ManpowerGroup has expanded its game and device testing capabilities after it opened an Experis Game Solutions facility for video game testing and quality assurance.
Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) has several different divisions, including Experis Game Solutions which focuses on the testing of video games as well as the devices the games are played on. Experis Game Solutions opened its newest facility in Milwaukee this week.
Located at the ManpowerGroup's world headquarters in Milwaukee, the Experis Game Solutions facility has 15,000 square feet of space with multiple rows of cubicles for testers and several managerial offices for team leads.
Experis Game Solutions program manager for the Milwaukee facility Jon Doyle said the company has a lot of open jobs to accompany the new facility.
“We have eight people that started their jobs here doing (quality assurance) testing for video games,” Doyle said. “Now that our doors are open, we really want to start letting the market know that we have jobs in video games locally in Milwaukee and we’re hoping to get a lot of people interested to come in and do some testing.”
With eight people who have already started, the facility looks essentially empty as the current employees take up only one row of cubicles.
“We’re hoping to hire over 250 employees, with testers being 80% of that,” said Scott Bakke, vice president at Experis.
With about 200 jobs on the table for quality assurance (QA) testing of video games, Cohl Carter-Wright, who was recruited and hired as a QA tester, said the position might not be exactly what people expect when it involves playing video games for a career.
“Testing to make sure something works is important in any field. So, having people who know what they’re doing to make sure something functions is an important task,” Carter-Wright said. “If you bought a $60 game and it crashed the second you started playing it, you’d be upset so I’m here to make sure the thing that entertains you functions the way it’s supposed to.”
A Waukesha resident, Carter-Wright said he worked at a GameStop before being recruited to work for Experis Game Solutions. Now, he spends his days trying to find bugs in video games, or errors in the software which can cause the game to freeze, the main character to get stuck or the game to produce some odd visual effect.
While the new Milwaukee facility looks to hire more of these QA testers, regional vice president Julie Loucks said the market was a big reason for the opening of this facility.
“We’re expanding our game expertise into a fourth market in response to the overall growth in the games and device testing industry,” Loucks said. “We’re proud of the work our teams do and excited to tap into the diverse Milwaukee-area talent pool by partnering with local universities and groups to provide this unique career pathway.”
The facility is the fourth of its kind, joining Experis’ other facilities in Portland, Oregon; Tempe, Arizona; and Bellevue, Washington.
The games that are tested have high-profile clients, Bakke said. Experis has about 40-50 clients who will send over games.
To make sure the games are protected, the new facility has controlled access to the testing rooms and has video surveillance. Testers are unable to have phones or other devices while testing to make sure each client’s future product is secured.
The testing facility has several break rooms where testers can relax and check devices but when working, each tester has a locker near the cubicles for personal effects.
