Becoming a career pro video game tester is an amazing rewarding job. The majority of gamers would jump at the opportunity to get paid and even earn a full-time living by playing video games sitting at home in their underwear…lol.
It’s disappointing to know that most all gamers feel that becoming a video game tester is beyond them and that the job is only for a selected lucky ones. The fact is that anybody with the passion to get paid to play video games with the right experience, knowledge, and guiding can do just that.
Here are some tips to help you in your goal to become a game tester.
Tip 1: Be Proactive and Find Jobs Available, Don’t Sit Around Waiting For a Dream Job to Land in Your Lap!
Game tester jobs are not going to be listed in your local newspaper or in the menus or sites for your favorite video games. You need to track down these well earning jobs and stay proactive and don’t stop until you succeed in finding job offers, they are out there you just need to know how to find them.
You want to find game developers that could range from up-and-coming-ones and major developers too. No matter what level you are at now just present yourself and experience and case. Starting with a new video game developing company could help to get your feet wet and give your more experience for when you are pursuing the bigger jobs if that’s of interest, the bigger the corporation the more red-tape, and more inter-company politics, but usually about twice the pay or more.
You will get rejection allot, especially from the major game developing companies because they can be very picky with who tests their games, you need to be continually increases your gaming experience, skills, and knowledge across the entire industry, not just the games you like to play. Let companies know with confidence the gaming accomplishments you have achieved, big and small, plus let them know what consoles you have, any websites you own or help maintain, and communities/groups/forums you participate in. The more you know and have done and do in the video game industry the better chances you have of separating yourself from the rest of the wannabe gamers out there and get the job over them.
Tip 2: Take Gaming Seriously! It’s a Well-paying Real Career to be Proud of, not a hobby!
Game testing is not all fun and games all the time. It can be fun and you do “play” the games, but when landing a game testing position you most likely will not be playing your favorite video games, and you will have to take the job very seriously and professionally and you will have a number of tests and sequences to perform with the game to test it while playing, so you are looking for errors, bugs, glitches, and many other factors including game play and fun factors.
Tip 3: Understand What Your Game Testers Do
The main rule for being a game tester is that they test games, not play them, otherwise they would be called game players, the players are the consumer who sits at home and plays the game and relaxes. But a game tester is testing the game and has to fill out questioners and has to file detailed reports of every bug, glitch or error detailing what happened exactly when and what you did to cause the error/glitch. So it’s not brain surgery but it’s still work, but that doesn’t mean work can’t be fun too, but just know that it’s serious business and you need to take it seriously and professionally if you want to succeed as a video game tester. ill just relax and play the game at a leisurely pace. Admittedly, the work isn’t back breaking, but it is work nonetheless.
Tip 4: Grow Your Contacts List.
You don’t need a contact list to be a game tester but it can be very helpful and make things easier in your career.
You will need to reach out to people and make contacts throughout the gaming industry. Look to make contact with other game testers, programmers, artists, developers, graphics, tech., audio, marketing, etc. Having these types of contacts can help you to know when job opportunities are available, new games being developed, and other good information to help get you a job.
Tip 5: Never Surrender, Never Give Up!
If you want to be a game tester bad enough, you will never give up until you succeed as one. When first applying for game testing positions you will run into rejection and it may takes weeks or months before getting your first project to work on. So continue to increase your experience in gaming, your participation, you knowledge, and your personal and professional development and don’t give up and give all you have each day until you reach your goal. If you don’t believe you can do it, you can’t! So be positive, believe in yourself and you can do it!
Good Luck In Finding Your First Game Tester Gig!
Kyle
GameTesterJobsInfo.com