Pain

I wanted to share a little more about myself. Mainly, I wanted to talk about a chronic condition I have. To the best of my knowledge, it’s pretty rare and unfortunately there is no cure or treatment for it. This condition is called a Dural Ectasia, a benign growth in my spine that presses against the largest nerve in my body. This, in turn, causes me chronic back pain that is quite considerable. So, since poetry has been a big help to me, I wanted to share my story in poem.

—

For every morning of awaking,

There is a constant, painful aching.

Which causes me a short debating,

Of waking up at all that morning.

Then I realize I’m defeating,

My own health and well-being.

The pain is there and never ending,

And, therefore, it’s quite frustrating.

I’ve spent a year or so now, coping.

The realization rather daunting,

Of chronic pain that’s unrelenting,

Medications, only dulling.

Marijuana slightly masking,

Pain that’s sharp and unforgiving.

That’s enough, I’m done with moping!

My time is better spent enjoying,

Life and everything worth knowing,

Calling me to keep exploring.

Now self-pity is just boring.

So, I think, I’ll keep enduring.

Background: Gaming

Video games have been a part of my life ever since I got my first computer. At first my only actively played game was solitaire, and that was only if I succeeded in booting up the PC correctly. I remember having to type in a few very specific commands into the DOS menu before having a hope of seeing the Windows interface. That’s why whenever I successfully got into Windows I felt like I had overcome a huge obstacle. I always imagined a gnarled and stumpy little troll blocking the road to my OS; having to answer the grotesque creature’s cryptic riddles.

I eventually mastered the art of booting up my PC, though, giving me more time to fiddle with the various programs and applications it came with. There was only Minesweeper and Solitaire at first, but my grandparents soon found tons of educational games for me to play as well. Those kept me pretty occupied for a few months; teaching me all kinds of 1st grade math and reading.

What really got me into video games, however, was Sim City 2000. That game was the first game that kept me up all night long; stealthily eluding the detection of my parents when I had cities to build passed my bed time. The bright glow of the monitor surrounded by an ocean of darkness was so comforting and inviting to me. It became my own personal paradise; wrapped in a warm blanket while I built my own city, flew in an X-wing, solved riddles or got my ass kicked in Street Fighter 2.

There are a lot of people out there who will tell you that playing video games is nothing but a waste of time. I beg to differ, because those countless hours of gaming bestowed a wealth of knowledge upon me. From solid hand-eye coordination to critically analyzing your current problem and figuring out a solution with what little resources you have, video games have been invaluable to me in my personal and professional life. They offer a quick escape from the stresses and troubles of everyday life. They can tell such wonderful and enrapturing stories or leave you in a pathetic heap of tears from the sorrow or terror you feel from a truly grim or frightening game.

Gaming is an ever-growing canvas for talented developers and designers; pushing the boundaries of technology and literature to produce the best experience they can create for their audience. With Virtual & Augmented Reality so close to making their official debut in the mainstream, one can only assume that it’s going to usher in a new age of gaming.

I hope to write more about gaming and the future it has, and I personally can’t wait to see what VR can really do.

 

Background: Creative Writing

The written word has usually been my only outlet for anything artistic. My favorite way to socialize online would be to role play with other people. It was so daunting at first; the idea of chatting and creating stories with countless others using the miracle of the world wide web. I remember the fear and hesitation I had before entering my first online chat room; still new at typing and socializing in general.

It took me a few months of browsing the web before I found some chat rooms that I actually liked. My limited knowledge of the internet community made it difficult to find specific chat rooms so I searched for the website of my favorite store at the time, Wizards of the Coast. I used to go to their stores every chance I got when I was a kid; the huge variety of games, puzzles and people to play against was like heaven for me. I knew if there was an online community for me, it would be Wizards.

I was met with a warm welcome when I logged in for the first time. There were a dozen users or so in the initial room it put me in, offering me their hellos and a/s/l salutations. After getting to know a few of the more talkative users, I eventually learned about the “IC” chat rooms. When I asked them what all that meant they explained that it was basically where you go to role play with other people. Now that sounded interesting; creating a character of your own and writing awesome stories with other people.

Whenever someone hears the term “Role Play” in an online environment, there’s usually a bad stigma behind it. Some people think it’s strange and cringe-inducing, but I disagree. It’s a giant blank canvas and it’s up to you and the other chat room patrons to create something unique and interesting. I often liken it to improvisation, though instead of speaking and acting through body language and props, you write. You write out your character description and attach it to your profile for all to see and you navigate your character through the chaotic worlds that you and everyone else creates through the written word. It was unpredictable and random most of the time, but that’s what made it so interesting and challenging.

That’s where my passion for creative writing started, and I’m glad I found that outlet when I did.

 

Background: Quality Assurance

How do I even start with this one? Quality Assurance is a vital part in any product. In Software Development, testing is done in multiple stages during the development cycle. It’s all a process of pass and fail scenarios determined by the design document for the software. Basically, does it work? Yes? Next! Does it work? No? How so? If you have a good eye for detail and a passion for breaking things then QA might be for you. That’s just a very loose definition of what is expected of someone working in QA.

I started my career in software testing at a contracting company in Redmond. This was back in my college days when I wanted to get my foot in the door at some reputable software companies. My first official software testing title, and I’m not joking here, was “Bullpen Tester”. This was basically a place where all the eager game testers go to “get paid to play”, as they often exclaim while trying to imitate what’s “hip” and “cool” with the “gaming crowd”. This obviously attracted all types of gamers looking to get some extra funds while going through college. It all seemed so awesome when I first started.

The term “Bullpen” was a very apt description in many regards. You showed up at the building, entered the doors, and proceeded to wait in a small room with a few dozen other testers. Work was not guaranteed and if they didn’t pick you, you went home. I could go on about how, yes, some people didn’t have very good hygiene practices and, yes, that was pretty horrible at times; but that’s just me getting sidetracked. This was my first testing job and it got me into software development and quality assurance.

Some very important lessons were learned on my first few weeks on the job. You weren’t there to make sure the game is fun. You’re there to make sure it works. A lot of gamers make the mistake of thinking that testing games would be the exact same thing as playing them. This is a grave error to make, as it tends to lead to frustration followed by madness. What kept me sane was the drive to find and report the errors I found so the developers can fix them. Sounds simple enough right?

Well if you’re anything like me, you’re going to want the issues you find to be addressed and fixed before the product comes out. Unfortunately, this is not always what happens. The term “Won’t Fix” is probably my least favorite thing to see when getting my issues back from the developers. It means they know the issue is there, but they simply won’t fix it. I always understood if the issue wasn’t that severe, but when the developers are sending back software-breaking bugs as “Won’t Fix” you get a little discouraged.

Most of what I’ll be writing about in this blog will probably have to do with Software and Gaming in general. From testing games to reviewing them, it’s all in the details, and once you start testing, you never stop.

 

Introductions & Salutations

Hello World! I’m sorry, but I felt obligated to write that for my first post. Now that that’s out of the way, allow me to introduce myself! My name is Brandon Edsforth and I’ve decided to start an official blog for my hobbies, opinions, interests and what-not. I’ve always enjoyed writing about topics that I genuinely care about. Typing is a great outlet for me since I tend to stutter and have difficulties articulating my thoughts and emotions through spoken word. I used to work as a Quality Assurance Analyst for quite a few game development studios, but that’s a topic for another post. This is just an introduction, and I thank you so much for reading!