Working as a video game tester requires a number of different skills, and you may be surprised to learn that game programming and graphic design are not among those skills. Since you won't actually be programming the games, you really don't need to know anything about how video games are made. Instead, it's your job to pay close attention to the final product and report back on how playable the game is.

The first important skill, then, is attention to detail. You have to be able to view the game in several ways at once: you've got to be very attentive to what's happening in the level or area you're Read more »

There are many different qualifications for being a video game tester, and by showing how you meet these various qualifications on your resume or application, you'll be able to beat out the many other potential game testers for jobs. Here are some of the main qualifications and ways you can meet them.

The first major qualification for being a game tester is being able to write well. Programmers will most often rely on your written reports to discover what is wrong with their games. If you can't present them with a well-written, detailed report, they won't be able to reproduce the exact circumstances that led to the bug you discovered, and if they can't do that, they may not Read more »

You might think that there are no disadvantages to being a video game tester. It's the dream job for those who love video games, isn't it? Well, yes and no. There are some disadvantages to working as a video game tester, and some of them may be things you never considered.

Play to work – serious stuff

First, you have to play video games all the time. While this may sound great, it is possible to become burnt out on them. There's a reason why we have the mentality of work verses play - work is "supposed" to be serious stuff that involves doing something that is not always exciting or fun. However, when your fun hobby, video game Read more »

There are many different companies that hire video game testers. No matter which company you work for, you'll get to do what you've always wanted to do: play video games for a living! Depending on which company you work for, your duties may vary a bit, but mostly, you'll find yourself taking notes while playing various video games. Here are some ideas about joining the top video game tester companies.

Before you can look into actual companies, though, you need to decide which part of the video game testing industry you want to get into. You can work directly for a video game company, work for a testing company, work for a magazine that reviews games, or work for a website that focuses Read more »

When working for a video game company as a game tester, it's very important that you avoid making some of the common errors.

If you make too many of these errors, in fact, the game company may decide you are not the best tester and will let you go. However, while the game company may tell you what they want in your reviews, they may not give you any examples of what NOT to do. Here are some of the most common errors video game testers make and how you can avoid them.

» Error #1: being too vague. Read more »

PC Gamer is one of the most well-known and authoritative voice in the gaming world. The magazine was founded in Britain in 1993 by Future Publishing. While the UK version is the original, the magazine soon realized it could expand its readership by creating a US version of the magazine.

Both editions became one of the, if not the, top selling PC games magazines. A typical edition of PC Gamer will feature reviews, previews of new games, what's going on in the video game industry, and much more. A related website has also been launched that expands on the reviews and Read more »

Being a game tester sounds easy enough. After all, all you really need to do is know how to play video games, right? Well, not exactly. Video game tester training requirements vary from company to company, but there are some things they all agree on. Get these basics down, and you'll have a great chance of landing a job as a game tester.

Know your genre

First and foremost, you must know your video games. You need to know the different genres, the main series in each genre, and have an idea of what's going on in the video game industry. This doesn't mean Read more »

When it comes to video game testing, you want to make certain you make note of everything the game company requires. How do you go about doing this? Well, if you follow these seven steps to video game testing, you'll be able to write up a very detailed report that should give the company and the game programmers everything they need.

1.) Read any materials sent with the game. Often, the game company wants your feedback on how well the instructions match up with the actual game. Plus, you'll want to have a good idea of what the game is about before you start playing.

2.) Have a method. While playing a video game normally, you can Read more »

If you find yourself in the envious position of being a video game tester, you may find the job isn't exactly what you expected. In fact, you might find yourself a bit overwhelmed at first or feeling uncertain about the job.

Video game testing involves more than just playing a game and telling the company if you like it or not. Here are some tips that will help you review video games like an expert.

First, remember that you're not playing the game for fun.
It's very easy to get caught up in the game, especially if it's a Read more »

Video game testing jobs wouldn't exist without video game testing firms. Sometimes, these firms are the companies that created the games. Sometimes, they're the publishers, and sometimes, they're third-party company that handles quality assurance and testing for multiple companies. No matter what, these companies hire video game testers to perform one or several different types of testing.

Localization Testing

Localization testing firms focus on making sure a foreign-made game is ready to be released in a different Read more »

So you want to be a video game reviewer, huh? Many avid gamers across the world aspire to work in video game reviewing, but few actually take the necessary steps to get a job as a game reviewer or tester.

Why? Well, for several reasons, but one of the largest reasons is that there are few jobs in the market. They do exist, but it's hard to break into video game reviewing and testing since most companies want people who have experience in the field. How do you get that experience when you can't get a job to gain it? That's the crux of the problem. Read more »

As with any job, your resume is vital to securing a position as a video game tester. However, you might wonder what exactly you can list on your resume to make you look like a better client for a testing job. After all, there are few things that seem to count as relevant work experience for a video game testing job short of, well, testing video games. There are some things, though, that can help push your resume to the top of the pile.

» Show any previous writing experience. As a video game tester, it is very important that you can clearly communicate your experiences playing a game. In fact, a degree in English is often seen as Read more »

So, you want to become a games tester. You may think that this sounds like an awesome job, with more benefits than downfalls but you may be wrong - very wrong!

You may have heard that a career like this can enable you to earn $120 per hour, or other similar statements but in reality this is wrong and you may not even earn half as much. Obviously, the more work you put in, the more money you will get out of it but as a general rule unless you want to stay awake all night and work, you won’t have the opportunity to earn this much and even more so if you want to make it Read more »

Apart from the obvious benefit to becoming a games tester, you will find that there are plenty of other benefits to be had from this awesome career choice. As long as you think "outside the box" so to speak, you may realize that, although this job can be much harder than people would initially think, it is a great career choice and there are a lot of things that can be taken advantage of.

Why is becoming a games tester such a great idea? Well first of all, can you imagine the games industry ending at any point soon? No, well that's just one reason why this job is so great. It will be around for a very long time, especially with technology Read more »