Quality Assurance Tester (Contract)

Irrational Games, the team behind BioShock (as well as SWAT 4, Freedom Force, and System Shock 2), is hiring Quality Assurance Testers to work on their next AAA title. If you’re a skilled and capable tester and want to work with a world-class team to push the boundaries of gaming yet again, we want to hear from you!  Please include resume and cover letter.  Local candidates only please.

Our Quality Assurance Testers are the people who work at all development levels of a game testing out development tools, scrutinizing the game, and reporting on any defects found. They need great communication skills, a passion for playing and testing games, and the ability to work on as many different areas (audio, graphics, animation, AI, gameplay, etc.) and for as many overtime hours as it takes to ensure a quality product both during and at the end of the project.

Job Responsibilities:

• General testing on the game.
• Testing development tools being used to create the game.
• Write bug reports or otherwise communicate issues.
• Verify bug fixes.
• Writing and running test checklists/test suites.
• Interfacing with developers of all disciplines.

Required Experience and Skills:

• High school diploma.
• Experience with next-gen consoles and PC.
• Great attention to detail when handling all responsibilities.
• Strong problem-solving abilities.
• Strong written & verbal communication.
• Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Previous testing experience.
• Previous experience in the game industry.
• Experience with level editors.
• Programming and/or game design knowledge.

Irrational Games is looking for programmers at all experience levels to join our tech and gameplay teams.  Whether you are a grizzled veteran of the video game wars or have only one game under your belt, if you think you have what it takes, we want to hear from you.

Our programmers build the systems and tools that our content creators will use to create the amazing game experiences that Irrational Games is known for. They need great communication skills, a passion for building games, and the ability to work in as many different technical areas (physics, audio, graphics, animation, AI, optimization, multithreading, SPU programming, networking, etc.) as it takes to “make things happen”.

If you join our team, you will be responsible for:

• One or more major areas of the game software, and/or multiple systems
• Working closely with the content creators to help them achieve their goals
• Working with your manager to generate technical designs and schedules
• Writing, documenting and testing the code that you design
• Supervising junior or mid-level programmers (if applicable)

Required Experience and Skills:

• Excellent understanding of C/C++
• Commitment to code quality, documentation and sound testing procedures
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience working primarily on any of the following: Gameplay, Real-Time Graphics, AI, Audio, Physics, Optimization, SPU Programming, Multiplayer Networking, or Tools
• One or more shipped game titles
• Experience with recent game console technology (Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, GameCube, Wii), especially PS3
• Experience with Unreal Engine technology

When Applying for this Position:

• Only applications with salary requirements will be considered.
• Please let us know how you heard that we were hiring.

Summary of Position:
Irrational Games, the team that created the original BioShock, is looking for talented, experienced game designers to help craft the experience on our next big project, an unannounced shooter.

We are looking for level designers that can hit the ground running.  We expect you to conceive and execute level ideas that shock, immerse, amaze and create an experience that blows gamers’ minds. No applicants will be considered who aren’t able to demonstrate they’ve got the skills to build industry-changing levels.

Responsibilities:
You will be responsible for conceiving, documenting and tuning a number of different levels. Additionally, you will be required to work with our design tools to implement game mechanics or parameters. This position requires you to coordinate with artists and programmers to create levels that are second to none in the industry.

You must be familiar with the current state of the art in game design across a wide range of genres on both PC and console. You must be capable of analyzing and critiquing game designs and levels.  We expect you to be familiar with BioShock and other 2K Boston/Irrational products and be able to speak critically about them.

Finally, there are a wide variety of miscellaneous other tasks associated with this position such as speaking at conferences, working on game documentation and manuals and occasional PR duties.

Required Experience and Skills:
This position requires a high degree of creativity. You will be required to work with the team to form a “vision” of your levels and use that vision to inform your design decisions.

An important part of the role is communicating that vision clearly and concisely to the rest of the team and ensuring that they have a clear and specific mandate for their work. You must also provide a receptive ear so that other team members can provide input on the game design.

Above all we are looking for somebody with enthusiasm, passion and the desire to create levels that are going to amaze gamers.

When Applying for this Position:
Please remember to include:  video, screenshots or save games for levels that you created in the past.  Game design documents, writing samples and/or game analysis should be submitted as appropriate.

The original Bioshock team is at it again.  Under the direction of Ken Levine, we are setting our sights on outdoing our past achievements and creating a title that will enthrall gamers around the world.  With Bioshock’s Metacritic rating set at 96, this won’t be an easy task.  This is why we need you.

Simply put, level builders create worlds.  As a level builder, you are directly responsible for creating our worlds.  You will need to combine a strong aesthetic sense in creating visually interesting spaces with a solid understanding of how gameplay is affected. You will also need to possess the technical skills to ensure that your levels work within the constraints of the game technology.

Job requirements:

• Understanding of contemporary 3D first-person engine technologies and editing tools
• Experience creating first-person levels using Unreal, Quake, Half-Life or similar technologies for commercial titles (this must be demonstrated through actual levels created for these engines)
• Understanding of and desire to create first-person shooter gameplay
• Interest in and understanding of architecture, lighting, texturing and other elements that are required to create aesthetically pleasing 3D levels
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Ability to work and contribute effectively in a team environment
• Collaborate with the Art Director to lead the creation of consistent, high-quality work
• Model, texture and light 3D environments for a state of the art next-gen game engine
• Meet project deadlines and milestones

Required skills:

• Outstanding communication skills
• Ability to work within technical constraints and generate top-quality art
• Ability to create a highly modular, reusable building system
• Clear understanding and implementation of technical guidelines and constraints
• Ability to effectively collaborate with other departments

Bonus Points:

• Experience with UE3
• Traditional art skills, ability to do occasional environment concept drawings/paintings
• Capable of creating any aspect of a 3D game environment including modeling, texturing, and lighting of terrain, architecture, world objects and collisions
• A fluent knowledge of 3ds Max and Photoshop
• Experience with animated environment effects (such as particles)
• 4+ years of industry experience.
• Ability to use basic programming or scripting tools

When Applying for this Position:
Please remember to include art samples as appropriate including 3D rendered material, concept sketches, 2D work and/or animation. When submitting extensive samples of 2D work, please send high-resolution samples, preferably on a CD submitted through mail, or provide the address for your online portfolio.  No one will be considered without a portfolio.