5 Tips for Better Video Game Testing

If you want to become a video game tester, or if you are just getting started in the video game testing industry, you probably want to seek out tips and tricks for testing.

There are many different ways of testing a video game and of reporting what you find to the programmers. Here are five different tips for becoming a better video game tester.

1. ) Learn to pay attention to the small details. While the main point of video game testing is to discover as many bugs and errors as possible, especially the ones that cause the game to crash, programmers also want to know about the small details. Perhaps you see a word that is misspelled or a strange flickering graphic. While it's a small thing and doesn't impact how the game works, it is important to report these tiny errors. You should also report things that don't logically make sense or that seem to contradict something that was stated earlier in the game.

2. ) Don't wait until the last minute to start testing. If you have a deadline, be sure to start your game testing well ahead of it. You don't want to end up trying to do a 12 or 14 hour gaming run to get all of the testing done before your deadline. If you try doing this, you'll end up tired and unfocused towards the end of the game. You'll also end up doing a poor job of testing since you will be rushed and may not be able to explore all the different aspects and areas of the game.

3. ) If you haven't, take a writing class. The primary way of communicating with the programming and development team is going to be through your writing. You must be able to write a clear, detailed report for the programmers or they will not be able to figure out how to recreate the errors you came across.

If they can't recreate them, they can't fix them. Programmers don't have the time to try to decipher a confusing, poorly written report, nor do they have the time to constantly email a tester with questions. By learning to write well, you will be able to better help the programmers. This can give you an edge when it comes to getting testing jobs.

4. ) Don't be afraid to turn down testing a game. While it may sound strange, you don't always have to test every game the company asked you to. If you're asked to test a racing game, for example, but you've never played a racing game before, you can let the company know this. In some cases, they may be looking for gamers who are not familiar with racing games and will ask you to test the game anyway. In other cases, they may be looking for veteran racers and will understand why you don't want to accept the job.

5. ) Take breaks when testing. It takes a lot of mental power to focus on a game as completely as is required for testing. You need to take breaks every few hours to stay fresh and keep your mind sharp. Don't forget to eat and get up and stretch as often as you need to. Video Game Testing at Home with full, part time.