So You Want To Be A Video Game Tester

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Game Testers Wanted
How would you like to get paid up to $120 per hour doing what you like to do: Playing Video Games. O.K. I got your attention and you're probably asking yourself two questions. Why would someone be willing to pay me up to $120 per hour doing what I love to do; Playing Video Games. The second question you are asking yourself is, who in their right mind would pay someone so much money just to play video games?

Beta Testers Wanted
The answers to both of your questions are, the game company manufacturers such as EA, Konami, Atari, and Capcom to name a few. Before releasing a new video game to John Q. Public, they want to make sure their game is playable, enjoyable and bug free, so they hire people called "Beta Testers" to play their pre-release games to answer those questions. Why can't they do that themselves? Having just a few employees to play the untested video games is not a true test. Hundreds of people are needed so the video game manufacturers have a truer cross section of the video game playing populace. In this way, not only do they get a more realistic sampling of video game players likes and dislikes of their game. They also have many more chances of someone finding a glitch or a bug in the game before it is released to the video game buying public.

Benefits of a Beta Tester
Here is a list of some of the benefits you would get as a beta tester: playing video games, playing video games for money, you get to keep free copies of the unreleased games you're getting paid to play, you get access to all of the level secrets and cheat codes, plus more added benefits depending on the company.

What are the Requirements of a Game Tester?
The only requirements needed to be a beta tester are having the Gaming System necessary to play the manufacturers video game. You can't very well beta test a game for a company that makes Gamecube games if you own a Playstation. Besides having the correct game system, you will also need good communication skills so you can convey to the companies your opinions on the game. You will also need to submit a report on your findings and what bugs/glitches you found. Lastly, you will need the time necessary to test the video games.

How do I Get a Job as a Game Tester?
Like so many other job positions that are filled each and every day. Sadly, that old cliche ("It's not what you know, but who you know") holds true in this case as well. Unless you know someone who works for a a video game developer then it's time to let your keyboard do the walking. Start by typing in "Video Game Developer" in your favorite search engine. You will be amazed on the amount of companies that will appear in your search results. Next, you will need to visit all of their websites and look for job postings for video game testers.

A New Game Tester is Born, Now What?
Once you sign on with a company as their game tester, they will send you the beta version of the game to be tested along with the information that they require from you in your test results. More often than not, they are going to want to know what you liked about the game, what you didn't like about it, the game difficulty, what bugs and or crashes you found and whether the instructions were understandable. Just make sure that you understand what information the company wants as a result of your testing. You will be paid after the company gets your report. A benefit you get for being a game tester is you get to keep the game that you tested plus cheat codes and secret levels information.

Changing Times
I've noticed a growing trend of video game developer companies, especially the Japanese companies, putting their untested newly released games online for the public to play. They are letting the gamers play for free as unpaid beta testers. It can get frustrating at times dealing with all the bugs. A lot of the players don't realize that they are being used as beta testers. They think that they lucked out and found this great free game. They play for days or even weeks building there characters up and "CRASH", they've just lost their level 99 barbarian for good. "Wars Hell!" That's the life of a game tester so "Game On!"
So, if you're interested in earning up to $120 an hour beta testing unreleased video games and you would like to learn more, then visit the link below.

http://www.moviesmusicgamesandmore.com/Recommends/GameTesters

I live in Largo, Florida where I work for the states largest Power Company. I currently have two websites, one being http://www.moviesmusicgamesandmore.com/ and I also have a Squidoo lens: http://www.squidoo.com/game-download-sites-review I also enjoy writing articles on different subjects.

 

 

Author: By Neil Gerstein
Source: EzineArticles.com