Game testers play an extremely important role within the video game industry, helping to keep the reputation and credibility of many companies intact simply by identifying and reporting bugs, glitches, and other errors present within the beta versions of games due to be publicly released at a later date.

Although most people think that testing games is a relatively simple job, the reality is that most game companies will require their potential employees to demonstrate that they are qualified for the position offered. Once accepted for the position, game testers will typically receive an almost complete version of a specific game, and will be required to test it for potential problems.

The Basics

Although some game developers will require more from their testers, there are two basic skills that are absolutely vital to landing a position as a game tester. These include a strong attention to detail (an ability to recognize even the smallest errors and glitches that could otherwise slip by undetected) and a good knowledge of the English language (proper grammar and spelling are important as game testers are required to report detailed information to the game developers). If you have both of these skills, you may qualify for a job at a game testing company. However, there are still several additional factors that you will want to take into consideration.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

Although most game developers do not require that their employees have an advanced degree or college education, if you would like to land a full-time position you will have much higher chances landing the job if you can provide proof of an education level that goes beyond high school (this is a basic rule that applies to most job hunters in and out of the video game industry). At the same time, if you do not have a higher education but are self-confident in your ability to play games like a pro and review them correctly, you can easily land a job simply by going out of your way to prove your potential value to the game developer.

You can accomplish this by submitting your resume along with a well-written cover letter explaining why you believe you are qualified to test games and what you plan on offering the company in question. If a prospective recruiter determines that you have a strong passion for improving the user experience of video games and that you are capable of recognizing errors, your chances of landing a job can increase as well.