What Video Game Testers Actually Do For Their Job

Video game testers are often perceived as not having to endure the normal work requirements found in most jobs - that they are not required to work on a regular basis in an office or company workspace; that they get to make a great deal of money while playing games and telling people that they are having fun while doing so. The truth isn't quite so idealistic or glamorous. However, for those that are willing to work hard and put in the effort to develop their career, becoming a video game tester can be the best decision they ever made.

Game testers have jobs that enable them to make an excellent living - top testers earn up to 80k to 100k a year once they have racked up several years of experience and have advanced in their testing and technical expertise. Though entry level wages are closer to 15-20 and hour, for those that stick with it and make a serious effort at building a career as a professional video game tester, the rewards are great.

While video game testers have great jobs, and while they are not like most of your typical 9-5 workers, they do in fact have to get up each day, go to the office or testing lab and work on whatever projects have been assigned to them by their test leads - and projects almost always entail tight deadlines, particularly in the game and software industry. Game testers must exercise and test games rather than simply play them, and demonstrate that as professionals, they can go through a set test of test cases and scenarios, following specific configurations and processes, to test the game thoroughly and expose as many bugs as possible.

This process makes video game testers one of the most critical roles in the gaming industry. Video game testers contribute directly to the process and success of creating a game that is fun, playable, and functions precisely as it was designed to function.

For anyone interested in becoming a full time video game tester, the process starts by making sure they are ready for everything the career asks of them. Video game testers essentially learn to analyze something that is supposed to be entertainment. Video game testers work closely with various different builds of a game, writing down every bug that you encounter as you play the game and preparing various reports that will tell the other people involved in the creation of the game what you have encountered.

Game testers follow close protocols for how to test and report bugs and then repeat the process whenever a new build is released. Then may spend hours working on one menu or days on one level and when the deadlines get tight, they are often expected to work long hours.

However, what draws so many people to becoming a game tester is that they will often get to work in the same offices as the people behind the biggest and best new games on the market. They will be able to learn from the best testers and programmers in the industry. In due time, video game testers gain valuable experience and, if they choose, are able to establish a long-term career for themselves that moves beyond testing into roles such as game design, programming, QA management, graphic arts, or even the producer.

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 game testing jobs, as well as starting a video game testing career, visit http://hot-game-tester-jobs.com today!

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How to Pick Video Games Both Parents and Their Kids Will Love

To hear parents tell it, the perfect video game is educational, provides small life lessons, strengthens hand eye coordination, and keeps the kids entertained for roughly 30 minutes at a time. Listening to kids, however, it appears that educational qualities rank far below the needs for speed, action, rad moves, and great weapons. It is hard to believe that there are games which fulfill the requirements hoped for by both parents and kids.

Parents should always make the time to play the games alongside their kids; the only problem with using this approach to picking video games is the fact that the game is already in the house and the money spent. Opened games are rarely returnable and once they are in the house and their hot little hands, kids will not let go of games without a lot of arguing, complaining, and upset. Thus, making an informed decision prior to bringing the games home is a must!

So how does a parent go about picking out a video game for the children to play? Reading the back of the cover is unlikely to present a lot of information whereas the buzz on the Internet can be so forbiddingly filled with insider lingo that it is hard to discern if the game is appropriate, too violent, or perhaps even contains content that is objectionable.

At the same time, simply because a game is very popular and the evening news shows long lines of consumers waiting outside the stores for them to go on sale, does not mean that it offers the kind of game play the parent wants to invite into the home. Fortunately, there are five simple steps to picking video games both parents and their kids will love. These steps are not complicated, require a minimum of effort, and are rather reliable.

1. Check the ESRB Rating

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) developed a rating system that ranks game content according to age appropriateness. The ratings are "EC," "E," "E 10+," "T," "M," "AO," and "RP."

Games designated with an "EC" are educational and fun for preschoolers and young grade-schoolers. An "E" notes that the games are appropriate for all players, and while preschoolers might have more of a learning curve to get the game-play right, there is no objectionable content. Look out for games rated with an "E 10+" since these games are reserved for kids older than 10. Some mild language is usually incorporated into the game.

A game rated "T" is reserved for teens, and parents should know that violence, sexual innuendo, partial nudity, and also curse words are par for the course. "M" for mature indicates games for those over the age of 17 and the blood, guts, gore, and sex are legendary in these games. Upping the ante are games marked "AO" or adults only, as they are "M" squared. An "RP" rating simply means that a rating is pending, and parents should hold off on buying the game until the rating has been apportioned.

2. Read the ESRB Content Descriptors

Since preschoolers and grade-schoolers cannot simply be pigeonholed into age brackets, but should be much further differentiated by their maturity levels, parents will be wise to read the ESRB content descriptions on the backs of the video game packets. They list potentially objectionable content.

For example, "animated blood" refers to purple, green, or other kinds of unrealistic blood that may be shown during game play, while a listing of "blood" is an indicator that realistically depicted blood is part of the game play. Children highly sensitive to blood may not enjoy playing these games, even if they are rated for their age brackets.

3. Understand the Classifications When Shopping For Older Kids

Parents who have braved the age appropriate ratings, and also made it through reading the descriptions may now be stumped by a further classification: the kind of game-play their kids may expect.

Older kids may like "FPS" (First Person Shooter) games that put them into the action from a first person perspective, rather than seeing the character they are controlling doing the actions -- which is the case in "TPS" (Third Person Shooter) games. In addition, some games are classified by the kinds of content that provides the storyline, such as vehicle simulation games, strategy games, or sports and puzzle games.

Shooter games are the most violent while strategy games are perhaps the most educational. Puzzle games require strategic thinking but do not offer a lot of action moves that appeal to teens.

4. Visit the Game Platform Manufacturer Website

Parents may visit the website for the gadget that will ultimately allow the kids to play the video games. This may be the website for PlayStation, GameCube, Nintendo, Xbox, and a host of sub-platforms. The companies list the video games made for them, their ratings, and more often than not also post trailers, screen shots, and brief outlines of the actual game itself.

Although such a website does not offer an in depth and unbiased analysis of the game, it is a rather useful tool for getting a good feel about game play and content without having to rely solely on a rating, the back of a package, or the marketing efforts.

5. Check with Organizations That Offer Independent Game Evaluations

There are various organizations that are not tied in with the video game industry and still offer advice to parents. Some groups focus on the educational aspects while others are faith based and review the games from this angle. Find a group that meets your personal criteria and peruse the reviews on various games you are considering for your kids.

One of the most well known groups is the Entertainment Consumers Association that offers insight into the industry as well as the games. Parents who want more detailed information about the games they are considering will do well to visit the forums and websites of such groups and learn from other parents whose kids might already be playing these games.

Since these are interactive forums, parents have the unique ability to actually ask questions of other parents, and if there is a particular concern about a game, this is the venue where to get more information.

If All Else Fails

Of course, if all else fails, there is the old fallback on the classic games and characters. Crash Bandicoot, Mario, Spyro, and Pokémon are game characters which have been around for a while and in a host of incarnations. Even as the educational value of some of these games is debatable, they do offer rip-roaring fun, rad moves, and most certainly the entertainment value the kids appreciate most. At the same time, they eschew foul language, nudity, and explicit violence parents object to.

Parents in a time crunch or those who simply cannot find a game that meets their standards will usually find a winner in these genres. Moreover, since they are part and parcel of a popular series, parents and kids can make the buying decisions together. For example, the popular Mario games offer offshoots like "Luigi's Mansion" that offers the exploration of a haunted house, while other offshoots are cart racing games.

Completely different game play -- yet the same reassuring characters and the same level of appropriateness -- make this a premier opportunity for parents and children to agree on the game play the kids would like to try out, while staying away from potentially objectionable games that offer similar game play.

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