Learning to Be a Video Game Tester- Separating Fact from Fiction

The first thing to do when trying to become a video game tester is to get past the fantasies and the myths. The reason why many gamers want to become paid game testers is because they are under the impression that it is some sort of fairy tale job. That's not to say it isn't a dream job, it's just that it is far from a fairy tale career.

Contrary to what you may believe, a video game tester is not paid to sit down and play all of the newest games. It's true that he may actually get to play the newest & most technologically advanced games, but that is just a perk of being a professional video game tester. The truth behind game testing is that testers are paid to test video games, not to play them and have lots of fun.

The companies and developers that hire you are paying you to test games, period. If you have fun while doing so, that's fantastic, as you are literally being paid to have fun. However, that doesn't mean much to the people who hired you. Obviously they want the game to be enjoyable, but developers don't hire mass amounts of game testers just to figure out if a game is fun or not. In reality, video game testers are hired in order to help fix a game so that it meets a developer's deadline.

The job of a game tester is to basically go over a video game with a fine tooth comb and try to locate any possible bugs or glitches. When a bug or glitch is found, the tester would file a report on the occurrence and detail what happened, how it happened, and where it happened. This is to help programmers find the bug/glitch and determine why it is in the system. Without these accurate reports, the programmers would not be able to find any of the mentioned bugs or glitches, which means they would be paying the game tester for nothing and losing money.