Is Video Game Testing Right for You?

If you took a survey of teenagers and twenty-somethings and asked them what their ideal career would be, I guarantee one of the things you’d find at the top of the list would be “game testing”. This is a career field that has a glamor about it that makes people everywhere think “I want to get paid to play video games!” But, in reality, game testing is a job like any other and it has both its ups and its downs. So, if you are seriously considering a career in this field, keep reading because it is important to know exactly what you might be getting into.

Testing and Recording

The actual job requirements vary depending on the type of game you are testing and the testing phase in which you are hired. But, for the most part, your job will consist of taking a build of the game, following a very detailed Test case checklist and checking for specific bugs in menus and levels of the game.

That does not mean you will be able to play through the entire game pre-release. In fact, most of the time, you will work on a game before it is ready for release and is only a handful of levels. In some cases, such as QA testing, you will spend days working through the same level looking for ways to break it and showcase a hole in the programming.

When you find a bug, you must be skilled not only in catching the entirety of the bug and everything it does to the game, but you must be able to recreate the bug with specific directions. The programmers need to know exactly what causes the glitch so they can work toward fixing it.

Hours and Pay

For the most part, you will not be able to work from home and you will not be able to choose your own hours. Early in a testing cycle, you might be given some leeway with certain quotas for testing on a daily basis, but as you approach deadlines, you will be asked to work long hours and continuously cycle through new build orders and test cases. It might seem never ending and it can be very tedious.

Pay is usually entry level for new testers – an hourly rate that is determined by your level of experience. There are positions for high level testers that pay decently, and as you grow in the company you can try to get your foot in the door for other jobs such as programming, development, or design.

Of course, this article is not meant to discourage. The gaming industry is still a fun career with lots of opportunities, but before you start pursuing a career here, make sure you know what you’re getting into.