Goods And Bads About Video Game Testing

We spend a big part of our lives on working. If you are lucky, you will work on an area of your interest. Actually it's all up to you. Act now and do what you want, what you like. If you are reading this, that means you like video games. If so, then video game testing could be your best opportunity to do what you like. But every job has some goods and bads. In this article, I'll try to tell you about what it's like to be a beta video game tester. If you decided to be a tester, you should know the good and the bad about testing jobs.

The Good

• You can keep the games that you test
• You will play video games and get paid
• You will be able to work at home
• You will get unreleased video games and play them before anyone do
• You will be able to work as a tester part time or full time

The Bad

• You might need to work very long hours sometimes.
• Ok, you will play incomplete video games. But playing them may not be enjoyable everytime.
• Repetitive gameplay could be boring(Dont forget, you will test and play every detail to find bugs, not for fun.)
• It's possible to get tired of playing 
• Your starting pay won't be too much. It will be about 10$ an hour.

If you think that goods weigh the bads, then you can read the rest of the article to find out what beta game testers actually testing.

Guidelines For Beta Game Testers

You will focus on these areas as a beta tester;

1. Functionality: Gameplay is an important part for a game. So testers try to find out if it's complex or easy.
2. Compatibility: Beta testers should test the performance of the game with different sound cards, CPUs, video cards etc.
3. Stability: Testers should test the memory dumps and figure out if the game is stable in various modes. For example, does the game freeze when you leave the game's character swimming for long hours?
4. Storyline: It's not only about testing technical things, testers also need to focus on story and script.
5. Compliance: ESRP rating system is very important for developers. If a game is rated AO(Adults Only) by ESRP, it must be only for adults. So testers find out if the game comply with this rating.

But remember, your main duty will be finding bugs reporting them as a beta game tester. If you want to become a game tester just for fun and playing video games, it won't last long that's for sure. Before getting into field, remember your primary duty; find bugs, report them and get paid!

How To Find Beta Testing Jobs?

Finding video game testing jobs could be hard. You can visit game developers' websites regularly for a job opening. You need to find the person who is in charge of hiring and send your CV. You need to build a relationship with people in game industry. Also offering to work for free is another option to find a job. Ok, you won't get paid, but that will be your first step into the video game industry.

If you want a list of job openings for testing jobs in the game industry, you can check the link. I told you about this site before, it's a database of game jobs. Check it out now and get gaming!