Computer game tester jobs can be rewarding and lucrative, but very rarely does a prospect get informed about the “dark side” or unattractive side. It always comes gift wrapped and is sold as:
• Earn $100 playing video games a couple of hours a day
• No qualifications needed
• If you are good at playing video games, earn money for doing what you like.
• You set your own hours
• You will never have to worry about your bills again
The list goes on, but I’ll stop there. There’s probably some truth to some of the points above, but what marketers don’t tell you is the ‘real,’ ‘dark,’ or ‘unsexy’ side of the job. Not everything is glamorous as they want you to believe. In fact, the mere fact that it’s called work should be a big clue.
Game tester jobs are easy portals through which you can get into the gaming industry, but they are also quite competitive. They are also the ‘janitor positions’ of the gaming industry. Without a doubt, money is earned further up the ladder. However, we all have a calling in life and there is nothing wrong with starting at the bottom and working your way up; in fact that is very noble.
That being said, once you get a foothold on the gaming industry portal as a game tester, you will need to earn your status and prove that you are not only a good game tester, but also show the potential to move up the ladder. So here are some tips to achieve just that:
1. Know what you’re getting into. Ask someone who is or has been in the industry, research the companies and the games they have produced. Also check out consumer reviews of past games. With this knowledge you have already eliminated part of your competition. You can also plan your angle of attack to stay ahead of the competition.
2. Let ‘Bugs’ and ‘Glitches’ become your friends. By this I mean, develop your skill to such a level that you can even get ahead of these ‘bugs’ in the software. This will put you far above your competition. This is also the quality that your quality control manager will use to evaluate (judge/evaluate) his performance.
3. As you develop your practical skills, be sure to keep up with your certification records. These can be achieved online or by physically attending courses. Remember you don’t want to stay on the bottom rung too long, you want to move up to higher levels where you can call the shots and mentor new game testers coming in.