Announcing the 'Game Devs Can Test' Youtube channel!
I just published my second video this year to the GDCT Youtube channel - a channel I created two years ago but never found the time to move forward.
For those two years, the only videos on the channel were a couple of hour long, unedited, videos of me and Declan Hopkins pair programming on some refactoring kata he created. My goal was to offer an unvarnished look into what it’s really like to work with the technical practices we advocate for, as well as demystify refactoring a little (it’s not the same as rewriting). Of course, I also wanted to support Declan - he had taken the initiative to run a book club for Martin Fowler’s ‘Refactoring’ at Mojang, and really went above and beyond in inventing these kata for the group to practice with.
Goals
My foundational, and intrinsic, motivation for all the work I have done in the automated testing space for games has been a desire to end crunch forever through the adoption of humane and sustainable development practices. I experienced plenty of crunch in my early career, and ever since I learned the technical practices and discipline that made it avoidable, I’ve wanted to help the industry adopt them. I believe that as game developers we have a choice - to let our industry continue to slide into an exploitative system with no regard for the welfare of its workers, or to prioritize sustainable development, and in doing so achieve better outcomes for everyone (including shareholders).
Rebooting the Channel
Going forward, I’m aiming to publish videos that give more depth and context to the issues and practices of automated testing for games. I am not aiming for conference grade, exhaustive coverage, but rather for an informal style that normalizes, validates, and reinforces the mindset needed to succeed in this domain, as well as sharing the tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the last 14 years. If you enjoy the videos, please consider helping me grow the channel by liking and subscribing. I hope we can create a truly useful resource for the game development community.