Become A Game Tester

by Jon Esquire

The gaming industry is one of the most lucrative and most profitable markets in the world of technology.

It is the economic sector involved with the development, marketing and sale of video and computer games. It encompasses dozens of job disciplines and employs thousands of people worldwide.

Gaming companies eagerly seek people who will diligently test thoroughly new games while they are in the work in progress stage.

Video game testing is creative, sometimes analytical, and often times tedious work.

The testers job is to find bugs, localize them, be able to recreate them, and document them. This takes a lot of skill. Not everyone knows what is happening when something goes wrong. Saying, "I played the game and it crashed" is not enough.

Documenting bugs is very important. All test departments have a format of how to document their bugs. Some companies even have their own trainers and classes to educate testers to their process.

Usually one group of testers will work on the same game from the beginning of the QA process to the time the game ships (goes gold).

The best thing about game testing is finishing work on a game and seeing it on the shelf. Its a type of satisfaction that youre hard work is up on every Best Buy and Toys "R" Us out there.

It is also very common for game companies to pass out copies of the game that team members have worked on but this is more standard of the development team.

Video game testers make between $ 12 and $ 80 an hour depending on the size and budget of the game in development. The gaming industry is much like the movie industry you need to have your connections. Companies go through a separate channels in hiring these testers. There are certain websites that provide all the information to access many companies that are looking to hire video game testers.

To find out more information and how to get a video game tester job visit GameTesterGuide

My name is Jon Esquire, I am a video game tester and I want to share my knowledge with you.