Video Game Testing as a Career...

Game Testing is a real career option.  According to google, the average salary for a US Game Tester, is about forty eight thousand a year.  It is a chance to take experience many of us already have and turn it into a future.  But what do you need to know?  Where do you find them?  And is it really worth while?

Becoming a Game Tester

Anyone who is comfortable with playing Video Games has a chance to work as a game tester.  But it is not likely that will get you in the door with so many other's interested in the same position and with more potential skill than you.  So what skills can make you stand out more?

• Playing a wide array of game genres.  
• You may be most interested in racing games, or first person shooters, but that doesn't mean their clients happen to have any of those games to test.  If you have no skill in strategy games, or basket ball, you will be somewhat limited in your usefulness.
• Reducing challenges to the lowest common denominator
• You are playing a game, when you find that after 12 actions, a bug happens that makes you lose  a life.  You could report this as is, and then the developers have to assume the bug is caused by some combination of all those actions.  Or you could try repeating the 12th action before the bug in a simpler way, and deliver a report that only takes 1 step.
• Your job is to reduce the work of the developers trying to repair these bugs
• Being Professional.
• This will not be playing at home with your buddies, acting however you want.  You need to be able to conduct yourself professionally. 
• Most Game Testing positions will be more laid back and lax, but that is per company, per position.  It is your job to be professional first, and then relax as the company allows.
• So what are some features of professionalism?
• Competence:  Don't say you can do something if you are not sure how.
• Reliability: Show up to work on time (and your interview)
• Positive Attitude: You can't just walk away from a game, like you might at home.  You need to be fun to work with, and your job is to test these games.  You also can't tell people you work with they are idiots.  That's a fighting word.  You need to be able to remain positive even in frustrations.
• Clarity: You can't just say this game sucks, or enter a bug that says this level is terrible.  You need to be clear.  "Awesome", "Terrible" and "Incredible" are useless words.  Explain why it is that way.  Explain that "falling through the floor at seemingly random intervals is very frustrating."
• Honesty: It is often difficult to tell a manager that you don't think you'll be able to complete something in time.  So you might say things like "It will be done" and when it does start going over in time, you might be saying, "I've almost got it done" even if it isn't and you have no idea how much longer it will take.  Managers's often aren't worried about occasional break downs in ability.  none of us are perfect.  They want to know if something is going to take longer, so they can mitigate it.  To help them, you must be honest.
• There are a lot of professional guides/tips/sites out there.  Read some.
• Step out of the game play.
• We usually play for fun.  But your are not technically "playing" the game.  You are helping prepare the game.  Granted, part of your job is to make sure the game play is great.  
• You need to start looking for bugs.  For instance walls that don't quite line up, allowing a line of pixels.  Perhaps picking up a weapon only works when you are standing directly over it, and not when it is right in front of you and easier to see.  It doesn't make as much sense, but it's easy to get used to.  You should still bring it up as a bug.
• Once you start doing this, you'll start noticing lots of bugs in almost all major video games.  Part of the question will be how easy is it for the bugs to be over looked.
• Sign up for Beta Testing games online.  
• Report any bugs you find.  Research different types of bugs in games.
• Get used to the bug submission tools they use.
• Start building a resume.  
• Include everything game related you can think of.  I.e. list the genre's you've played, list major achievements.  
• List games you beta tested, and particularly some of the better bugs you'e discovered
• List the tools you used for bug submission, if it was more than just a simple text box on their site.
• Pick up a programming language, 3D modelling or Art.
• While you don't need these things, they will help you understand what you are looking at better.  If you get into 3D modelling, you might better understand that you can see that certain edges aren't seamed properly.  If you get into art, you might recognize that pre-shading in the art is making the lighting in the game seem off.  If you get into programming, you might better understand the reason that you can't jump on certain blocks, is because only the X is being checked, and not the Y.  

Finding a Job

These positions are more common in areas with a lot of Game Development, such as LA and Seattle.  Considering moving out there might be a good idea.  Do you have any friends or family in that area you can stay with while doing this?  

You can search for "Game Tester" or "QA" positions on Dice.com, Monster.com and other technology or game boards.  Even if you can't find a position directly relating to games, start out with other QA/Testing positions.  Getting a few months contract done will give you substantial experience and better chances for the positions you do want.  

Expand your connections, and get noticed online.  If you don't have one, create a LinkedIn.com profile.  Much of technology jobs today come from there now.  You can post your resume, get involved in groups of professionals talking about topics, and make a name for yourself.  I've been getting setup to be flown out for interviews with major companies that haven't even seen a resume yet, because of some of my statements on forums.

Is it Worth it?

While you can make a career out of Game Testing, and when you are starting out, 50k average salary can sound quite nice, it is often considered a gateway career for most.  Don't get me wrong, some stay in testing their whole lives, and its all about making games better.  That is a noble point of view, and our games a greatly improved by it.  

But it is a job.  It is serious.  There is a lot of work.  Even if you spend most of your time playing games you really enjoy, much it will be coming back every day and repeating the same level, with slightly changing glitches.  The exact things that would make you throw out a game at home are what you might find yourself doing day in and day out.  If you can't handle that, taking it up as a career, might make you lose your passion for video games.  

If you view it as a gateway, this puts you in contact with Game Developers, Designers, Artists, Managers, and other big names in the game industry.  While you develop your other skills, you'll find doors opening around you for Junior Developers, or Automation, which is a bridge position from Testing to Programming.  Or be able to talk with designers, and get tips and advice, and start learning things that will help you out greatly.