While exploring the courses on offer, Gururaj stumbled upon a gaming course which gave him the opportunity to encounter a variety of games from Dave to Mario and much more. This course went a long way in kickstarting his interest in the Gaming Industry.
But what brought him to iXie?
In his own words, “I have always wanted to work in the Gaming Industry, but in those days, everyone believed Gaming was not a profitable career. I didn’t even know that it was a career option until a colleague from one of my previous companies informed me that there was a game testing company in Bengaluru that was recruiting game testers.”
Journey into Game Testing with iXie
Gururaj has been with iXie since January 2018 for a total of 5.5 years, the longest he has stayed with any one company. During his career with iXie he has progressed from the role of a test lead to Senior Test lead highlighting his dedication and hard work.
Gururaj’s dedication to his work can be seen from his first project onwards. Despite being new to the company and culture, he was able to quicky adapt and build a rapport with the clients. Even now, four years after the conclusion of that project, he still maintains a friendly relationship with them and connects with them regularly on social media platforms.
When asked what he wished to say to others who wished to embark on the path of game testing, this is what he had to say “Don’t listen to others who say that gaming is not a stable career path. According to me, it is much more stable than many other roles in the IT (Information Technology) industry. So, jump on the board if gaming is your true passion, we are here for you.”
Beyond Game QA – Future Plans
With iXie expanding its range of services beyond just Game QA, there are a lot of opportunities for Gururaj as well as others to pursue other avenues of gaming beyond Game QA. Gururaj himself hopes to expand more into management and game design going forward.
As a parting thought, on being asked to share a life lesson gaming has taught him, he shared this piece of advice “No matter what life throws at you, no matter how many times you may fail, you should always get back on your feet and try to beat the odds until you win.”
He stated that this was what gaming had taught him and clearly, this lesson has stood him in good stead throughout his time at iXie.
