Rising Star – Dan Ahern, QA analyst at Mediatonic Games

Dan Ahern, QA analyst at Mediatonic Games, tells us all about his non-traditional route into the games industry, and encourages others to take the leap.

How did you break into games?

For years I’d been couch surfing, struggling to hold down work due to my difficult mental health, basically on the verge of homelessness at any given time. In between retail jobs, in the evenings, I’d be cobbling together my own games, soaking in knowledge on any game related discipline I could.

I was always too scared to actually apply for an industry role because I was looking at my friends and seeing all the wonderful things they were doing, but my mental health stopping me from seeing I was doing great stuff too. One day I was in a big “What’s the worst that could happen?” mood, so I applied for a QA technician role at a local studio, expecting nothing of it. Within the week I had an interview, and within two weeks I had a job offer!

What has been your proudest achievement so far?

As part of a program with Into Games I mentored a group of students, who were tasked with putting together a game pitch for a big industry client. They did such an amazing job, and a few months later one of the students reached out to let me know that helped them land a place on their ideal university course! I’m so proud of them, and the idea that I’ve helped them achieve that really makes this all worthwhile. I always remember that one when the self-doubt kicks in.

What has been your biggest challenge in your career to date?

The feeling of not being good enough. For months, I’d wake up each day convinced that suddenly everyone at work would realise I’m a fraud and I’d be fired and be back to square one. Nowadays that’s a rarer feeling, thankfully. I think a lot of people get this, and it stops a lot of people from making the leap into the industry, or putting themselves forward for things they want to do.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The best part of my job is the people I work with. Every day it feels like I’m spending time with my friends. It’s a real privilege to wake up every morning excited that you get to work with such a talented, wonderful bunch of people.

What’s your biggest ambition in games?

I want to make paths into the industry much more accessible and straightforward for everyone. Traditional routes have had their day, not everyone wants to or can afford to sink thousands into a degree. Industry entrance being gated behind formal education ties us up in a really nasty bout of privileged access that can exclude marginalized people, specifically people of colour, LGBTQIA+ people, and the working class.

Games are for everyone, so the industry should be too. We live in an age where practically any and all information is accessible with a quick search – I think routes for self-taught individuals need to be enhanced, better laid out, and offered more widely. Maybe companies could begin to foster free training programs that would allow people to apply for roles within?

What advice would you give to a person that wants to do your job?

Just go for it. You’ll have a million inner mechanisms telling you that you’ll get rejected, that they’ll laugh at you, or that you won’t be good enough. All of that is steeped in hypotheticals, under your own self scrutinizing lens – we are rarely kind to ourselves. If you’ve not applied, you’ve already not gotten the job. You might tell yourself you’re not ready, that your portfolio needs that one more perfect piece, or that you just need to learn this one technique. I learned hard and fast that if you wait until you feel ready, you’ll never be ready. Love yourself and be proactive in securing your future.