Game testing – are you really going to get paid to game?

Before we start this isn’t going to be easy & it often is a low paid job within the games industry (although that has changed over the years)

What is game testing?

You play games and get paid is what most people will tell you.

But actually you will be given a checklist of tasks to complete, tasks like walking the character into a wall, sound good? But what if you were told to do it 1000 times in a row. Game testing is not game playing, you are tasked with breaking the software, finding problems and giving detailed explanations.

You may have seen websites which promise the earth but most give little in return just a dream

What is the best way to get a games testing job?

Search the web for these game companies, send in your CV and you might get lucky however the vast majority of game testers will be graduates who have got degrees in Game Engineering etc:

Can I game test from home?

If I were to show you a multi-million pound project do you think I would let you view it at home, where I can’t see who else is in the room.

The short answer is probably not, unless its a company such as EA who may allow external game testing but this is generally only after a NDA (non disclosure agreement) being signed and most likely only open to selected users.

How can I quickly get into the industry?

Test out some new games in your own time, write some detailed notes. Fire them along with a CV to the game developer.
They may be impressed and ask you for an interview.

Do I not need a gaming design degree?

Yes probably, but with the games industry becoming so large, many game developers are looking further a field to find testers.

Can I do online courses to learn more?

Yep check out Udemy & Lynda Learning