Playing games for a living
The term indoor games has reached a new height with the invention of video games, which form an approximately $25 billion industry. Craze for video games has spread across the globe like a wildfire among all age groups. Giants like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are shelling out millions of dollars for game production every year.

Testing games has become a core part of the production process. Every game, before its release, is tested extensively by video game testers. Needless to say, companies are more than willing to pay a huge amount as salary to professional video game testers.

Testers Inc.
A video game tester works like a quality control analyst in the video game development process. He analyses the games for defects in functionality, software problems, performance and playability of the game. Building the concept of the game and the final version takes anywhere between one to three years, after which the work of a tester starts.

Usually, testers get a particular game in different versions, wherein they map the errors and forward the report to the production team. Once the testers get a version of the game, they then start to play the game, carefully analyzing along the way all the faults and glitches in the game.

Learning the ropes
A long time back, when the video games had just made an entry in the market, the entire testing was carried out by programmers. This was because games were simple and did not require more than one or two rounds of testing.

With a passage of time and multifarious developments that have taken place in the video gaming industry, games have grown to be more complex. This has led to a need for professionals who specifically handle the testing stage of a game’s development. The new age video game tester takes care of the tasks mentioned below:

• Committed to help better the software/game

• Ideally work on one game from start till end thereby understanding every nuance of the game

• Might be required to work on more than one game at a given point of time depending upon the scale of the game(s)

• Completely responsible for extensively testing his portion of the game. Testing could either be of a specific part of the game (like functional testing or usability testing ) or it might be about testing every aspect of the game assigned

 

• Work in coordination with a team of software developers and testers carrying out software test procedures developed by test engineers

• Execute comprehensive test plans, test cases, and detailed tests in order to ascertain whether the game is in good shape and can be launched in the market or not

• Enter and keep a track record of the defects in the reporting system besides justifying repair of the reported defects in game(s)

The winning shot
In order to excel in the field of video game testing, a passion for gaming is an absolute necessity as the job would require you to play numerous games throughout the day. Given below are some other quintessential traits which would help assure your success in this field:

• One of the pre-requisites is to qualify as an expert video game player as your job would require you to play video games at every level

• You should have at least a high-school diploma or a college degree. However, in order to achieve a higher post or to become a video game programmer, a degree in computer science is necessary

• Good verbal and written communication skills with an ability to pen down your thoughts and views clearly is important

• You should know how to use gaming software with ease, in addition to Microsoft office products, and have thorough knowledge of Windows and other operating systems

• Strong analytical skills along with a keen eye for details is an important trait

• You should be able to work independently requiring minimum supervision

• In-depth understanding of development processes

• An excellent understanding and knowledge of PC and video game console testing environment

• Ability to work under strict deadlines and to solve complex problems while juggling multiple tasks

Learn the art of playing
As mentioned above, you do not necessarily require any specific education in order to become a video game tester. However, love (even obsession!) for video games, good knowledge of computers, and an analytical bent of mind are the three integral traits which stand as your prime educational qualification in this field.

Due to steadily increasing competition in the field of video game testing, a number of universities and institutes across the globe have started offering both minor and major degree programs in game testing. Since this course is still relatively new, you might across institutes or universities which provide video game testing as part of the syllabus of computer science program or video game design and development program.

Some of the institutes and universities offering a course in game testing are mentioned below:

• Renssekaer polytechnic institute: B.S. in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) program

• University of Southern California: Information technology program (video game quality assurance program)

• Case School of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences and the Cleveland Institute of Art: Advanced Game Design Project course

• University of Louisiana: Introduction to video game design and development

Usually there are no specific pre-requisites for taking admission in these courses.

Irrespective of the fact that there are no specific requirements for venturing into this sphere of gaming, most of the companies prefer candidates who have some sort of a qualification in the field, especially if they do not have any relevant experience.

Play hard to earn the moolah!
The salary of a tester varies according to the country you are based in. As a beginner, in video game testing, you can be paid either on hourly basis or be offered a fixed income. In the US, you can earn anywhere between $10-$12(approx. Rs. 400-Rs. 500) per hour as a freelance tester.

As a full time internal job tester, average income for a beginner ranges between $30,000-$35,000 (approx. Rs. 11,90,000-Rs. 13,90,000). After gaining some hands-on experience, this field can be a very lucrative option. For instance, after working as a tester for around 3-4 years, you can expect a package well over $40,000(approx. Rs. 15,90,000).

Incentives could also be a part of your pay package. There are some employers who pay bonus for per bug or fault that you find in the software.

The action begins
With growing popularity of video games and the escalating competition in this field, job opportunities are tremendous in the gaming industry. Most quality assurance testing jobs are found at game publishers.

Large game publishers ideally have a huge number of programmers handling the development of the game and a team of testers to locate and give suggestions on how to rectify the bugs.

It is unlikely that there will be a dearth of jobs for talented testers as programmers and developers of video games need professional people who can help them in finding problems with graphics, music and general working of the game.

As a tester you can learn to play the game of testing first and once you become a pro at it you can move on to be a part of the game development business.

Jobs for a video game tester incorporate testing for the release of games of Xbox 360, Playstation 3 (PS3), Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii and more. Genres for testing are wide including Sports Titles, RTS, FPS, MMPORGS, strategic games, action and adventure and much more.

One interesting trend seen in the arena of gaming is that increasingly, a large number of women are becoming professional gamers. Since this field allows one the liberty and comfort to work from home, it becomes even more convenient for women to handle their household chores while juggling with office work.