Major video game companies are always looking for people who can put in the time to test their games. The primary role of a playability tester is to try and discover all of the bugs in a particular game.
Although many people think that becoming a video game tester sounds like a lot of fun, it's actually hard work and is just like any other career choice.
A videogame tester is required to have good communication skills and the position is taken seriously. Average pay for entry level playability testers or "QAs" as they are called is around $9 - $15 an hour.
The difference is that you don't just get to sit around and play video games and report back on what you think, which is the common myth about this job. Instead, many times you are required to play a game that is only 50% developed, which means that the work is not always glamorous.
Video game testers typically work your usual 9 - 5, but in some cases when there is a major deadline will be asked to put in longer hours to get the job done. You also must be able to test many different types of genres of games. RPGs, first person shooters, sports games, you name it.
Learning how to become a video game tester is one thing, but fulfilling the tasks is another. Picture this, you are asked to test a new racing game, and are given a specific track to focus on. You will probably be asked to play that track to the point where it becomes monotonous. This involves hitting other cars, going in forward and reverse in different locations, bashing into walls, testing speeds and mainly events within the games response.
In the video game industry they refer to this as "trying to break a game". The sole purpose is to assume that there is a glitch somewhere and then try and decipher exactly where and what it is.
There is also data entry work involved. You will be asked to be as specific as possible at noting anything that could be problematic for future players. You must log in details, communicate with a higher-up and help them locate and fix the problem.
Although a lot of people can't imagine this as being fun, the truth is that the folks who are video game testers love what they do. They are prepared for this kind of work and get paid fairly handsomely for their efforts. The other perk is that no college experience is needed, you can typically get increased pay with the more experience that you have and it's a possible foot in the door scenario if you want to break in to the gaming industry.
Essentially, there are several key things that game companies look for before hiring playability testers. The of course want someone with a good work ethic and good communication skills, but they also are looking for someone who "knows the ropes". This means someone who has experience playing all sorts of video games, knows the ins and outs of different systems, and can predict the common bugs that come with certain gaming platforms ahead of time so that they can go and hunt them down.
Stop! don't waste your time playing games just for fun. Get paid to do it instead. Videogame testers make good money - here's how you can get involved.
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