How to Become a Video Game Tester

What We Have Covered in This Article

Last Updated on May 10, 2019 by Editor Futurescope

Do you know some people play games for a living? Do you want to make your financial dream come true by playing games? For these concerns and many more-the information in this post is all you need. You will realise there is a difference between playing games for entertainment, and there is game testing. The difference is the end purpose. And it makes all the difference. There are plenty of video game tester jobs if you take up playing of games as a career.

Here, I will tell you game testing as a way of earning a living. What is game testing all about? Who is a QA game tester? Does game testing pay? You are in the right place to gather all that information; in case you want to make money through testing of games.

What Is Game Testing?

Game testing is a quality assurance exercise for games. Game testing itself will require you to play the game. You will play a game to assess its quality. The sole aim of playing the game-is to root out anything unnecessary in the entire game.

Technically speaking, in every game, there is a combination of activities that allow the player to get diverse encounters and experiences. All games are sequential making a player anticipate for the next contact as he progresses in the game.  The developer can design a whole game without noticing the impact of different combinations of actions in the game to the players. It is for this reason the input of video game testersis required.

Video Game Tester Requirements To Succeed

Simply put, information is all you need to become a successful game tester. You must know how to Be a Game Tester? The following should be in your fingertips;

  • Fast thinker and ability to think outside the box. Game tester should be able to use a combination of creativity and innovation. With a rigid brain and reasoning, you will have a hard time in this field. To enjoy, and be productive in game testing, you must be flexible in how you think, perceive things, and bring out ideas.
  • Ability to add value to the whole game development process. The players must feel his input by interacting with the final product. A game tester should come up with better ways of presenting the game for the experience.
  • Ability to communicate. You should be in a position to deliver each problem spotted promptly, and have the patience to follow it up with the developer to ensure it is corrected
  • Detail oriented.  To make a difference, and an impact, you must be keen to minute details at all times. There is no room to generalize things. If you get bored when you focus on more information, then this job is out rightly not your thing.
  • Ability to work for long hours. Time is crucial.  Playing a game over and over should not be one of the things that bore you. You will be required to put a lot of hours to succeed here. If you lose concentration out of boredom, you need to look for things that will keep you remain productive and focused even after working for many hours. Putting in long working hours is one of the sure signs that you will succeed here.

The Downside of Being a Game Tester

The name- game tester is attractive and sounds like something one can try out, especially for the game fans. Now, you even know how to become a game tester. However, there are challenges of working as a game tester.

Game testing takes time and it’s monotonous. A game tester must test and report all the possible bugs in a single game. That implies you have to go through each game in details. That takes a long time and can be monotonous especially where there are repetitions.

From game tester experiences and comments, there is no specific time limit for a game. For a single game, you can be required to test hundreds of combinations which is tedious and to some extent impractical. For instance, in a single game, you can be needed to test over 100 combinations. Every unique combination will take time, and that means you will spend months on a single game.

You have limited chances of being assigned games you like to play. Apart from playing a game over and over again for each character combination, you have limited chances of being assigned a game you like. This makes your work even more difficult. It is tiring enough to watch your favourite match repeatedly even when you don’t want. It’s even more exhausting to watch a game you don’t like for hours with uncountable repeats.

Those two are the significant challenges of this job. If you can crack that, then you can make real money as a game tester. Many people are ripping so much from this area. They are even enjoying what they do every day. They work tirelessly, and without complaining.

Conclusion

With the above information, you at least know where you stand as far as game testing is concerned. If you want to become one, you now know where to start your video game tester career, and what it takes to succeed. All the best.

Editor Futurescope
Editor Futurescope

Founding writer of Futurescope. Nascent futures, foresight, future emerging technology, high-tech and amazing visions of the future change our world. The Future is closer than you think!

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