Quira Darling, senior QA game tester for EA Sports at the Tampa Bay Urban Futures Comic Con. Photo courtesy of Darling
Jaquira “Quira” Darling was working a regular job when an opportunity finally made her dreams become reality. For Darling, it was the result of years spent staying ready when nothing was guaranteed.
Darling, a University of Central Florida graduate with a degree in video game development, now works as a game tester at EA Sports on Madden NFL and college football titles. Darling splits her weeks between Orlando and St. Petersburg for hybrid work, maintaining a positive mindset and outlook regarding her journey to success. “It’s been amazing,” she said. “I’m just happy to be here.”
That happiness comes from knowing exactly what it took to get in the door. “Most people wouldn’t know from looking at me,” she said. “They didn’t see what built up to that moment for me.”
Long before EA Sports, Darling was building her foundation through art. “As a kid growing up, I was always into arts in various expressions,” she said. “I’ve always done character art, especially in the style of anime.” The possibility of turning that creativity into a career showed up in middle school through a Career Discovery class, where game development first felt like a real option.
When it came time to choose her college path, she discovered a new game development program at UCF and followed the opening. “That’s how the stars kind of aligned on my journey,” she said.
Graduating in 2019, Darling watched the industry freeze during COVID-19. “The pandemic kind of put things at a standstill for the hiring process, especially for newcomers like me,” she said. Back in St. Pete she tutored The First Tee of St. Petersburg students and helped run their eBay store while staying active in gaming through game jams and local events.
“I used that to help build up my portfolio, to help network and meet different people,” she said. “A big part of getting where I’m at now really had to do with resources and also just networking in general. Network, that was definitely the biggest thing.”
Even after graduation, she felt the pressure of a gap. “I didn’t want to be that person with a big gap in my resume,” she said. Still, she kept showing up. “Even though a lot of times I didn’t feel like it, I still showed up to the networking events.”
That consistency mattered – because relationships became a turning point. A close friend from UCF, also a Black woman in gaming, alerted her to opportunities and encouraged her to put herself in front of the right people. When the EA opening came, Darling was more than prepared. “On my computer, I had resumes for like five, six different roles,” she said. “Stay ready.”
Now she is living inside the industry she once only imagined from the outside, testing some of the biggest titles in sports gaming. On her team, Darling is the only woman and the only Black tester, a reality she carries with pride and awareness. She says the environment has been supportive, not dismissive, and she credits leadership that recognizes people as more than output.
Today, Darling is contributing to games that millions of people will play. Her story is a reminder that breaking in is rarely about one perfect moment but about showing up, building what you can, staying connected, and being ready when the right door finally opens.
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More Photos
Quira Darling (second right) was the guest judge at the Tampa Bay Urban Futures Comic Con hosted by Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project, pictured here with winning cosplayers. Photo courtesy of Darling.
Quira, a lover of cosplay, gets to show up without shrinking. “It’s something about cosplay where I can just go all out and really be anything that I want,” she said, describing how transforming into a character helps her explore sides of herself she does not always show day to day. Photo courtesy of Darling
