A great video showing video game testers working at the jobs of their dreams. This report shows what game testers do, why they do it, and the role of video game testers in the process of creating and marketing a video game. This is good stuff, and provides a good overview of the role and importance of video game testers, as well as their responsibilities and job duties.

For more information on starting work in the exciting video game industry as a video game tester, visit Only4Gamers today. They can provide you with everything you need to make the change to a job where you do what you love for a living.

The following is a basic, 7 step process to landing your first video game tester job, and subsequent game tester jobs as well. You will find each step expanded upon in the articles section in the right sidebar, but below is a summary of the most bullet-proof process of landing the best video game tester jobs, as well as preparing for a career as a video game tester.

First and foremost, you have to really enjoy playing and testing video games. This should go without saying, but I have seen many people think being a video game tester would just be a fun, easy job, and they didn’t really care about gaming. That simply doesn’t work, folks. If you don’t love playing video games, then when crunch time hits and you are working 12 hour days to get the bugs out of the video game before shipping the product, you won’t be enjoying yourself – and that is really what video game tester jobs are all about – having fun!

Second, learn that video games are software first, games second. You aren’t simply testing the video game; you are testing the software on which the game play is built. Picture the software as the foundation, the game play as the house. When you find a bug, it isn’t necessarily a problem with the game play; it is more likely a problem with the software. As video game testers, we aren’t simply looking at the house; we are looking at the foundation.

To that end, you will gain a huge leg up as a video game tester if you understand the basic principles of software testing. You don’t need to be a programmer, but if you gain knowledge of the fundamentals of software testing, you will find a LOT more bugs – in fact, you will rapidly become the star bug finder on your team. Don’t just play the game – learn how to test the software. This will make you a rockstar video game tester, and you will never lack for work.

Third, don’t limit yourself to testing only one video game platform or company. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and EA are of course the big four, but if you limit yourself to one of those, you limit the video game tester jobs and opportunities that are available to you. If you don’t use a PC as a gaming platform, then you are limiting your opportunities. There are perhaps 50+ major gaming companies, and scores if not hundreds of minor ones, and almost all design video games for the PC, in addition to whatever gaming specific hardware platforms they may such as the Xbox, Playstation, Wii and so on.

Fourth, gain some actual video game tester practice and knowledge before writing your resume and applying for video game tester jobs – there are numerous beta tester opportunities that anyone can sign up for, and although they don’t pay, they do give you experience. Sit down to a video game session with software testing in mind – grab a book on the fundamentals of software testing, and leaf through it while playing the game.

Fifth, learn something about the video game industry. Having a basic understanding of what it takes to design, market and ship a video game will impress potential employers to no end, and put you way ahead of the pack of ordinary video game testers.

Sixth, make a list of all the companies you would like to work for. Many jobs are on-site, meaning you will have to live or work where the actual company is, but many companies will hire people to test their video games at home, on their own systems, so your geographic location doesn’t have to be an obstacle. Utilizing the services of a reputable video game tester jobs membership site such as Only4Gamers can greatly help in this regards, and the small investment pay off in spades.

Seventh, after having spent some time learning the basics of software testing, doing some beta testing, and learning something of the video game industry and testing video games, then sit down and work up a great resume and cover letter, showcasing your passion for video games, as well as some authentic video game testing knowledge. This will give you a huge leg up against other entry-level video game testers, and I guarantee that you will be hired for your first video game tester job – and have no problem finding new video game tester jobs after you have completed your first gig!

Also, don’t forget to leverage any foreign language skills you may have! All major and most minor video game designers will publish their games in multiple languages. Video game testers are needed for jobs testing games in German, Japanese, Spanish, you name it. If you have any reading or speaking ability in a foreign language, or if English is not your native language, then you already have the most important skill for foreign language testing, also known as localization testing. Foreign language video game testers are always in demand!

By Jonathon Halston
Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

One of the most important aspects of becoming a great video game tester is understanding game play in-depth; of knowing the nooks and crannies of the game; the tricks, the inefficiencies. Does one type of character always defeat another when all other factors are equal? Are there exploits available to rapidly grow your gold? Do various armor combinations result in strange, buggy behavior? Having an in-depth understanding of even 2 or 3 games will help immensely in knowing how and where to dig out the bugs.

Some of the best games to develop these types of skills are the online role-playing games, such as World of Warcraft. If you have toiled and ground out the levels and have maxed out your character, chances are, you have encountered a lot of bugs on the way. If you are still grinding, and are strapped for time, pick up one of the advanced World of Warcraft game play guides ; these will not only help you max out your character (much) faster, but give you an expert-level view of game play, tricks, exploits and advanced techniques.

When it comes to the job interview, have attained a maxed-out character on World of Warcraft, or any of the well-known online MMORPGs, is a real plus. It shows serious, commitment, and passion for gaming; all attributes that successful video game testers must have. What other career path allows you to on your resume the games you have maxed out your characters in as a selling point?

So become a great video game player; this is a great skill to have (and a fun skill to develop) in becoming a great video game tester and landing video game tester jobs, such as those posted at Only4Gamers.

By Jonathon Halston
Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

Software testing is ALL about finding bugs - the more the merrier, the earlier, the better. “File bugs early and often” is a great philosophy to bring to the table, as the earlier the bugs are filed in the development process, the easier and cheaper it is to fix them. But as with so many things, what is easy in theory is more difficult in practice - it isn’t until all the code is hooked together, “integrated”, that end-to-end testing of the game and gameplay is possible. So most video game testing will happen in the alpha and beta release cycles - but the closer one starts in the alpha phase, the better.

At this stage in the game (pun intended), it really pays off to perform what is called integration testing. Do all the major elements of the game integrate well together? Or is sound out-of-sync with video? Does player speech sync with mouth movements? Are sound effects in sync with player action? Does the game save to disk, if designed to? Is the game compatible with all supported operating systems? These are just a few of the high-level areas one will want to investigate.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty, one should design a matrix that covers all major elements of the game and integration, then break each of those areas down further. As an example, consider item storage. What are the various means of acquiring items? Buying, finding, looting, and trading are the major ones; don’t forget quest rewards. Once acquired, do they stay in storage upon exiting the game and then returning? Can you trade with other players? If you drop it, does it stay dropped? Can you sell items that you found? Made? Traded? Stole? As you can see, the possibilities are truly endless.

The strategy to deal with such a huge number of possibilities is to build a test case matrix based on how often a given scenario or test case is likely to happen. One then categorizes the individual test cases and scenarios based on priority: P0, P1, P2, etc. So obviously, buying and selling an item and ensuring it stays in storage are pretty essential functions to the game - these would be P0. Being able to sell a quest item you stole from a looted corpse, less so - say, a P1.

These are just a few examples of applying basic principles of software testing to video game testing. Applying these principles will drastically explode your bug count, making you stand head and shoulders above your typical video game testing peers. Adopt these principles, and learn the fundamentals of software testing, and your video game testing career will simply explode.

For more detailed information on learning to become a great games tester, as well as hundreds of active game tester job listings, consider visiting what we consider to be the best video game tester jobs website available, Only4Gamers. Part of the membership package includes a guide on testing games that is alone worth the price of entry.

By Jonathon Halston
Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

While the major platform manufacturers do indeed hire contract testers to test on just their platform, why limit yourself? By being able to put on your resume that you are familiar with at least the PC and one other hardware platform (bonus points for all 4), you will immediately increase your potential value, and double the number of jobs you can qualify for.

So in addition to whatever your game platform of choice is, become familiar with at least one more platform. If Xbox is your thing, learn to play on the PC. Conversely, if you have played nothing but PC games, learn the Xbox, Nintendo or Playstation. If you limit yourself to just one of those, you really limit the video game tester jobs and opportunities that are available to you. In particular, not being familiar with the PC as a gaming platform can really limit your opportunities.

There are perhaps 50+ major gaming companies, and scores if not hundreds of minor ones, and almost all design video games for the PC, in addition to whatever gaming specific hardware platforms they may such as the Xbox, Playstation, Wii and so on. And, of course, online gaming is a category in itself; companies like Big Fish Games hire contract testers (as well as full-timers) on a pretty regular basis.

Mastering game play and video game testing on multiple platforms will drastically increase your marketability, making you stand head and shoulders above your typical video game testing peers. Learn multiple platform video game testing, and the number of that become available to you will truly have no limits.

For more detailed information on learning to test on multiple platforms, as well as hundreds of active game tester job listings, consider visiting what we consider to be the best video game tester jobs website available, Only4Gamers. Part of the membership package includes a guide on testing games across multiple platforms that is alone worth the price of entry.

By Jonathon Halston
Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

1. Beta Test for free. Microsoft, EA, Sony and Nintendo all run huge non-paid beta testing programs that will permit you to test their video games and file bugs. This won’t be a paid position, but it will allow you to learn the process of playing, testing, finding bugs and filing them. This will be a huge plus on your resume.

2. Online gaming beta testing. Before any new massive online gaming infrastructure goes live, the beta testing is extensive. This is another opportunity to sign up for in order to acquire real-world testing and bug-filing experience.

3. At-home practice: Simply sit down to your favorite video game with a copy of Ken Camer’s Principles of Software Testing. As you work your way through the book, apply what you read to the game you are testing.

a. Practice creating spreadsheets of Test Scenarios and Test Cases based on Ken Camer’s guidelines

b. Create a practice test-plan for the game you are playing passed on Ken Camer’s guidelines

c. Practice writing bugs based on Ken Camer’s guidelines

Being able to put all three of these on your resume will make a huge plus for you in your interviews, especially the third. While some will go the extra mile and do some unpaid beta testing before applying for a video game testing job, very few will go an extra 3 miles and read and begin to apply a universally respected book on software testing to video game testing. Ken Camer is considered to be one of the world’s foremost experts on testing software, which of course includes video games. If you become familiar with his work, you will advance quickly in your video game tester career, and in the estimation of those interviewing you as well as your peers.

For more detailed information on acquiring games testing experience, as well as hundreds of active game tester job listings, consider visiting what we consider to be the best video game tester jobs website available, Only4Gamers. Part of the membership package includes a guide on testing games that is alone worth the price of entry.

By Jonathon Halston
Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

The primary distinction between the video game industry, and the software industry as a whole, are simply the unique design elements inherent to video games – characters, game play, game balance, and so on. Excluding that, the video game product lifecycle adheres to standard software industry practice and development.

The major phases in any software development project are inception and brainstorming, to architecting and design, to coding, integration, testing, and shipping (RTM, or Release to Manufacturer). Running parallel to this process are the sales and marketing efforts, and the impact on deadlines that marketing has (“It has to be released in time for the Christmas rush!”).

Having a basic understanding of the big picture in the video game industry is essential for long-term success. In particular, understanding the role testing and qa play in the video game development life-cycle will be invaluable. To that end, Only4Gamers can help immensely. Additionally, picking up a book or two on the software product lifecycle will help give you a great foundation to get started in your new career as a video game tester.

By Jonathon Halston
Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

The major employers in the video game industry are of course MicrosoftXbox, SonyPlaystation, and Nintendo, and for the PC, Electronic Arts. Yet one shouldn’t limit one’s self to only these options. Being able to apply to the dozens of other video game companies for testing jobs will help you diversify your pool of potential employers, and greatly increase your odds of success.

This is why it is so critical, as discussed in Step 4, to gain experience on multiple platforms. At the very least, be familiar with the PC as a gaming platform, as well as one major hardware platform, such as the Xbox. Additionally, having experience playing online role playing games (MMPORGs) is a huge plus;
online games are exploding in popularity, even in the midst of a recession.

So do your research, and make a list of all the companies, major and minor, that you would be interested in working for. Focus on companies that make games you enjoy playing – whether it be puzzles, or role-playing, or car racing, or sports. Consider joining up with a membership site such as Only4Gamers that maintains a huge database of video game companies along with contacts with those companies that hire for video game tester jobs on a consistent basis.

After you have made your list, you will be ready for the final step – creating a winning resume and cover letter, and getting the job interview for your new career as a video game tester!

By Jonathon Halston
Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

Many are unnecessarily intimidated by the idea of creating a professional resume and cover letter, and as a result, don’t project confidence that they can do the job and bring benefit to their new employer in their writing. For this reason, many resumes simply don’t get a second glance. The way past this stumbling block is simply to focus on these three things:

• What you can do well. Here would be a great area to discuss any unpaid experience you have acquired beta testing or testing games at home while working through a software testing guide while testing a video game.

• What you have done well. Highlight in your work experience areas where you given ownership of a particular area, and how well you did that particular task or area of ownership. An example might be “improved the time it took to clean a 12×14 carpet by 10% while maintaining or improving quality standards”, or “grew sales in my area by 7%”.

• How your work experience benefited your employer. An example might be “improved profit in the plumbing department by 8%” or “developed a process that increased efficiency by 11%, thus reducing man-hours billed to company X”.

Your cover letter should cover the same areas – what you have done well in the past, what you dream of doing in the future, and what you can do in the here and now for your future employer. In specific relation to the video game industry, and getting hired for video game tester jobs, be sure and highlight any unpaid beta testing, bugs filed, knowledge gained on test plans and test case creation and matrixes, as well as showcasing any knowledge gained of the video game industry and testing video games in particular, and software in general.

Designing a resume and cover letter within this general framework will give you a huge leg up against other entry-level video game testers, and guarantees that you will be interviewed and hired for your first video game tester job – and have no problem finding new video game tester jobs after you have completed your first gig!

For more detailed information on creating a winning resume and cover letter specific to the video game industry, as well as hundreds of active game tester job listings, consider visiting what we consider to be the best video game tester jobs website available, Only4Gamers.

By Jonathon Halston
Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

People are often shocked to discover one can make a living testing video games. Speaking with over 11 years of testing experience at a major games development company, yes, you can indeed make a living testing games – and a good one at that. No, you will not start anywhere near the hyped up lies you see advertised! It’s a good living, but anyone who tells you you can get 90-150 an hour is either lying or simply doesn’t know what they are talking about.

Learning how to be a video game tester can open all kinds of doors for you if you are hard working and ambitious, especially if you demonstrate a desire to learn more about your new field. Your best bet just starting out is to gain some familiarity with games testing and software test theory before hitting that first interview. We will provide that with this website. Check back often! We are adding resources all the time.

There is a great resource that I refer to people wanting to break into video games testing. These guys are the real deal - they aren’t as popular as some, and don’t make the outrageous promises of other sites - but they WILL help you land a video game testing job.

The Gamer Testing Ground Membership Site, created and ran by a really, really good games tester, is perfect training for how to be a video game tester. There is a ton of resources here created by guys with years of hands-on industry experience. You will receive the tools and resources needed not only to land your first testing gig, but to improve your skills and testing knowledge so you can grow in your new career path.

Please, save your money and avoid the “you can make $150.00 an hour!” baloney. At this website, along with recommended resources, you will hear it from people who actively work in the field, know what they are talking about, tell it like it is, and won’t try to scam you with pie-in-the-sky nonsense. We will do everything possible to help you land your first video game tester job!

Ready for WoW Cataclysm? I sure am. Blizzard is simply amazing. I think one of the best jobs in the world would be to work as a tester on World of Warcraft. Finding employment by testing the world’s greatest MMORPG would truly be a dream career for most of us. Becoming a Blizzard game tester, or even other WoW jobs available, simply has to be the ultimate career. So is World of Warcraft employment difficult to get hired for? How does one become a Wow game tester? What kind of World of Warcraft jobs are available?

There are in fact several Blizzard jobs posted on their website. The Blizzard employment database in fact has dozens of mmorpg jobs available, mostly WoW employment opportunites. They are currently hiring for several game tester positions for World of Warcraft, under the QA department. They are in particular looking for foreign language testers, so if you speak any other language besides English, don’t hesitate to start your Blizzard career by applying here.

One of the things Blizzard looks for in their potential hires, both contract and permanent, is an in-depth knowledge of Blizzard games. Now, with 12 million players and counting, this mostly means World of Warcraft. Do you play? And if so, do you play well? Can you farm 200 gold an hour and hit level 80 in under 2 weeks?

It’s hard to believe these are actual job qualifications, but game companies like to hire gamers - period. And the better you are, the more likely you will be hired, as it demonstrates passion and commitment (yes, I know, being ‘committed’ to playing World of Warcraft 4 hours a day at a minimum is such a burden…:)

Anyways, if you are seriously interested in World of Warcraft jobs and employment with Blizzard, to find more jobs like this you may want to check out Only4Gamers . Only4 Gamers is a lifetime members-only website that provides both a downloadable guide as well as live information on games testing jobs and how to get one. The website is updated with new listings for video games tester jobs weekly, for Blizzard as well as all the major and minor video games companies in the country. There are no renewal fees; once you are a member, you are a member for life.

Where Only4Gamers really proves itself to be one of the real gems in game tester guides and websites is that in the members only section of the website, there are several mini courses that will guide you step by step through the process of landing your first game testing job.

The list of active jobs is provided to members on a daily basis for specific game testing jobs that you can apply for. At any given time, there are over 100 jobs posted, with up to 20 new jobs added on a weekly basis.

Additionally, members have access to current game company employment pages, providing contact information to dozens of companies actively recruiting game testers. This is updated weekly as well.

Finally, several bonuses are included as part of your membership, such as cheats, codes, video game discounts and a guide on how to actually test video games.

Jonathon Halston
http://Hot-Game-Tester-Jobs.com

Video Games testing jobs at the entry level are fairly easy to come by. Often times, nothing more is required than a desire to play games and get paid – however, don’t expect to see much more than 10-15 bucks an hour for a job not requiring any computer skills. The good news is, it is fairly simple to pick up some basic skills that will enable you to start off at a higher level.

As an example, I had only 9 months experience as a desktop support person prior to my first testing job, which enabled me to start of as a level 2 tester, at $17-20 an hour (and lots of overtime). It added up to $1000 a week take-home for me, which was pretty darn good for a guy who had been making a third of that as a cook just 9 months prior. So while having technical experience isn’t absolutely necessary for entry level games testing jobs – it helps. Just a modicum of experience can practically double your starting wage. If you have some programming skills, so much the better; basically, the more skills you have, the more video games testing jobs will be available to you, and the higher your starting pay will be.

Having some relevant experience, skills or knowledge is especially important during an economic slump such as we are in currently. It will be to your advantage to at least have some knowledge of the industry. This is where investing in one of the paid video games testing jobs resources currently available is really worthwhile – it will give you an edge over the competition, AND help you start at a much higher wage.

To help in acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to start off your new game testing career fast, we recommend the Gamer Testing Ground site, created and ran by world class video games testers. This a great resource if you are seriously looking at video game tester jobs. The reviews and feedback from the members is wonderful, and the site has a ton of stuff created by individuals with hands-on industry experience. The site includes a lot of testing tools and resources that will help not only to land your first testing gig, but improve your skills and testing knowledge so you can grow in your new career path.

Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor

If you live in the Seattle - Redmond area, and would like to break into entry-level games testing, there is loads of hiring going on now for games testers, for both AM and PM shifts. Most of the entry-level game testing jobs are contracted out by Microsoft, mainly through Excell Data and Volt, though they do work with smaller agencies as well. Excell Data in particular is a great outfit to work for (I have contracted through them in the past). They offer great benefits as well as training, and even offer a free games testers workshop on becoming a games tester. That is correct, prior testing experience is not required for these positions (though you must be an avid gamer).

From a recent classified for Games Testing Jobs that Excell placed on Craigslist:

OVERVIEW:

Tired of bullpen and on-call testing jobs that lead nowhere? Come join our team and discover why Excell Data is the employer of choice for Games Testers!

OVERVIEW:

This is an incredible opportunity to jumpstart your career in video game testing while working on some of the most highly anticipated video game titles - before they hit the market!

For this position, with one of the world’s most prolific software publishers, you will be assisting with test activities in support of a wide variety of video game titles. These games will range a wide variety of genres, including RPG, FPS, and Racing games, among others. As a key member of our team, you will be leading less experienced testers, managing the team lab, documenting build failures, writing / enhancing test cases, coordinating schedules, and acting as a liaison between developers and test management. This is a 40 hour a week position, overtime is a possibility as well. You must live in the greater Seattle, WA area to be considered for this position.

REQUIREMENTS:

* 6+ months work experience
* Extensive game playing experience (PC and/or Console)
* Professional demeanor and ability to consistently stay focused
* Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
* Ability to work in a team environment
* Experience with games / software testing a plus, but not required
* Must be able to work 6:00 PM to 2:30 AM M-F
* Have reliable transportation to and from work
* Live within commuting distance to Redmond, WA

GAMES TESTING WORKSHOP

Excell Data is currently offering free*, hands-on workshops on the fundamentals of game testing. If you are looking for a games testing position, this free training class will help you to become more competitive in the games testing market. This training is specifically designed to help our Test Associates be better prepared for assignment.

To apply for this job, or to find out more about our Games Testing Workshop, visit us at www.excell.com/games or send an email, along with your resume in Word format, to games@excell.com!

If you live locally, or are willing to move, I encourage you to apply - this is a fantastic opportunity to break into the games testing industry, one you will never regret.

Required:

1. Must like to play video games
2. Must be able to identify a bug when one sees one
3. Must be able to compose a decent bug report to hand off to the devs
4. Must be willing to work long hours when the crunch is on to get the thing shipped
5. Decent communication skills, both written and oral, in order to solve complex problems in a collaborative fashion with other team members.

Nice to have:
1. Basic knowledge of PC Hardware, especially video related
2. Ability to install and configure an Operating system
3. Ability to use “ghosting” software to create images of a system. This way,
you can create multiple images on a box of different OS configurations, for testing backwards compatibility with older operating systems
4. Good troubleshooting skills
5. Some scripting ability (even dos batch file skills go a long way here).

If you have the first 5 skills, you can get on as a level 1 STE (software test engineer) or as a Test Associate. If you have the 2nd 5 skills, you’ll probably come on as a level II STE. The more technical skills you have, the higher the starting level, and the higher the pay.

The Gamer Testing Ground Membership Site, created and ran by a really, really good games tester, is perfect if you hope to be a game tester for a new career. Here you will find a ton of resources created by guys with years of hands-on industry experience. You will receive the tools and resources needed not only to land your first testing gig, but to improve your skills and testing knowledge so you can grow in your new career path.

Video Game Tester Jobs Advisor