Companies Looking for Game Testers

If you want to find a job as a video game tester, you may have a difficult time of it if you simply apply with every company out there. This is because many video game manufacturers, programmers, and publishers aren't looking for game testers all year round.

Many have a staff or call list of game testers that they've trained and worked with before, and these people are the ones who get called first when the company needs game testers. Getting your name on this list can be difficult, but it's not impossible. The best way to break into the game testing industry is to get in contact with companies looking for game testers. But how do you do that?

Keep an Eye on the Release Schedule

Many companies put out tentative release schedules for their upcoming games. If you watch these lists, you can get a good idea of when a game will need testing. Make your inquiries between six months and a year in advance of the release date. Game companies want all their testing done as soon as possible, so if you see a particular game you'd like to test for, it's a good idea to contact the company and ask if they're accepting testers.

Join Beta Tests

Many companies open up beta testing for new games. For example, Blizzard Entertainment began looking for beta testers for StarCraft II at the 2008 BlizzCon convention. Even though they have yet to open testing as of August of 2009, they have still selected a number of beta testers from those at BlizzCon 2008 and are accepting applications on their website. Beta testing is a great way of showing a game company just what you can do. If you send in some amazing beta test reports, the company will certainly take note of it. Beta testing is a great way of getting the attention of a gaming company even during a time when they aren't hiring game testers. If they really like what you've done, they may take note of your name and contact information and invite you to test future games.

Don't Despair

There are a lot of video game players out there, and many of them want to get paid to test video games. Don't worry if you don't get chosen right away to test out new games. It may take a few tries, but if you do your best to get some beta testing on your resume, you'll have a much better chance of getting hired by a company looking for game testers.