Get Paid to Play Games - How to Get a Job As As Games Tester

Getting paid to play video games - it's every gamer's dream job, but what if it was actually possible? Well the fact is that games all around the world get paid to play games every single day, and yet most people are totally unaware of the vital role they play in the game development industry.

Back in the 1980s computer and video games were developed by small teams on low budgets. Often one programmer would also do level design, graphics and testing. These days things have changed, and video games are big business, with big budgets and teams of developers. In fact, the worldwide video games market is now estimated at over $50 billion each year, and with individual games having multi-million dollar budgets the role of the game tester is now vital.

Games testers really do have a dream job - after all they get paid to play games! However, it's not all fun and games, it's a serious job and games companies only want gamers who are professional and have the skills required to deliver results.

Games testers usually begin working on a particular project once a game reaches around 50 - 70% completion. Up to that point the testing is usually carried out by the development team, but once levels start being created, and more complex features are added to a game it becomes essential for a team of testers to start playing the games over and over, finding bugs, and ensuring that the game plays properly.

While the idea of playing a video games over and over again for hours might sound like fun, in reality it can be a tiresome and frustrating job. Often the same level, or sequence of actions must be completed over and over again to test specific functions or previously fixed bugs. And all the while the tester needs to be logging their actions, carefully reporting bugs and anomalies that the development team can then fix or change.

Not everyone is suited to being a games tester. While many people are attracted to the idea of playing games and getting paid for the privilege, in reality it takes a certain type of person to excel in this career. Good games testers are methodical, skilled at gaming, and good communicators, being able to relay their findings to the development team. Since the majority of testing is done during "crunch mode" near the end of the development cycle, testers must also be happy to put in long hours and late night playing games over and over.

So if the long hours, repetitive tasks, and frustrations at having to try to find the same bugs over and over again don't worry you, and you can log those bugs methodically and communicate them to the developers, then you might just make a good game tester. There are of course additional bonuses, other than just getting paid to play games. Game testers get to play games months before the general public, they can get access to consoles and platforms that aren't get available, they get free games and hardware, and most importantly they get their "foot in the door" of the games industry, which can lead to design and development jobs in the future.

The best past about being a games tester is that it's possible to do it from home, setting your own hours, and deciding how much or how little you want to earn. It's not always easy to get that first testing job, and a lot replies on knowing the best ways to approach the games companies, and having the right contacts, but once you get your foot in the door you'll be the envy of all your friends as you get paid to play games for a living!

For a free report about how to get paid to play games visit http://www.betagamestester.com and learn how you can become the envy of your friends and become a part time or full time video games tester.

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Video Game Tester Jobs - 7 Simple Steps Towards Getting Hired As a Video Game Tester

Video Game tester jobs are highly sought after by those of us who love playing video games. What gamer wouldn't love to play and test games for a living? But if you have never worked in the video game industry, landing your first game testing job can seem a bit intimidating. What skills are needed? Where does one apply? What should be put on one's resume? What about interview preparation? Don't fret - we all have to start somewhere, and if you are determined to start a video game tester career, there is a simple, yet highly successful process that anyone can use to make it happen.

By following this 7 step process, you will land your first game testing job. This process is what we have discovered to be the most bullet-proof method of landing your first game tester job, as well as for starting a career as a video game tester.

Getting Hired as a Video Game Tester in Seven Simple Steps

First, you simply must enjoy playing games. Many people think being a games tester would just be an easy job, but without a sincere passion for gaming, just showing up for a paycheck simply doesn't work. If you don't sincerely love playing video games, then when the time to ship the game draws close, and everyone is putting in long hours to find all those remaining bugs in the game being tested, you won't be enjoying yourself.

Second, learn that video games are software, and should be tested as such. Learn how to test the game as software, not simply a game. Discovered bugs aren't simply a problem with the game play; they are most likely code bugs in the software. Learn the fundamentals of software testing, and you will find a lot more bugs, and soon become the leading bug finder on your team. This will make you a rockstar game tester, and the jobs will come to you as your reputation as a video game tester grows.

Third, don't limit yourself to testing only one gaming platform or company. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo are the big three, but if you limit yourself to only one of those, you limit the game tester jobs and opportunities that are available to you. Learn to use the PC as a gaming platform if you don't already, and you will rapidly increase your video game tester job opportunities.

Fourth, acquire some game testing experience before building your resume. There are numerous video game beta tester opportunities that are free to apply for, and although they are unpaid, you will gain valuable experience.

Fifth, learn a few things about the video game industry. Having a basic understanding of what it takes to design, market and ship a game will impress potential employers to no end, and put you way ahead of the pack of ordinary game testers.

Sixth, determine which company or companies you would like to work for. Many jobs are on-site, meaning you will have to live or work where the actual company is, but many companies will hire people to test their games at home, on their own systems, so your geographic location doesn't have to be an obstacle.

Seventh, after following the first 6 steps, it will be time to build your resume and cover letter. You will now be able to really showcase your passion for video games, as well as show your potential employer you know something about game testing. This will give you a significant advantage against other entry-level game testers, and insures you will be hired for your first video game tester job!

Jonathon Halston has been testing video games for a living for almost 12 years. After starting out doing contract video game tester gigs, he soon became a full-time Software Design Engineer in Test at a World Class Software Company, and still tests and plays games every chance he has. He is dedicated towards helping others get started in the career that has been so rewarding for him, and delights in seeing others achieve their dreams. To learn more about how you too can get hired for video game tester jobs, as well as starting a video game testing career, visit http://hot-game-tester-jobs.com today!

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5 Tips to Becoming a Video Game Tester and Getting Paid to Play Video Games

Do you want to know how to get paid to play games? As in get paid to play video games? Well you've come to the right place if the answer to that question was "yes". The way that people that get paid to play video games make money is by becoming video game testers and working for game companies to make sure game releases are top notch. But how can you become a video game tester and actually make money by at home video game testing? Here are five simple tips that will keep you on the right track:

Work your way up from lower companies, like indie developers and online Flash game makers, to the big dogs like Insomniac or Bandai. It'll take a while, for sure, but you should just keep trucking away until you're fairly well respected. And after you're well respected you will really be raking in!

Don't expect a big payday right away- you can certainly earn $30 per hour when you get the hang of it, but initially you'll be working for lower rates at about $10-$15 per hour. That may not sound too exciting, but what other job lets you sit back and relax doing something you enjoy to make money like being a video game tester? What other job will let you get paid to play games? Video game testers definitely have it made when you look at it from this light, no?

You might also want to expand your resume in another way. Work a little elsewhere in the field. By this I mean simply try your luck at learning C++ or another programming language. Having the skills of a game developer will give you a better shot at getting hired to get paid to play games.

Be well prepared for rejection. The simple fact is that game developers don't particularly have a need for beta game testers and at home video game testing is so scarce because of this. But if you are really persistent and keep heading out there to find the jobs instead of waiting for them to come to you, then you will almost certainly be getting paid to play games in no time!

Do it for the love of the game. Sounds lame or cliche, but the truth is you really do need to have a passion, a great passion, for all thing gaming before you seriously consider becoming a game tester who will get paid to play games.

Those tips are what got many people started in successful video game tester careers. For more information on becoming a game tester, who gets paid to play games, you should check out some of the resources at the Get Paid to Play Games. This site is written by an experienced professional in the video game industry (even though he's only 19) so you can bet it's a pretty useful resource. Check it out if you have the time and really want to become a beta games tester and get paid to play games!

Click here to visit the site now!

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Game Tester Jobs - 5 Tips For Getting a Games Tester Job

If you asked 100 gamers what their dream job would be, I'd bet that a very large percentage of them would put video game tester at number one. Getting access to the hottest new games and consoles months before they're released, spending all day playing those games, and getting paid for the privilege certainly ticks all the boxes for many people. While the realities of game testing sometime don't quite live up to the dream, with extremely long hours, highly repetitive testing procedures, and frustrations at not having bugs fixed, there is no shortage of people competing for game testing jobs. Here are the 5 top tips to help you land a job as a games tester:

1. Contacts are the key

The old saying of "It's not what you know, it's who you know" certainly applies to the games industry. Simply writing a letter or email to a development company, or calling them on the telephone will rarely get you so much as an interview. Knowing exactly who to contact at a company, and their preferred methods of contact is essential. Getting that contact information from an inside source, such as an existing games tester or developer will have the single biggest effect on your chances of becoming a games tester yourself.

2. Sell yourself

What differentiates you from every other applicant? In order to get your "foot in the door" you need to sell yourself, show off your potential and explain why you're the best person for the job. The way to do that is with a well written resume. A resume for a games tester job is different to a resume for a typical office job, and more focus should be on your enthusiasm and ability to put in long hours playing difficult and frustrating games, and your ability to communicate the bugs you find, than on more traditional business attributes. Again, finding a games tester, or developer who can share their inside knowledge with you is your best chance at success, but failing that take advice from anyone in business or management and ask what they would want to see in a resume. Just make sure you get three key points across - your versatility, your creativity, and your burning passion to play games!

3. Be flexible

If you want to work as a games tester you'll need to be flexible. That means testing whatever games the company is currently developing, and that won't always be the ones you enjoy playing. You'll need to stay focussed, and put as much effort in when given an assignment to test a puzzle game or a word game as when you're testing the latest and greatest FPS or RPG.

4. Work on your communication skills

Even more important than your ability to play games and find bugs, is your skill in communicating what you found to the development team. That means carefully logging your play and the bugs you find, and clearly and specifically telling the developers where you find those bugs. While you don't need to be a word class writer, being able to get your message across is essential so work on your writing and typing skills to prove to your potential employer that you can be taken seriously! If working from home you'll be communicating via email so it's essential that your writing is clear and won't be misunderstood by the developers.

5. Get educated

Game testing is one of the only ways to get your "foot in the door" of the games industry without a college degree. Enthusiasm, good communication skills and an ability to work long hours is more important than a formal education, but that doesn't mean a lack of education is a positive thing. It's always good to get more education, whether it's a college degree or an evening course. Even a part time or evening course will show to your potential employer that you're serious about personal development and commitment.

Testing games really is a dream job. Whether you're working on site at a development company, or working from home and getting paid to play games in your spare time, it's a great way to make a living. Getting started is the hardest part, but by following these tips you'll give yourself the best chance of getting accepted as a games tester.

For your FREE GUIDE about how to get a games tester job visit http://www.betagamestester.com and download How to Be A Game Tester. You'll find out how to get insider contacts in the games industry, exactly what to put in your resume, and other top tips to getting paid to play games.

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Game Testing Jobs - Becoming a Top-Gun Video Game Tester by Learning Software Testing Fundamentals

An important step towards getting hired for all the game testing jobs you want is to become a really a great video game tester - the star of the team, or at least co-star. Achieving that level of competency involves moving beyond the what - finding bugs - to the how. How, exactly does one uncover flaws in the game? Ultimately, most bugs will fall into two categories - either design and game play bugs, or code bugs.

Understanding that you aren't simply testing a video game, but rather, are testing software, will help a great deal in finding and isolating bugs to hand off to the developers to fix. There are universal principles to the discipline of testing software, and when applied to testing video games, understanding these fundamentals will skyrocket your bug count - and your salary. You will then find employers begging to hire you, and will have all the game testing jobs you could possibly want.

Software testing is ALL about finding bugs - the more the merrier, the earlier, the better. "File bugs early and often" is a great philosophy to bring to the table, as the earlier the bugs are filed in the development process, the easier and cheaper it is to fix them. But as with so many things, what is easy in theory is more difficult in practice - it isn't until all the code is hooked together, "integrated", that end-to-end testing of the game and game play is possible. So most game testing jobs are advertised in the alpha and beta release cycles - but the closer one starts in the alpha phase, the better.

At this stage in the game (pun intended), it really pays off to perform what is called integration testing. Do all the major elements of the game integrate well together? Or is sound out-of-sync with video? Does player speech sync with mouth movements? Are sound effects in sync with player action? Does the game save to disk, if designed to? Is the game compatible with all supported operating systems? These are just a few of the high-level areas one will want to investigate.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty, one should design a matrix that covers all major elements of the game and integration, then break each of those areas down further. As an example, consider item storage. What are the various means of acquiring items? Buying, finding, looting, and trading are the major ones; don't forget quest rewards. Once acquired, do they stay in storage upon exiting the game and then returning? Can you trade with other players? If you drop it, does it stay dropped? Can you sell items that you found? Made? Traded? Stole? As you can see, the possibilities are truly endless.

Game testing jobs consist of considering these details and possibilities. The strategy to deal with such a huge number of possibilities is to build a test case matrix based on how often a given scenario or test case is likely to happen. One then categorizes the individual test cases and scenarios based on priority: P0, P1, P2, etc. So obviously, buying and selling an item and ensuring it stays in storage are pretty essential functions to the game - these would be P0. Being able to sell a quest item you stole from a looted corpse, less so - say, a P1.

These are just a few examples of applying basic principles of software testing to video game testing. Applying these principles will drastically explode your bug count, making you stand head and shoulders above your typical video game testing peers. Adopt these principles, and learn the fundamentals of software testing, and the number of game testing jobs you can get hired for will simply explode.

John Halston has been testing video games for a living for almost 12 years. After starting out doing contract video game tester gigs, he soon became a full-time Software Design Engineer in Test at a World Class Software Company, and still tests and plays games every chance he has. He is dedicated towards helping others get started in the career that has been so rewarding for him, and delights in seeing others achieve their dreams. To learn more about how you too can get hired for video game tester jobs, as well as starting a game testing career, visit http://hot-game-tester-jobs.com today!

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Paid to Play Video Games - The "Video Game Tester" Fantasy

Every day around the world, some gamer out there is thinking; "wouldn't it be great If I got paid to play video games?" To them, it's just a fantasy and they don't take the thought seriously. That's too bad because it is very possible to get paid to play video games. If you continue to read this article, you'll find out how.

Before you understand why anyone would want to pay you to play video games, you need to understand how the gaming industry works. The gaming industry is a high-stakes industry, with a lot of money on the line; $50 billion a year is taken in by this industry. A singular flaw that slips past programmers and hits the video game market can cause severe consequences for any company; for instance, mass returns, complaints about the company's lack of dedication, negative word-of-mouth publicity as one gamer tells the next and so on and so forth. The result of one simple bug or glitch can cost a company millions of dollars and cause employees to lose their jobs. It may be a bit extreme, but that's how serious the video game industry is.... One screw up with one game could end it all.

Here's how this type of catastrophe is avoided -- game developers pay video game testers to go through their game and look for bugs and glitches. They also pay them for general feedback on the game's interface, design, and it's overall performance & "fun" rating .

The fact of the matter is game developers and programmers approach video games in a very different matter than regular gamers do. Their main focus is writing code and developing the game's engine, not playing the game itself, which is exactly why they need video game testers. The testers job is to basically play the game like a machine and tediously go through all the different levels many, many times while searching for problematic bugs and glitches.

Video game testers can work directly with the programmers and developers, but generally speaking, most seasoned testers prefer to work at home rather than at a video game testing center. The company will send the games they need tested via snail-mail. The video game tester will then sit down and play the game using the instructions given, making crucial notes along the way. If a bug is found while playing, they must know what actions led up to the triggering of the bug and document those things accurately; he can;t just say "there's a bug in the game."

If you're interested in becoming one, I urge you to to explore the different resources that are out there. There are certain characteristics you need to have in order to get paid to play video games. Most of them are quite easy to improve upon, while others, not to much. Either way though, the benefits of being a professional video game tester are tremendous; especially when you consider that you're doing something you're passionate about and making good money at the same time.

Sean Saunders Spends Most of His Time Playing Video Games And He Now Has A Very Successful Career as a Professional Video Game Tester. If You Too Would Like To Get Started With Paid Video Game Testing, Visit Gamer-Testing-Ground.com, The Number One Resource For Video Game Testers Everywhere.

If You're Not In A Big Rush To Get Your Testing Career Started and Would Just Like More Information on Video Game Testing, Go To... http://www.squidoo.com/BeAVideoGameTester/

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How to Become a Video Game Tester

Video game testing is one of the lucrative ways to earn money part time working as a video game tester. The video game industry is a multi-billionaire company, and it makes revenue more than the movie industry yearly. In order to make sure the games they send into the market are delightful to game players, there is need to scrutinize the games to make it a high quality type.

Functions of a video game tester

The role of a video game tester is to detect bugs, art glitches and other various bugs made at the various stages of game production. Video game testing is not an easy job, it requires a college degree with some years of experience, one with a technical know how is at an advantage. Video game testing is necessary for the quality control section of video production. As an individual who plays games for fun, you are only qualified for beta testing. Game designers believe that if the games go into the market without taking time to check for errors, bugs and glitches at all levels of the game production, it may not sell out. So if you are a game player and you want to make some money testing video games, you are qualified for a beta game testing. After doing beta game testing for couple of months, it would be easy for you to upgrade to fulltime game testing for that company.

Requirements

Anyone can be a beta video game tester in order to detect bugs. Unfortunately, they only accept people from 17 years and above. Meanwhile, if you are able to present yourself as a professional game player, you are likely to get the job. How do you present yourself as a professional video game player? It's by telling them the number of years you've been playing games, types of games you own and the ones you've played before. Think of anything that is likely to enhance your chances of getting this job and don't hesitate to make the company aware of it. The more you convince them with believable evidences, the more your chances of getting this job.

Compensation

The most exciting stage of a video game testing job is when you are paid for your hard work. Most people can't wait for this day to come their way, they will keep on looking at their calendar and counting the days by number, hoping and praying for their payment day to approach fast. All the same you worth it, after all, you worked for it.

The salary of a video game tester normally ranges from $6 to $150 per hour depending on the number of hours you spend testing video games. For some people, it's a huge amount of money and with it you could settle one or two problems. The method of payment they pay through is check. Well, not all beta game testing are paid for but you stand a chance of getting the full version of the game some days before it's released into the market.

Process of Applying

It's not easy to get a video game testing job but it's possible. You need to start by checking the websites of game designers like Electronic Arts, Code Master, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft Xbox; you can name the rest of them. While searching around their websites, you might be lucky to run into a game testing opening. It will also be nice if you contact them through email or phone number to enquire for any opening. I recommend you contact them through phone; it will take time before you are replied through email.

If you have a friend that works in a game designing company, you could ask him to connect you to a game testing job. It's easier that way.

Another way is to check classified sections of newspaper, game magazines. There are websites online that post video game testing opportunities more often in their database. This is another way to get a video game testing job, you are likely to find one at classified sites like craigslist or kijiji and other websites you know that talks about games related issues.

GameTestingGround is a site that contains step-by-step guides on how you can learn the works of a video game tester and they also have listings of video game testing companies hiring all over the States. Visit them today and begin your video game testing career. Check it out at http://gamertestinggroundreview.blogspot.com/

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How To Become A Video Game Tester - What You Need To Know!

How To Become A Video Game Tester is a commonly asked question onlin, probably because it seems to be such an attractive job! Just imagine being able to get up and the only work you had to do is get paid for playing video games.

That said and it sounds wonderful in theory but what do you need to know to learn How To Become A Video Game Tester? Today I am going to tell you a bit about how video game testing begun and explain why it is not as simple as just playing games for money!

When video games first started in the 80's there really was not much need for video game testers as a lot of the testing could be done by the programmers who were designing the games. This was mainly due to the size of the games that were being designed. As time went on and the video games became more complex there became more and more bugs in the games that the programmers themselves simply did not have time to spot or test for.

This was when the video game tester was born! The reason being was if a game was released that was too buggy and it got bad reviews then this would lead the video game company to lose a lot of money!

So what does a video game tester actually do?

Well in short what a video game tester does is during the building of a particular video game, when it is nearly complete say 80% it is up to the video game tester to play the game and test for any errors or glitchs that may be in the gameplay, normally they are called bugs.

To learn How To Become A Video Game Tester you will need ti have good attention to detail and excellent communication skills as you will have to relay the info about the video game directly to the company or you might have to write it to them.

The pay for a video game tester can be quite high but does depend on your experience, also if you are wanting to know How To Become A Video Game Tester it is advisable to get a video game tester job part time at first and build up some experience to get the higher paid jobs!

So what can you do to learn How To Become A Video Game Tester?

The first thing you should do is seek out a video game developer as this can be an excellent starting point and they are the most likely to be able to land you a job. Although if you are not lucky enough to know a video game developer then I suggest you search the net for websites of game development companies and either search for video game tester jobs on the website or give them a call!

There are loads of video game development websites out there so if you ring enough you should strike gold. Another way you can learn How To Become A Video Game Tester is to search the net for sites that have done all the hard work for you and contain databases of video game tester jobs!

I hope this has helped you learn How To Become A Video Game Tester and helps you find your dream job!

Michael Fieldings is a qualified computer programmer and has ten years experience in IT. He writes articles and product recommendation on anything that can better your IT World!

For more info on How To Become A Video Game Tester and to learn how you can get your dream job in as little as 1 week Click the link below How To Become A Video Game Tester

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