{"id":3375,"date":"2024-03-01T20:04:38","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T20:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/machine-learning\/2024\/03\/01\/no-noobs-here-top-pro-gamers-bolster-software-quality-assurance-testing\/"},"modified":"2024-03-01T20:04:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T20:04:38","slug":"no-noobs-here-top-pro-gamers-bolster-software-quality-assurance-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/machine-learning\/2024\/03\/01\/no-noobs-here-top-pro-gamers-bolster-software-quality-assurance-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"No Noobs Here: Top Pro Gamers Bolster Software Quality Assurance Testing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For some NVIDIANs, it\u2019s always game day.<\/p>\n

Our Santa Clara-based software quality assurance team boasts some of the world\u2019s top gamers, whose search for bugs and errors is as strategic as their battle plans for toppling top-tier opponents in video games.<\/p>\n

Two team members of the QA team \u2014 friendly colleagues in the office but fierce rivals in the esports arena \u2014 recently competed against one another at the finals of the Guildhouse Fighters tournament, a local circuit in Northern California.<\/p>\n

Eduardo \u201cPR Balrog\u201d Perez-Frangie, a veteran Street Fighter<\/i> player, fought his way to the Grand Final to face Miky \u201cSamurai\u201d Chea.<\/p>\n

Perez-Frangie came out on top, but there was a twist: he\u2019d brought to the contest his two-year-old son, who fell asleep on his father\u2019s chest mid-match. \u201cI played the rest of the game with a deadweight in my lap,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Perez-Frangie and Chea play at work \u2014 guess who won? QA team members Alyssa Ruiz and DaJuan McDaniel cheer them on.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Competitive Spirit<\/b><\/h2>\n

Perez-Frangie has competed for 15 years in a series of fighting game titles, including Marvel vs. Capcom<\/i>, Killer Instinct<\/i> and Mortal Kombat<\/i>. He was part of the Evil Geniuses esports organization when he joined NVIDIA almost a decade ago but now plays without a sponsor so he can enjoy more family time.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s played against Chea in esports events for years, and they\u2019re just as competitive in the office as in the stadiums.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when we\u2019re in the test environment, when we\u2019re looking for bugs, we are competitive,\u201d Perez-Frangie said. \u201cBut Miky stays calm \u2014 he was a teacher, so he can put everyone in their place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chea\u2019s days teaching kindergarten through eighth grade in Fresno, California, are behind him, but the coaching aspect of his current gaming-related role reminds him of the classroom \u2014 a place to share insights and takeaways.<\/p>\n

As new games are released and older ones updated, \u201cthe hardware and software stack needs to work in harmony,\u201d Chea said. \u201cOur pro gaming team is the last line of defense to ensure our customers have the best gaming experience possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The QA team gathers to check out a new game.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

QA team member DaJuan \u201cShroomed\u201d McDaniel is a top-ranked Super Smash Bros. Melee<\/i> player whose signature characters are Sheik and Marth. He\u2019s also widely considered to be the best Dr. Mario<\/i> player of all time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a competitive gamer, visual fidelity is so important,\u201d McDaniel said. \u201cWe can see and feel visual anomalies, frame discrepancies, general latency and anything that\u2019s off in ways that others won\u2019t see.\u201d<\/p>\n

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McDaniel playing \u201cCyberpunk 2077.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Winning Formula<\/b><\/h2>\n

Alyssa Ruiz joined the QA team a year ago, initially testing drivers as part of the pro gaming team before switching to testing NVIDIA DLSS<\/a>, a suite of neural rendering techniques that use deep learning to improve image quality and performance.<\/p>\n

Introduced to gaming by her brothers through Halo 3<\/i>, she later dedicated hours to Fortnite<\/i> before deciding to stream the gameplay directly from her console. She posted the content to TikTok and began playing in online tournaments. By then, her game of choice was Riot Games\u2019 Valorant<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe game has a large female player base with visually appealing graphics and an engrossing storyline,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can be more complex than a fighting game because it relies on a combination of abilities with strategies. It\u2019s also a team game, so if someone isn\u2019t pulling their weight, it\u2019s a loss for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not unlike the team dynamic in the office.<\/p>\n

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Perez-Frangie, Ruiz, Chea and McDaniel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each member brings their own specialties to the testing environment, where they\u2019re using their keen eyes to scrutinize DLSS technologies.<\/p>\n

Their acute awareness of game latency and image fidelity \u2014 honed through hundreds of hours of gameplay \u2014 means the team can achieve better test coverage all around.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all very competitive, but there\u2019s a real diversity that contributes to a stronger team,\u201d Ruiz said. \u201cAnd we all get along really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about <\/i>NVIDIA life, culture and careers<\/i><\/a>.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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