A lot has happened in the last few weeks. I got a job at Keywords Studios as an FQA Game Tester. As I work there, I look forward to growing and learning a lot.

As part of the NDA I signed, I can't say what games on which they work or even their workflow, but I can say the company is surprisingly large (worldwide, even) despite being relatively private.

The interview process occurred over a few weeks. I took it pretty seriously, by researching QA methodologies, preparing for the next phases of the process, even writing practice bug reports & asking for feedback online.

First of all, this was all fun, and secondly, it’s difficult to exaggerate how excited I am to have a full-time game job here in Montréal, especially considering I just moved here a few weeks ago. This and other recent adventures have helped me feel like things are meant to come together.

I'm not spiritual, but of course, events can still happen for a reason. Take the following example (and I'm sorry ahead of time, the writing might be overly intricate, but I wanted to hammer home the causes and effects): I've been ecstatic to be here in Montréal; because I have been ecstatic to be here, I've gone out to explore more and experience what has been here; because I've gone out more and I've been ecstatic, I've been more open and friendly; because I've been more open and friendly -- a lot of things happened, frankly, one of which was more conversations. My communication skills appeared to be well-tuned throughout my time here, and obviously, openness, enthusiasm, and articulateness are great qualities to have throughout an interview process.

Now that I have a relatively stable life in Montréal, I can work on my upcoming game. My blog continues; doing so is beneficial. To make it more official, though, I am giving this blog a name, which may already be visible at the top of this page: Forgoing the Shadows.

The name is derived from a line in the DMC5 theme Devil Trigger: "No hiding in the shadows anymore."

It's a good line, but why did I choose it over other good ones?

A month ago, I listened to DMC5's soundtrack, as I prepared for my big move; something about both organizing my childhood home and experiencing the sequel of a game on which I've spent thousands of hours in high school made me nostalgic. Then I felt it, a vibration: a meeting point between nostalgia and anticipation as soon as I heard "No hiding from the shadows anymore." Since then, I've been able to reflect on what I'm currently doing and what I'm about to do -- and often get excited on the spot. I think, maybe, I may have been too depressed stranded in Calgary.

Additionally, the phrase goes well with the blog's core theme: beginning the first big game dev commitment since graduation and after life's unexpected obstacles.

I might write more about these vibrations in the future if anyone thinks it would be interesting. It would take up a whole entry, and it might be a good one. It has to do with Marie Kondo, cheese, and kind deeds. So wrap your heads around that.

For now, however, my next few entries will actually talk more about game design, specifically one-page design documents that supplement prototyping.