Expand mobile version menu

Information Technology

Video Game Tester

Real-Life Activities

Real-Life Math -- Solution

You are a video game tester keeping track of your points in a game called the Luck o' the Irish.

You need 200 points.

Total = (43 coins x 2 points each) + (10 shamrocks x 5 points each) + 6 + 7 + 8 - 10
Total = 86 + 50 + 6 + 7 + 8 - 10
Total = 136 + 6 + 7 + 8 - 10
Total = 142 + 7 + 8 - 10
Total = 149 + 8 - 10
Total = 157 - 10
Total = 147

You have 147 points. You need 200 points. You can't pass into the next level in the game.

Game testers don't just use math to track points, says Nathan Pinard. He's a quality assurance manager for a game company.

"We work a lot in Excel," he says. "I find that QA (quality assurance) work always revolves around Word, Outlook and Excel. "And [it's helpful] if you are able to maybe use macros or formulas to make a better test plan.

"Let's say you're working on an RPG (role-playing game) and you want to calculate how much experience you're getting per month. Stuff like that, you can't just count that in your head. You're going to need some mathematical skills to follow that."