Intern for a Day, Vol. 1: Harmonix Music Systems
"Can I get you a refill for your Goblet of Rock, Ms. McWilliams?"
8/8/2008 6:32 PM | 8 Comments | Page 3 of 7
Scott Jones
Status: Coffee makes me feel 4-percent sexier.
The Weely Room: Where so much magic happens on Fridays.
I ask Helen: Why Weely? "They used to be called 'Weekly Meetings,' " she explains. "But one time a memo went around with a typo on it. Ever since, we've called them 'Weelies.' "
11:01 a.m. As we tour the office, I hear it: off in the distance, the familiar, haunting tap, tap, tap-tap-tap of a Rock Band drum kit. And I hear the low, mournful moan of groups of people singing quietly into microphones. "We're getting close to the QA area," Helen whispers, as if we're coming upon a particularly rare breed of animal at a nature preserve.
And suddenly, there they are: a series of cubicles holding kids in their 20s (and some "kids" in their 30s) QA-ing (QA stands for Quality Assurance) upcoming Rock Band downloadable content.
They look like normal, nice kids … mostly. A few yawns here and there. But normal. Playing Rock Band eight to 10 hours a day isn't the picnic it sounds like. I spot some bloodshot eyes. I watch a guy, feet up on his desk, guitar across his lap, rip through what looks to be an almost disturbing amount of notes, hitting buttons, and shredding solos that I can only dream of doing.
One thing is clear from their banter: The last thing QA people want to do at the end of their workday is -- you guessed it -- play more Rock Band. "My friends will sometimes be like, 'Come on, man! Play with us! It'll be so fun!'" one of them says. "And I'm like, 'Alright, guys, I've got to be heading home. So long now! Bye!' "
The sad, stumpy little cacti of Harmonix. Does no one love thee, little cacti?
It also becomes clear why QA is positioned at the far end of the office. It seems that in addition to your downstairs neighbors, even Harmonix employees get tired of the off-key singing and the tap-tap-tappity-tap of the drums. "When they were testing 'Psycho Killer' was the absolute worst," Helen says. "You know the 'Oh-oh-OH-OHHHH-ya-ya-yaiiii' part? You could hear it everywhere you went in the office for days. It was awful."
I speak with Senior Tester Keith Smith, former singer of Anarchy Club, who's now in charge of the QA department. He recalls his job interview at Harmonix. "They asked me during the interview, 'Beatles or Stones?' "
"We ask everybody that," Helen says. "It helps us get a sense of where your music sensibilities are coming from."
