It’s always interesting to see the paths we choose when free from social and cultural expectations. As children, the world feels full of possibilities, but as we grow up, many of us set aside our early passions in favor of more conventional career choices.
At Side, we believe that doesn’t have to be the case.
For Shohra Adel, one of our Senior QA Testers at Side Montreal, following her passion meant tuning out the doubts and pursuing what felt right to her. Read on to learn about the journey that led her toward entering the games industry with Side.
A first encounter with game production
It didn’t take long for Shohra to discover what she was passionate about as a child. When reflecting on her first encounter with video games, Shohra says:
“When I first held an art book for a game as a kid, I realized that the word ‘production’ didn’t just mean an end object, but rather an entire process. I remember poring over the artist’s notes about their character designs and environments and comparing them to how they appeared in the game.” And that’s when she thought, “I want to do that.”
But many of us are taught that our passions aren’t the best choices for our professions, which discourages us from pursuing our goals. “I was told that creative fields are not stable and to choose something realistic,” she shares.
These “reality checks” eventually led her to pursue a degree and a career in media studies and marketing. While the work wasn’t all bad, it never truly engaged her. During her years in the field, she would always come back to video games and art in her spare time, practicing drawing and painting methods for digital art – and she knew it would only get harder to stand out in the game industry the longer she stalled.
Knowing that she needed to make a change, she decided to follow her passion. In her words, “My ‘I want to do that’ came back stronger than ever.”
Game art and animation studies
Shohra soon joined an accelerated video game arts and animation program, describing it as “learning an entire video game pipeline in 18 months.”
“In that short time, I learned the production pipeline firsthand, from coming up with initial ideas with documentation, to building a full-fledged asset in an engine with light, sound, and movement. I loved every minute of it.”
However, technical expertise wasn’t the only skill she picked up.
Shohra explains, “I had to develop strong soft skills, learning how to present myself, work with others in a team, and how to navigate complex conflicts that naturally in creative environments.”
She continues: “Making sure people feel heard and validated while aligning with the project’s priorities to make decisions was tricky, but rewarding – I learned that I could actually communicate quite well.”
Finding work in the game industry
It wasn’t long after graduating before Shohra came across a quality assurance (QA) role at Side.
However, QA wasn’t covered in school, aside from giving a project to friends to test in the last week before our deadlines. She explains, “It was made to seem like production was the glamorous part of the job. However, testing offered its own unexpected opportunity. I could showcase my newfound soft skills and get a foot in the door in the game industry, without having to worry about a skill gap for art creation.
“The thing with soft skills that many people don’t realize is that they make you very personable and observant – being able to connect with others in a workplace setting helps you help others. And since Side puts emphasis on communicating with honesty, transparency, and respect in its core values, it felt like it was a sign.”
After a smooth interview process, Shohra packed her bags and moved from Toronto to Montreal to start her career in games.
QA and beyond
Though she was nervous and unsure what to expect, Shohra started on a small but mighty team of eleven and quickly realized that her strength was her initiative.
She spent time familiarizing herself with the project to absorb the tools and learn how they work. Despite being one of the latest additions to the team at the time, she quickly reached a point where she could teach tools to her peers for effective testing and creating documentation.
Shohra explains, “As the team grew, I became instrumental in assisting with task work, finding myself helping with management as often as testing. A big part of this was through effective communication and taking constructive feedback when it was given.”
Today, Shohra works as a Senior QA Tester at Side’s Montreal studio, a position to which she was promoted after less than a year as an entry-level tester.
Reflecting on her journey, she says: “I truly believe no skill or experience is useless. Every pitfall and setback helps you discover just a little bit more about yourself and what you’re capable of. By keeping an open mind and changing my perspective on the post-production of games, I’ve finally gone from ‘wanting’ to ‘doing’ for the last three years – and I’m still going strong.”
Quotes
“Stay open to new opportunities. There’s always a skill you have that is valuable, and you're more capable than you realize.”