Everyone thinks getting a job testing video games would be nothing more than an cumbesome afternoon with an Xbox 360 or PS3. It can actually be a very difficult job. First of all, you have no choice in what game you’ll be playing (so you better hope you don’t get stuck with a bs Wii game). Second, you are given only a little amount of time to complete the game, find all the hidden areas and glitches, and write a review on the game.
This review isn’t going to be a couple of paragraphs though, it’s going to be a few pages long. And lastly, you might think of the average video game tester as some college student playing in an awesome room with an HD flat screen TV. But, the reality of it is that most video game testers are either overweight or couch potatoes. Their teeth will be rotted because of all the soda and candy they consume while sitting on their butts all day playing these games. You’ll start off making about $30k to (maybe) $40k, so it isn’t that great of pay, but hey, that’s $30K a year for playing video games.
But many known designers, programmers, etc, in the industry actually started as a video game tester before getting the position that they have today. So it’s also an excellent way for people to get their foot in the door for those interested in becoming a game designer, programmer, etc. Contacts are everything, so meeting the right people is very important, thus becoming a video game tester being a great way to do that.
But the good thing about video game testing is that if your a dedicated gamer, you’ll love your job. Its basically playing games all day, beating the glitches, hacks, and finding all of the hidden areas, and taking notes on it. In the end you’ll write a review on it and submit it to the company. I’m not exactly sure if you keep the game or not though,
Well there you go! That’s a basic understanding of being a video game tester. It is a decent job, but keep an open mind!
