Many people like to play video games; some even take this as their profession. It does not mean you have to play video games all through the day. If you want to be a professional video game tester, you need more than the leisurely pursuit of video games. Playing games is fun, but testing those is not a cakewalk. Job is highly advantageous and lucrative as you mix business with pleasure. You do not require a very high educational degree to step into the gaming industry as a game tester. If you are extremely zealous about video games, this profession suits you. But to succeed, you need a lot of dedication, perseverance, and persistence.
A quick look
As a video game tester, it is your job to find the glitches and bugs in the video game. This identification process helps the developer and programmer to remove these glitches before launching the game. You are the first point of contact, which ensures the gamers have flawless, perfect gaming experience. At the starting point of your career, you can expect an annual remuneration of around$53,000, but experienced and veterans one draw much more than that which can shoot up to $70,000. Another benefit is you can preview the game before it is released. There are lots of part-time, hourly video testing jobs available, which fetch around $30 to $50 per hour. The developers do not mind paying these little fees, as they expect mammoth revenue of $50 to 80 million from a blockbuster video game.
Humans do err
Humans do err, and developers make lots of them while programming a video game. You may have encountered such new releases that have glitches and bugs. To ruin the reputation of the developer and publisher, a critical article, blog post, or forum about the big mistake is enough. It spreads like bush fire in savanna, destroying the repute of the company.
Three basic requirements
There are three basic requirements to become a video game tester. You must be 15 years or older to step into the profession. You need to have a computer or console (PLaystation3/4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, etc.).And last but not least, you must have a fevering passion for video games. One passionate tester is Thomas Hussey. His journey into the industry can be found here, which is a passage of hard work, the experience of playing a video game with other dexterities. You need to have good communication skills, a keen eye for details, and troubleshooting talents to report about the shortcomings to the developer.
