Have you heard of the new adage “All play while at work makes Jack a great guy” – Confused! This is so because you might not have yet heard of a freelance occupation that allows you to play online games or games on consoles to test them. Yes, the occupation is one of a Video Game Tester. Imagine being allowed to test new games, often the full versions, and be paid for it. The requirements of a video games tester job will be to have a lot of experience in the gaming field and will need to you to play new games, usually the beta version or the pre release games to check it for bugs or glitches. Interesting, is it not? Let us now learn about how to become a game tester. To become a game tester, one needs to have lot of gaming experience and also good communication skills. One thing that you need to remember is that becoming a video game tester is not an easy task. One way to go is to try and check through your contacts to see if there is anyone in gaming field into programming who can help you out. Otherwise, you will have to look out for opportunities on the internet. You can even post profiles on various sites where companies will look out for people to become video game tester. This profile should contain whatever relevant experience and aptitude you possess to qualify as a good video game tester and should be regularly updated to add in every new achievement. Alternatively, you can also get a membership to a site such as Gamer Testing Ground that has been making its presence felt ever since it was started in 2004. According to various Gamer testing ground reviews, this site has been providing efficient guidelines to its members through a methodical step-by-step guide to help them become thoroughly equipped to qualify as a video game tester and improve their chances of getting good opportunities to become a game tester. But, is the role of a video game tester a lucrative option? It is quite difficult for a person without much experience to earn a handsome sum but people with experience can earn a handful and convert this mode of work (or should we say play) to become a full fledged job. Although many people take up this as a part time option, some even end up working full time. A video game tester salary can range anywhere from $6/ hour to about $80/ hour. Now, let us look at the downside to being a video game tester. First and foremost, it is quite difficult for a novice with no experience to land up with jobs in this field. Many people therefore might opt to just take up whatever lands in their plate and then try to grow from there. But, once they get the necessary experience they can be selective about the kind of testing jobs they take up and choose only the ones they enjoy playing. Although it is quite common to think that people will enjoy playing new and unreleased games, it is actually quite difficult to do so as they not only have to play the game, they should be on the lookout for bugs and glitches in the game. For this reason, they might need to play a particular level over and over again which might not be very exciting. But, gaming is not for everyone and there is a special class of people who are total addicts and do not mind playing a game over and over again. Also, the role of a video game tester needs you to be very patient and pay thorough attention to detail. All in all, taking up video game tester jobs is an attractive option that one can look out for as a good freelance option and can even be turned into a full time job if you have the flair and the aptitude to go the entire way.
Posts Tagged ‘Game Tester Jobs’
Video Game Tester Jobs – Are They For Real or is it a Figment of Fantasy
January 17th, 2010Video Game Tester Jobs ? Get Into the Games Industry by Becoming a Beta Game Tester First
January 14th, 2010Behind every game is a tester. You can make use of all those hours spent in front of the screen and convert it into cash by getting a video game tester job. This way, you get to amuse yourself all while fattening your wallet. Video game tester jobs are available with many gaming industry giants such as Sony and Microsoft. Even smaller game companies often hire freelancer beta game tester to play test their games. Some are conducted in a full time basis while others may experiment on different people and make the testing job a one-time contract. Upon signing an agreement for the job, you become an important voice representing a bigger market to the development and appeal of both active and potential gamers. Every video game tester faces the challenge of identifying the capabilities and shortcoming of the video game as well as the bugs that need to be ironed out, thus maintaining communication between developers and quality assurance team. However, too much criticism is definitely a pitfall. Designers value a tester’s opinion but do not necessarily make minor or major changes basing from a single person’s suggestion. Crossing boundaries of your job might be a tad to much as other departments are also created for different functionalities. Working as a video game tester can also inspire creative juices. Who knows? You might get to design the next big thing in the world of gaming. Many people often use the video game tester position to get into the video gaming industry. From there, if they have the talent, they can progress to become game designers, animation specialists, level game designers, video game programmers and even to video game producer. Imagination and creativity are the investments of good game designs. As a video game tester, you get to develop and practice that a lot. Stepping into this cyber domain can be the start of further gaming advancement for you.
Be a Video Game Tester
January 8th, 2010You can use your video game skills to position yourself for success when you start out as a video game tester. Beginning a career in the video game industry is as easy as knowing how to play video games. Being willing to endure the process it takes to test these video games is also key in positioning yourself in such a successful industry as the video game industry. Almost, every successful position in the video game industry includes some video testing experience. You will also find that the more experience you have in video game testing the more you position yourself for success.
People choosing a career in the video game field most likely start out as video game testers. The video game testers are giving new games that are almost completed and need testing to identify flaws in the different versions of the games that will be available for sale. Not only do video game testers play the games they also have to record what they find. For example, a video game tester may find a bug on a certain level of the game, to describe the bug may take more than just a few words. A video game tester must examine in full all the issue any certain game may have. Since so many gaming companies and consoles exist there are numerous game tester jobs open. Video game testers may be required to play the same game over and over, including certain sequences in the game just to get to a certain spot. This can help fix flaws in a video game. All of this testing is important in being able to position yourself to learn all you can to move forward in the video game industry.
The higher you climb the ladder as a tester the better chances of getting deeper into the gaming industry there are. Starting out as a video game tester will allow you to position yourself with experience and position yourself to learn from the best in the industry. As a video game tester there are many possibilities for you those that have had at least 3 years experience earn over $25,000 per year for those with over 6 years experience they can earn over $43,000 per year. When you include your video game testing experience with the right college degree, you can position yourself in testing management which has unlimited potential.
Of course depending on your goals you can position yourself for other major professions in the video game industry including programming, developing, designing, art, and producing. Learning to become a video game tester will greatly help you career in the future. Starting on your way to success may be just as easy as having your skills in playing video games and a little patience when you position yourself as a video game tester in the video game industry.
