What Skills Do You Need For Game Tester?

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 in while at the same time considering the game overall. You need to be able to look at the graphics, the music, the dialogue, the action, and how the game is played in detail. If you're testing a racing game, do all the cars handle the same? In an RPG, are there any areas where the story is confusing or the enemies are too tough? In a fighting game, are there certain characters who seem to win very easily? All of this and more must be considered.

Game Tester Skills

Second, you have to be a very good note taker. Once you've noticed the weapons that don't seem balanced or the enemies that glitch when they hit a wall, you've got to be able to communicate this to the programmers. You'll need to record the level you were on, what exactly happened, what you were doing at the time, and many other details. Brush off those note taking skills from high school or college because you're going to need them.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, you've got to have great writing skills. Once you've made your notes, you're going to have to be able to write a detailed report that describes every bug or oddity that you found in the game. Again, you'll need to report as much as possible about what you were doing and what happened. If the programmers can't recreate the error, then chances are they won't be able to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. Your written report is most often the only contact you'll have with the programmers, and it's important that they don't end up guessing at what you did to cause an error. Sometimes, they may contact you for clarification, but they generally don't have time to ask questions about every single bug you discovered.

Finally, you have to be motivated. If you can't make yourself sit down and test a game for several hours a day (or more if you're on a deadline), then the game testing world probably isn't for you. You've got to be a self-started and work diligently to meet your deadlines.