With a background in game testing, academic research, teaching, and podcast production, Justin Zarian brings a blend of technical precision and storytelling insight to every project he undertakes. Justin Zarian’s work reflects a commitment to quality, critical thinking, and collaborative creativity across digital and traditional media.
Justin Zarian works in video game quality assurance, where he has developed deep expertise in functional testing across major gaming platforms. His work emphasizes gameplay stability, usability, and systematic bug reporting, with a reputation for attention to detail and adaptability. Throughout his career, he has contributed to several high-profile, award-winning titles, supporting development teams through disciplined testing processes and clear communication.
Mr. Zarian has also been involved in podcasting and online media for many years, particularly through a Texas-based podcasting network where he served as a host, editor, producer, and site administrator. He created and led multiple long-running shows, overseeing every aspect from concept development and recording to post-production and distribution.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My typical day involves work, taking care of my grandmother (when I’m able to visit her), and working on improving myself. Even when I’m working from home, I strive to find ways to make it more productive by finding things that can be done in the background – particularly making sure that I keep my home orderly and clean.
How do you bring ideas to life?
The best way I have brought my ideas to life is through writing. I don’t do it as much as I would like to, given I tend to write in bursts of inspiration, but I enjoy writing (scripts, traditional narrative, etc),as a way to put ideas out there. It’s a way to help nurture my creativity.
What’s one trend that excites you?
A trend that excites me is the growing interest in single player video games. While multiplayer is still a dominant force in the industry, the oversaturation of it and the aggressive monetization has caused a decline in enthusiasm from gamers towards the hobby overall. There has been a growing demand to make the experiences more unique, more memorable, and more finite. Seeing the success of something like “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” gives me hope that there is still a desire to see games that don’t endlessly monetize with little reward.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
A habit that keeps me productive is prayer. Prayer is a great way for me to motivate myself to be productive. It helps keep me focused on accountability and to look into myself to see what more I can do.
What advice would you give your younger self?
The advice I would give to my younger self is to not waste time and stay diligent in accomplishing my most important goals. I was too focused on not rushing headlong into things that I didn’t focus on accomplishing more sooner.
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I believe The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true restored church on Earth. I am not the best at following everything, but I know where my foundations lie for my testimony.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
One thing I repeatedly do is find times to decompress when things are stressful. Gaming, movies, writing, music, etc. Finding the right time to vent and relax is healthy.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I usually take a step back, pray, take deep breaths to calm my thoughts, and then focus on doing something more active to distract myself.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
One strategy that has helped me in my career is staying driven and actively engaged in my work. With all my education and experience under my belt, nothing helps ensure job security more than being proactive and diligent in whatever task I am assigned to. It shows strength of character, helps me continue to develop my skills, and reassures leadership that I am committed to being a great employee.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
The biggest lesson I have learned is how one’s emotional and mental well-being can have a direct impact on their work. Whether from the hardships I’ve faced or bad habits I’ve neglected to address, these issues will certainly cause problems if left unresolved. To overcome this, I have worked on my self-care a lot more, through therapy, finding new work, working on personal accountability, etc. I had to make difficult but necessary changes in my life.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
One piece of software I use a lot is Telegram. It has been a super useful tool when it comes to keeping in touch with the family. It helps me to make sure I keep track of things that truly matter.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
The best $100 I’ve spent recently was for my Costco membership renewal (it was a bit more than $100, but close enough). It may seem like a silly thing, but Costco has been a huge help for shopping when it comes to bigger or more unique items for my house.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
A podcast I have gained a lot of value from is oneofus.net. For many years, I worked on it as a volunteer to record, edit, and promote shows and episodes. I made many connections on the podcast, learned a lot of technical skills, improved my speaking and analytical skills, and found a great outlet for my passions in media.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Recently, I have been a huge fan of the show Invincible. While superhero fatigue is a thing, seeing how great an animated superhero show can be in the face of middling content like The Boys really shows what the genre can inspire to even in a creative slump. Not only have they had top notch talent working on it, but the comic’s original author Robert Kirkman has been so directly involved to ensure that the spirit of the original story is preserved even with the changes made. It’s basically a rewrite of the original but done in such a way that it elevates it rather than betrays it.
Key learnings
- Even if one does not have faith, faith-based techniques can be good for practical purposes as much as spiritual.
- Be passionate and involved in the things you love.
- Be accountable when making mistakes.
- Be diligent in whatever you do.
- Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed over things you are passionate about.