Developer Profile - Naseer Alkhouri

[Goodman]

Naseer Alkhouri

Hello Heroes.

It’s been a while since we last did a profile. Now the time has come for a new interview and this week I asked Naseer some questions. Have fun reading.

Who are you?
Hi, I’m Naseer Alkhouri

Where are you from?
I was born in Iraq, but for the last 20 years I’ve been a Swede.

What do you do on heroes?
I am the QA Engineer on the web and backend side of Battlefield Heroes. Basically I try to find as many bugs as possible before letting you guys help us find the rest. Currently I am working on features that you are going to absolutely love.

What’s your favourite Heroes aspect?
That it is one of the most genuinely fun online games I’ve played. I don’t mind getting pwned, killed and destroyed. The art direction, the sound effects and the game design just keeps me getting back for more.

What’s your favourite class and why?
Without a doubt the Soldier. I’ve always been a “healer” in my online games, and the added bonus here is that I am able to dash out some major damage as well. Me, Victory Village and Grenade Spam is a love affair.

What is the best thing about being a QA Engineer?
Within the gaming industry you find creative geniuses that are simply awe inspiring. I love working with people who are smarter than me. I learn new things basically every day and get pushed into expanding my limits.

How did you become a QA Engineer?
By coincidence. I was working as a support technician and finding that a bit unstimulating. Six years ago I found a QA opening in the mobile games industry and applied. Somehow I got the job and have been expanding my horizons within quality assurance since.

What other games have you worked on?
Probably none you’ve heard of. I have been involved in such mobile games as The Da Vinci Code 3D, Paparazzi Snapshot, Rally Pro Contest and about ten other games now lost to humanity.

What did you do before Dice?
As a contractor I move from assignment to assignment. Just before Dice I was sitting at Sony Ericsson with a couple of cool mobile phone projects.

What other games do you like?
I am a bit of a RPG and adventure games fan. Currently Fallout 3, Age of Conan and Peggle are spinning in my computer.

What is your all time favourite game?
Deus Ex. The best game ever created.

Any favorite bands or music in general?
I am a big fan of electronic music. I currently enjoy Ellen Allien, Röyksopp, Fever Ray and Crystal Castles.

What do you do in your spare time?
I do a lot of writing and reading. Play handball twice a week. Catch a tv-series or two and go to the movies when something interesting shows up. Nowadays we’re having sunny days in Stockholm, so I try to be outdoors as much as possible.

Your weirdest hobby?
I am a member of a beer appreciation society where we buy hideously expensive beer and drink it. Problem is I think most of the stuff tastes the same. Money down the drain…

And what is your Nerdiest apparel?
I have an Edge Magazine t-shirt with hand controller prints that is surprisingly comfortable and very nerdy.

If I could be a game character, I would be… ?
JC Denton. The king of cool.