Do you like playing video games? Think about getting paid just for playing video games and bringing up what you find there. If you want to have such a great career, you should know how to become a video game tester; this should be your first step. Thousands of people around the world have the dream career of testing video games every day, and if you follow these steps, you too could be one of the lucky ones! Let’s see how to become a video game tester.
Video Game Tester Jobs
Video games have only been around for a few decades, but the need for quality control of products goes back much further. Video game testers continuously test prototypes or products before they are offered for public sale. They look for defects and suggest improvements to the products they test.
Video game testers are quality control personnel who are particularly concerned with testing games to check for programming glitches and errors, such as non-functioning visual effects, program errors or faulty applications.
Game testers play the same levels of a video game several times without interruption and ensure that the game works as intended. They may also test out in-game extras, such as diablo 2 runes, to make sure that they work and deliver the enhancements they claim.
Job Openings for Game Tester
Video game testers usually work for a video game development studio. These studios may be owned by leading game publishers such as Sony, EA (Electronic Arts), or Nintendo, or by independent game publishers.
The working environment for game testers varies depending on their workplace and the number of hours they have to test continuously. Many video game testers work on a contract or part-time basis. However, full-time employment of video game testers is not unusual, especially for those with some experience in the sector.
According to reports from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for full-time video game testers is about $50,000 per year. However, most testing careers at the grassroots level pay less than that.
Big cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, or New York are usually the best places to get a job as a video game tester. The demand for video game testers is based on the well being of the gaming sector around the world. According to a 2011 Gartner study, the gaming sector is in a tremendous development phase and is expected to more than double between 2010 and 2015. This is a good forecast for those who want to set out as video game testers.
How to Become a Videogame Tester
Gain Experience
Get familiar with game PCs and the famous game console technology. Video game testers play games on many different platforms and may need to install or uninstall software or hardware as they work. Game developers believe that computer skills are an absolute must for video game testers.
Play as many video games as possible. Read magazines related to games; learn about the genres and terminology. Most of the time, players stick to one or two genres of games – but you can’t choose what kind of games you test, so you need to be familiar with different genres.
Volunteer to participate in public beta testing of video games. Quality assurance testers must be detailed and thorough; show your skills for testing games by doing an amazing job of beta testing. Make detailed notes when you find bugs or glitches; replay all cases that lead to erroneous results over and over again, and provide detailed feedback on each bug you witness.
Gain Technical Knowledge
Know how to write a bug report. Explore sample bug reports on the web and practice writing your own reports that cover the three important elements of a bug report: what you encountered, what you expected, and the exact steps to fix the bug. Learning how to write a bug report is a great advantage when it’s time to apply for video game testing positions.
Practice strong written and oral skills. Video game testers’ bug reports must convey the problems of the game so clearly that no questions need to be asked about the impact of the bug.
Gain Contacts
Start your own gaming blog. The president of the game marketing company Off Base Production, Gregg Off, suggests that people who want to enter the gaming sector should create their own blogs about games. An added benefit to the resume of a would-be video game tester is that a blog shows that you are committed to video games – and it can even serve as a platform to help build a network of people in the gaming industry.
Connect to a game-oriented social network and make new friends. According to a recent CNN article, only 20 percent of job opportunities are advertised – the rest are filled by people who already know people in the industry.
Take part in game review or game art competitions. Receiving an award in either type of competition is a great way to get the attention of game development studios.
Obtain a College Degree
Experts strongly recommend obtaining a university degree before applying for a video game testing job. Communication, game design, and computer science are all subjects that would be suitable for a job in game development.
Put Yourself Out There
Apply for an internship with a game development company. Lauren Svenson at EA Games encourages anyone who dreams of becoming a video game tester to look for internships. Create a resume that highlights your beta testing experience, education, and communication skills. Attach a letter of application in which you express your keen interest in working as a video game tester and mention any activities that demonstrate your commitment to testing and game development.
Send your resume by e-mail to all game companies in your area. When it comes to the video game tester job, you can’t test video games from home – so if there is no such company within driving distance, you may have to move.
To become a video game tester, you need to be proactive and committed to your job (and games). While these jobs are highly profitable and fun, they are in demand and extremely competitive.
