Taken from Johnny Byrnes 'blarg':

"Tools Programmer Johnny Byrnes discusses how even just a huge fanboy can gettheir start at Insomniac.

I feel like I'm at a 12-step meeting and it's now my turn to confess my addiction to the group. You see, I have a deep dark secret working here at an Insomniac which I have had varying degrees of success hiding from my coworkers. But now, it appears, it's time for me to share, openly. So here it is:.....I...am...a Ratchet and Clank fanboy. It's true. I strut around the office like it's no big deal, while secretly stifling my desire to point and say "HOLY CRAP! IT'S TED PRICE!!" or hug the big Ratchet statue by our lobby (I'm not saying I've never done this...*looks around*). Here's a little background info on my story, and how I, as a Ratchet fanboy, made it "inside".

I vividly remember sitting on a couch in Orlando, Florida playing the first Ratchet and Clank game. I couldn't find a single fault in the game. I loved the environments, the characters, the animation, the sound, the varied gameplay...everything! Insomniac had taken platforming, and shoved an M-80 up its virtual rectum. I had always thought about working in video games, and if there was ever a company I'd like to work for, it was *now* Insomniac. Orlando, at the time, was unfortunately home to the makers of such virtual frat boy gaming delights as Madden and NASCAR, so I decided to pack up my world and move it out to Los Angeles to pursue "the dream".

After moving, and shortly after playing Going Commando and unlocking the Insomniac museum and every bonus video and mini-game available, in January of 2004, I just so happened to check the Insomniac website the very day they were hiring testers for the next Ratchet title. Fate, I tell you, had a hand this day! I had years of web application programming for financial institutions, and now I was about to apply to the lowest job on the totem pole, just to get my foot in the video game world's door. But everyone says if you want to break into video games, the best way is via the QA department, so I had to take the plunge.

Going to the Insomniac office in Burbank for the first time, was surreal. I was standing in a fishbowl lobby, wearing khakis and a tie (still not sure if that helped or hurt my chances), surrounded by other guys who were talking about their previous tester jobs at other local game companies. At that point I was actually nervous that I'd be screwed by not having any previous testing experience. But, I guess my enthusiasm showed in the interview, and they hired me shortly after. Still not sure if gushing over the fact that I was literally walking through the Insomniac Museum (based off of Insomniac's offices) was a good thing or not, either.

My first day was nuts. Luckily at that point I hadn't been misled by commercials showing two guys sitting in easy chairs "tightening up the graphics", but I still had no idea what to expect from a job in video games. As I was led to my desk area, I bumped into Ted (Mr. Price, if you're nasty). I think I shat myself at that moment stumbling to even pronounce my own name. Seemed like a pretty down-to-earth guy though. Thank god I knew what he and many other employees looked like after unlocking the Behind the Scenes video in Going Commando, otherwise I wouldn't have known him from the janitor. "And mom said I'd never learn anything from these games."

Finally, sitting down, and picking up a game controller instead of a pen or a keyboard, I was asked if I understood the Ratchet control scheme. "Vividly", I assured my new boss, "just show me where to go and I'll start blasting." Powering up the level from what he called a "debug menu", I was placed in a snowy ice level controlling an odd looking robot creature that looked a bit like Clank, but definitely was not. Though a little confused that I wasn't controlling Ratchet, I was still incredibly excited. That is, until I saw an enemy that looked just like me run up and shockblast me in the face. I'd never seen a Ratchet enemy run up so randomly and attack me with what appeared to be my own weapon. Then I realized, I had just been shot by one of the other testers and I was now playing the first build of Up Your Arsenal's Multiplayer game, and a fresh change of shorts was now clearly in order.

That's when it sunk in. I have the coolest job in the world at the coolest company in the world, for me anyway. After I shook off the glow, it was back to my top priority; trying to make this temporary tester job a fulltime gig. I've since moved on to other roles, and have learned a great deal about how video games are made. And most importantly, I continue to enjoy every day I come to work. So there you have it...confessions of a Ratchet fanboy from the inside...now please don't tell my coworkers, otherwise they might move the Ratchet statue. :P"

Great story. Thought I'd post it here for all of you to see!