A large majority of video game enthusiasts want two things: 1) to get their hands on the next potentially best game (or console) of the month, and 2) to experience the sweet success of being paid to test video games. With all the excitement of gaming consoles such as PS3, GameCube and Wii, it's no surprise that video game testing lures today's video game daydreamers. Here is a look at the various video game tester jobs out there.
Blogger Video Game Tester
People search the Web for information and reviews about the latest game releases, so some smart gamers are filling that demand by putting up their own Web sites and blogs to promote their reviews as they play.
Many reviews, Web sites and blogs include tips, screenshots and game accessory updates. By adding sponsored ads and other advertising banners, Blogger Video Game Testers create their own video game testing businesses that make money every day - just by playing games and telling others about them.
Freelance Video Game Tester
Some gamers have the experience, as well as the motivation, to help them take their game testing ambitions to the next level. These gamers actively seek out companies that produce games, and offer to test their upcoming releases for bugs, playability and other issues.
This type of work pays well and requires the video game tester to be able to communicate and write clearly. The tester must be able to communicate his/her thoughts regarding why a specific aspect of a game is good or bad.
Freelance video game testers are expected to play unreleased games and provide written feedback as instructed by the developer, and return the information within a specified time frame. However, they are also expected to keep their mouths shut. Confidentiality is one of the biggest concerns for video game makers. They must be sure the video game testers they hire are not only video game enthusiasts, but professionals who will not reveal any unreleased game information.
Full-Time Company Game Tester
This is the nirvana of video game testing. It is possible to be hired by large game developers for a full-time game testing position, but they are very difficult positions to get. They require a high level of communication and writing ability, plus plenty of experience and a variety of skills and attributes.
The job can offer high-paying, secure, full-time work doing what you enjoy most - gaming! On the other hand, you may spend 40 hours a week playing the same game over and over, and much of your time will be spent recording multiple reports on factors such as game strategies, functionality, maneuvering, errors and character design.
Many gamers build up the experience needed to get these types of positions by working as freelance video game testers until they've built up a solid resume of completed assignments. A bit of time spent sharpening up your writing skills, combined with your interest in gaming and a desire to share your knowledge with others can easily add up to a great job.
Comments
i think your absolutly correct
Posted on 2008-01-07 10:24:54 by Jeff Smith
the game industry is in high demand and there is much experience required that can be gained in freelance and other job opportunities i am offering a job for a high end position offering a salary of $35,000 please send me resumes and/or games designed and i will get backto you
re: Video Game Tester
Posted on 2008-01-09 01:57:40 by Hitoshi
Good info. I've suggested some of these ideas as a good way to get your feet wet in the industry in some of my own articles.
Jeff Smith
Posted on 2008-01-22 13:14:52 by Mr. Pink
Jeff,
I'm breaking in. Where can I send you a resume?
Career-Opportunities.net
Posted on 2008-01-25 09:40:52 by Alivia Hunter: Career-Opportunities.net
Career Opportunities is the place to start your career path but Career Opportunities does not offer career positions through or for Career Opportunities. The web site offers a unique and individual perspective at different careers, education and work place activities. Career Opportunity's hope is that you will receive excellent detailed career descriptions, references, how-to guides, interviews and articles that will help you in your current career or help prepare you for a new career.
FROM MY POINT OF VIEW
Posted on 2008-02-11 09:59:00 by justin holder
ok im a kid looking at this and i want to be a game devolper or a game tester so i play the xbox 360 and
the best game is Gears Of War it is absooultley amazing they need more games like that
Posted on 2008-02-11 15:21:29 by Alivia Hunter: Career-Opportunities.net
A Game Tester is someone who ensures a game has no or minimal errors
A Game Developer is someone who helps to develop a new video game (or new version) from scratch or from the first version.
Testers must carefully note any errors they uncover. Most Game testers get their start working for free in public or invitation only game testing. From there game testers build a solid reputation until they have established enough experience to be hired by a company needing game testers on a regular or temporary basis.
Both positions need education. A game tester does not need as much training as a game developer but they do need to know have an opinion or suggestion as to why a game error may have occurred. A game developer is a complex and detailed career. Those who would like to developer new or advance current video games need college education in game development.
Just Trying To Get My Foot In The Door
Posted on 2008-03-04 15:19:42 by Mike Dambach
I've been looking into game testing for some time now and have come up with nothing. I've been playing all my life and it seems to be a perfect fit for me. Is there anyone who could help me find a freelance tester job.
Thnx
need to get a job with game development or game testing
Posted on 2008-03-28 13:53:46 by kevin villeneuve
ive been playing games since i can remember and ive always wanted to get a job in the game industry. the only problem is i dont have the education that most jobs are asking for but i have tons of knowledge on different games and have even spent my free time trying to find glitches and little things that can be fixed with certain games. example in tom clancy's splinter cell they count hats as armour so even if you shoot them in the head while theyre wearing one it wont kill them. if theyre is any jobs that have to do with gaming id love to hear about it. i keep looking for jobs but its a little harder then i thought. i will hopefully be finishing my schooling as soon as i can so if you could get back to me id really appreciate it. thanks.
It's Frustrating
Posted on 2008-04-03 12:10:00 by Tania Pinto
video Games are the only thing that I'm good at and the only thing that I really like to do. I have been scearching for months to find a job,I know that it isn't very long, but everything I come up with is some sort of site that offers to "hook me up" with the video game industry but I have to pay them, I'm not going to do something like this and get ripped off I just want to do what I love and work from home. Why is it so hard to get in to this industry? I think I would have more luck becoming an actress lol.
Posted on 2008-04-16 14:42:04 by Lucas W
Nobody wants to hire any of you. It'd be too much of a hassle to filter through all of your broken english. Learn to string words together into sentences, then maybe you'll be taken seriously.
Twenty year old in between schools....looking for a freelance testing position.
Posted on 2008-04-21 19:40:32 by Jason
I am a twenty year old college student who is in between transitioning from schools right now. I have been playing games on consoles (on a daily basis)since the nintendo 64 and I have been playing PC games since my first computer, with internet in 1997. I have owned and played the original NES, SNES, Playstation 1 & 2, N64, xbox, and now the xbox 360. Currently, I have been playing the Xbox360 religiously since May 06' and I would love to get into game testing. If there are any developers out there looking for a freelance tester please contact me through xbox live, this site or my email. Also, If you would like to add/view my Gamer Card: Fatal Fury 87.In addition, I am a high school graduate and I have two years University education under my belt. Please contact me for additional information.
want to get a game testing job
Posted on 2008-05-15 00:05:18 by Derek
I have been searching for game testing jobs and all i find is the guides that dont really help alot. I need to get a part time job since im going to college for game art and design i thought i would get a game testing job also because its what i love and im very good at it. If anyone can help me get a game testing job for ps3 i would really be greatful. Please get ahold of me on my email adress at Lyonsd2008@hotmail.com
I love Video games, and am looking for a freelance testing job.
Posted on 2008-05-16 13:56:31 by Buddy Carlson
I absolutley love playing video games and I've always thought it would be the coolest thing to test games. I don't really have a lot of education in this field, although I am currently majoring in computer science. I have many consoles to(P.S.2, Xbox 360, nintendo wii,etc...)So I have a lot of experience playing many types of games. So if you could help me out and contact me with imformation about possible jobs that would be awesome
Posted on 2008-05-19 07:34:31 by Rikki
Hello my name is Rikki
i have been playing games sence i coould and have never found any thing more interesting. i wooould like to become a game tester. i have no problem with writing specific notes down about the games why its good why its bad and all the glitches i have foung i have not posted any videos of cheats/ and never will. i just want to do what i love most. so if any one would like to helpp me out i woould be very greatfull. if any one could give me some tips or would be willing to gave me a jobe my e-Mail is rikki.ewan@hotmail.com thanks and bye
One of the easiest jobs ever, yet one of the hardest to actually get into!!!
Posted on 2008-06-10 12:47:56 by Ren
You know, most middle aged adults think that if you just play video games all your life that you are just going to end up wasting your life away in front of the tele. Not many of them know that a career such as game testing even exists, or at least my mom and all af her friends don't. Now, I may only be 17 years old, but that doesnt mean that I don't have what it takes to go out into the world and do what I love to do and get paid fairly well for it. I mean seriously, what is it with parents and not understanding the entire background behind ALL of the video-gaming industry? Also, why is it that they think that just because somebody is still a teenager, that they can't get a good paying job and get far in it while they are still young? As most of you can probably tell, I've had my own struggles with my mom trying to explain to her that playing video games for the rest of my life can actually be a good thing. You can also probably tell by now that i have been playing video games for quite a while. Since I was three years old to be exact. It Started with the game boy pocket and went on from there. Oops. Got to go to class now. I'll continue later. Bye.
Freelance job for game testing
Posted on 2008-07-01 07:00:45 by Edward
any companies looking for testers?experienced in ps2,xbox,online games etc.contact me.thanks
Looking for employer in game industry
Posted on 2008-07-01 22:09:29 by Jesse Varela
Im currently enrolled in tallahassee community college and am looking for a part time job in the gaming industry. Im looking for these jobs in particular for experience because im currently studing for a degree in game development. I can be contacted at jessevarela117@yahoo.com I hope to hear back soon any postion is acceptable, thanks.
Game Testers Needed - TA-1 and TA-2 Positions - Redmond, WA
Posted on 2008-07-08 16:35:06 by Jacob Hazelquist
TA-1 and TA-2 Game Testers Needed!
Your Primary Responsibilities include:
* Executing test plans and test cases as directed.
* Detecting gaming anomalies and describing how they manifest themselves in the game environment.
* Detecting audio anomalies that are unique to the gaming console industry.
* Providing clear verbal and written communication of issues that are found.
* Following directions provided by Supervisors.
To be considered for this position you must:
* be passionate about playing video games
* be legally eligible to work for any employer in the US
* be living in the greater Seattle area
* be 18 years of age or older
* be willing to play video games for 8 hours a day and get PAID for it!
If that sounded like YOU, then read on to see if you can qualify to test these cool video games!
About Our Client:
The Software Giant, a well known Software Development Manufacturer, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, is committed to the long term mission of helping their customers realize their full potential. They are motivated and inspired every day by how their customers use their software to find creative solutions to business problems, develop breakthrough ideas and stay connected to what's most important to them.
This is an estimated 3-6 month contract position through Volt Technical Resources - a division of a Fortune 1000 publicly traded Staffing Industry Leader, which is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. We are among the largest IT staffing companies in the US for contract/temporary and direct hire placements and support most of the top rated IT companies in the Pacific Northwest.
Job Requirements for these TA-1 and TA-2 Game Testers include the following:
* 6+ months professional software testing experience
* Extensive game playing experience on the PC and/or console
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills
* Ability to work in a team environment
* Experience with game testing
* Enjoys all genre games
* Bonus Skill for us: You are a GAMER!
Please email your resume to Volt at: REDMONDGAMETEST@VOLT.COM and it will be expedited to the Recruiter assigned to this position, to readily discuss this job with you!
Please reference in the subject line: Game Testers Needed - TA-1 and TA-2 Positions
Our Recruiter will initiate a phone call to you and give you immediate consideration should your resume meet the job requirements. Please rest assured that if your resume matches what is reflected in this job posting, you should be receiving a phone call from a Volt Recruiter to discuss this position with you.
Volt has a talented and upbeat staffing team focused on the quality of your career.
Volt is a world leader in the staffing industry, boasting over 50 years of experience. We work with many of the Fortune 500 and 1000 companies to provide workforce solutions. We offer many direct hire full-time positions as well as many contract positions and offer our contractors competitive pay and benefits, as well as education programs and re-deployment assistance.
Volt Information Sciences, Inc. is our parent company and is a publicly owned corporation. Stock is traded over-the-counter and is quoted on the NYSE. To learn more about Volt Information Sciences, please visit: http://www.volt.com and to see more of our job postings, please visit: http://jobs.volt.com
Volt is an Equal Opportunity Employer and
is dedicated to fostering diversity in the workplace.
Current employee of a Game Testing company, looking for career opportunities
Posted on 2008-07-13 05:50:13 by Borconi Teofil
Greetings. My name is Borconi Teofil and I am currently working for a Romanian game testing company. While not a citizen of the United States, I have been looking for job opportunities abroad for quite some time and would be willing to apply for a job as a game tester in any area of the United States. I'm twenty years old, I possess an extensive experience in the gaming field, I have been working on important projects (such as Gothic 3 Add-on) as a full-time employee, and I have been perfecting my English knowledge for the last few years. If anyone could provide information on how I could start a career as a game tester in the US, it would be highly appreciated. I can be contacted on my e-mail adress: borconiteofil@yahoo.com.
Best regards,
Borconi Teofil,
Romania
Finding game testing jobs in the U.S.
Posted on 2008-07-14 13:34:40 by Administrator
Finding game testing opportunities in the U.S. can be a challenge if you live outside the country, but the Internet is the best way to connect to those employers you can't meet in person.
First, video game and game testing community sites like gametester.com offer resources and job directories for eager job hunters. A Web search for "video game tester" or "video game tester job" yields sites like this. (Watch out for sites that only promote two or three links - these are affiliate sites, and completely useless to most people.)
Next, the corporate Web sites of video game production companies like EA and Valve often have their own job boards, where users can create an account and add their resume to the company's databases. Keep in mind that competition will be extremely tough, and it may be months (or years!) before you hear anything. If you keep your information up to date and keep building your resume, you're doing the right thing.
Good communication skills are a huge asset; you'd be surprised how many resumes and cover letters sound completely un-edited. Just keep your search going, and good luck.
It is definatly not so good paid
Posted on 2008-08-14 17:54:03 by Anwii
I am working close to 2 years as gametester now, and i think i should write a little about it.
Payment:
First of all the amount of people who are willing to work in this industry is enormous. The demand always set the price, so in generale the most tester dont get much money. For a simple tester the range of payment i would guess gets paid around 5-10 € per hours before taxes (amounts are taken out of experiance and what i got told from other gametester).
And it should not be forgotten to mention that quite often the companies pay much less, for exsample closed betas, where your payment is pretty much that you can play the game before others XD
Dreamjob:
It can be pretty much fun sometimes but in general a paid gametester, has totally no influance in what he has to test. It pretty much means that you can be stuck for weeks with a boaring board game port or some kind of enchanced tamagochi, where you stroke and feed your virtuale loved one day by day. Even the fun games get boring after you played over and over again. So the most of my friends in the industry dont name it playing anymore just testing... you can imagine why. In my case i lost pretty much lost after a 8 hours or more working day to play private. What actually normally you cant effort, because you have to stay up to day, about what is possibly and in what game they handle certain sitation better.
Hours:
You pretty work like in all jobs in the new media long and you have to be actually quite a workoholic. Pretty easy to understand the most projects have certain deadlines, marketing is running, contracs have to be kept or a project has to be testet before a presantation. If you are lucky and you are freelancer and you can effort it finacially you can take one or 2 projects breaks inbetween what makes the job much easier. I have worked for companies which were testing 7 days per week.
Career:
Yes you can quite good make a career in this industry. You can specialize f. e. in guidlines every game has to forfill for sony, microsoft or nintendo. Also you can lead teams depends pretty much on the size of the company.
Also it is a good way to get your foot in the industry, it is possible to change deparments, if education and traing is given, f.e. to producing or productmanagment.
What you need:
Definitly a feeling for deatails. You should be also able to think yourself into other players and never run out of ideas what you can might try. Good language skills in your native language is definitly required, but depends on the focus of the departments.
How you work.
Sometimes form the beginnig of the game to the end where you take actually the game totally into pices, i have never met a game no matter how confident the programmers are or even already final games where wasnt a bug. I personally belive there is not such a thing as a bugfree game.
If you are working with a developer or testing form the beginning of the developing process it is pretty much testing milestone for milestone you ensure that the game is as good as possible, and that all exected functinallties are given. It is expected in some companies that you give also productive feedback.
How you get your food into the door:
There is alot of luck in it, you have to find a company who gives you a chance. This is definitly a growing industry, the most major cities have a few companies who are doing something in this eary. Some kind of developer or publisher you find always. The most people are just looking as first try directly to Blizzard or EA. But that is definitly the wrong step, Bilzzard f.e. is expacting already for a simple game-tester postion job expriance like the most major publisher do.
Sorry my mind just went blank by now if there is an open question, i will try to answer it. Good luck for those who decided after all to work as Gametester. At the end it is one of the best works i have been in and i have done really alot till yet.
I have done Pretty much everything till yet, online games, NDS, PS2, Xbox, Wii and PC. I have done both freelancer and employment.
I left an intressting link about this subject.