From Welder to QA Tester

When you’re handed a flyer, it’s not every day it changes your life – but that’s what happened to 30-year-old self-employed welder Khaien Blackheart.

Not exactly disillusioned but certainly feeling unfulfilled at work, Khaien was ready for change. As a keen gamer, the discovery of the Game Academy literature was therefore perfectly timed.

But perhaps even Khaien wouldn’t have expected to have ditched his mask and gloves and be living across the Atlantic just two years later - and all because of a leaflet he picked up.

In it was information about the Game Academy bootcamps for over 19s keen to learn how to win jobs in the gaming industry. A gamer since he was a teen and already managing an online guild in World of Warcraft, Khaien wanted to know more.

In 2022, he signed up for a Game Academy bootcamp himself and was immediately enthralled to find he had first-hand access not just to gaming gurus but opportunities to gain real experience in relevant projects he could add to his CV.

Indeed, Khaien’s natural leadership instincts really kicked in during the bootcamp’s design, marketing and budgeting sessions while other classes opened his eyes to elements of the industry which he’d only had limited understanding of before.

But the end result was a more rounded knowledge and the confidence he needed to look for jobs and it was his successful interview with PTW which led to his current post as a LQA & QA Tester - based all the way across the Atlantic in Montreal, Canada. PTW is a leading service provider to the global games industry with over 40 studios worldwide, providing support across the entire development cycle from art production to player support. PTW Montreal has worked on titles of all genres and types, including blockbuster titles such as Baldur’s Gate III and Final Fantasy XVI. 

Khaien said: “For someone who doesn’t have hands-on experience, all of the bootcamp exercises led by developers were as close as I could get to hands-on experience myself. All of the people who get involved in this course have potential that they want to realise and the course definitely helps with it. During the interview process, I was really able to shine with the experience.”

Like to know more? You can read more about Khaien’s story HERE but why not have a look at the Game Academy Discord channel. You can also join the Game Academy community here.