TRC Family Entertainment Ltd, a family entertainment company, will be giving a presentation and holding interviews at the University of Malta in order to recruit full-time game testers for their company.

The event will take place on Saturday, August 4 at the University of Malta (Hall A, Gateway Building). Doors will close at 10.15h.

Being the first full- fledged company dedicated to creating digital family entertainment including video games, the staff at TRC feel the obligation to reclaim the definition ‘gaming’ and remove the prospect of gambling from the term altogether. “This is a family oriented product, something that all members of the family would be proud of.”

The company has partnered up with the University of Malta, MCAST and other colleges with the intention of hiring and training people in order to expand the company. The current target - game testers - would play a crucial role in the creation of the final product. While game testers are required to play the video game, they must also learn to read the code of the game and specialise in what is known as Quality Assurance (QA).  This critical stage in the development process involves the testing of the game and ensures that all aspects of it meet the company’s guidelines.

Moreover, game testers must be able to identify integration issues. These are glitches in a particular game which usually occur when one feature interacts with another feature in an unexpected or unusual way. This is one of a game tester’s main responsibilities.

There are no essential prerequisites to join the company other than the legal ability to be employed in Malta, being over 16 years of age and having a passion for gaming. Experience and skill are not required as the recruits would be trained on the job by qualified testers whilst being paid.

However, there are some qualities that the team is looking for in prospective employees that cannot be taught during the training programme, namely aptitude and attitude.

Studio head and Chief Technology Officer Derek Wise, emphasised the importance of having the correct attitude not only regarding work ethic but also being able to work in a team, abandoning the stereotypical idea of gamers as loners and realising that in creating games as well as playing them, cooperation is essential.

Besides ensuring the running of a high quality, original product, Mr Wise also focuses on creating a friendly and pleasant environment at the workplace. The building includes a games room and a theatre room, lunch is provided to each member of staff daily and hours are relatively flexible, taking into consideration the needs of families and other constraints. “As a manager, it's important that I provide flexibility, as long as quality is not compromised.”

This opportunity provides those keen gamers a chance to work with leaders in the gaming industry, play video games and build an innovative product all at the same time. The job includes room for promotion and opens career opportunities in a variety of fields including arts, software programming, sales, game design, Quality Assurance and more.