Test Games

Can you really earn a living from testing games?

It's a dream job for many school children, getting paid to test games, but how much of it is myth, how much reality, and how difficult is it in reality to land a job as a games tester?

I see lots of people online talking about game testing, and adverts which make it look like it's really easy to get paid to play games. Unfortunately much of what is said is rubbish, but that's a shame because there are really good genuine jobs out there for people who really do want to test games. My hope with this site is to dispel some of the myths, and show people that game testing is a viable job, and a possible way of getting into other positions in the games industry.

Like many young boys who grew up in the 80s I had a passion for video games when I was at school, and whenever I was asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, making games was always the answer I gave. So when the time came to choose college courses my choice was easy – computer science and maths. And then at university I decided a degree in computer science was the next step...

However, what I didn't realise was that even with all that education, getting into the games industry would be very difficult. In fact for me it turned out to be a non-started, and after travelling I eventually began working as a web designer. It wasn't until several years later that I got involved in the games industry, and I've never looked back.

Over the past 7 years I've met many other people in the games industry, and been involved with others who design, develop, and test games. I've come to realise that testing games is a very important part of the development procedure, and just how important good game testers are to development studios.

Video games these days are big business. A major console game may have a budget of tens of millions of dollars, and with that kind of money on the line, the companies can't afford to have games go to market riddled with bugs. That's where game testers come in. Their role is vital, as they find the bugs, and play test the games so the developers can iron out all the problems before the game gets published.

This kind of “quality assurance” testing isn't always as fun as it might sound. It can involve long hours, late nights, and repetitive playing of the same game sections over and over again. You'll need dedication, passion, and a strong work ethic to make it as a games tester, and you'll also need great communication skills to relay your findings back to the development team. Not quite as glamorous or fun as simply sitting around playing the latest games all day!

But the rewards for those with the passion and drive are massive. Not only do you get paid to test games, be involved with what you love, and get access to the hottest new games months before you're friends, but you'll also gain valuable experience of the games industry, experience which can lead to jobs as designers, artists or developers.

I'm not saying that it's better to test games than get a college degree, only that education alone is not always enough – you need experience too, and that's what you can get from being a game tester.