Keith Harris

Microsoft Baseball

Current project:
An unannounced Microsoft game. I manage the test team and quality assurance for the project.

Academic Info

College: Washington State University
Degree: Business - Management with a minor in Psychology

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
Management.

Did you do any internships?
No.

Career Info

Tell us about your first job in the industry. How did you get the job? What was it like? What were your responsibilities?
My first job in the game industry was a contract job at Microsoft to test Baseball 3D. I had already been working at Microsoft on several contracts outside of games gaining experience, but what I really wanted was a job in the consumer division with a preference going to games. Before moving over to the Games group I contacted the Test Manager for Sports and had an informal meeting to discuss what I could expect if I moved to the Sports group, what games they would be making, and what work I could expect to do.

Even though I was a contractor at the time I had to interview for the job. Microsoft likes to make sure prospective employees will be a good fit for the group all around, not just technical skill or know-how. I was offered the job and moved from the internal technologies group I was working on to Sports.

Once I moved to the Sports group I began testing Microsoft Soccer. I was in charge of testing UI and the Tournament mode of play and also had a hand in testing our multiplayer functionality, specifically a compatibility matrix of all available modems.

The games group was still very young at that point for Microsoft so a lot of the processes and organization that is present today was just being developed at that point. There was a lot of evaluation being done after projects shipped to try and better the testing effort for the next round of games to ship. One example is where each team used to be responsible for all hardware testing their project. Now we have a dedicated hardware testing team and fully equipped lab to centralize hardware testing across all of Microsoft games.

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
I began as a contract tester, later to be hired as a full time tester in the Sports Games Group. I liked the work and environment at Microsoft so once I joined Sports I really put my mind towards getting full time employment. After expanding my skills and responsibilities I was interviewed and hired as a full time tester at Microsoft.

For the next several years I again worked on increasing my skills, responsibilities, and overall importance to my projects and the group with the goal of becoming a Test Lead. After moving to the Life games group I was promoted to my current job as Test Lead.

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
A computer science degree gives anyone a head start in working on software, but is not absolutely necessary. In some cases we've brought in candidates who had almost no computer experience, but because of a combination of factors such as: motivation, gaming experience, ability to learn quickly, problem solving ability, etc. they went on to become successful testers.

I used computers nearly every day for both business and entertainment so in my case that helped make up for a lack of formal computer education. I suggest becoming familiar with the operating system, hardware, and a variety of programs. Also keeping up to date on computer industry/technology news can be helpful.

My recommendation to my friends who are interested in getting in the software or games industry is to look into the jobs they think they are most interested in and talk to people who hold that job. Find out what skills they think are most important. Have them recommend books or classes related to that job. In interviewing people for jobs it is always apparent which candidates are prepared and which ones are not.

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
I love working in the computer game industry, but every once in awhile I wish someone had warned me how grueling working on games can be at times.

As for regrets, there was a time when I let myself get in a position where I was unhappy with my job responsibilities and rather than remedy the situation I let my work suffer for it. Eventually it worked out, but not before I finally realized that the group I was in was no longer the best fit for me. I moved to a new group that was a better fit for me at that time and my passion for testing games returned as well.

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
There is never a lack in the need for really good job candidates in any area be it testing, program management, art, marketing, etc. I don't think the general job descriptions will change much from what they are currently, but the means by which we make games are constantly being made better. Whichever path you decide to take there will be no getting away from a constant need to keep up to date on new trends in computers and software.

That being said, I think one area that has huge potential to expand is the online world. With so much research and money going into expanding online possibilities, those who have technical knowledge of the Internet and computer networks should see a lot of job possibilities.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
Try to follow your passion. It makes your job so much more satisfying when you are doing something you really love.