Thursday, June 3, 2010

Beginner Game Testers Wanted - Why Game Testers Are Needed

In a world where video games become more and more popular by the day, gaming companies must assure that the video games they release are completely playable and have no bugs or glitches. Because programmers cannot find every malfunction just by looking at the code, game testers are needed. It is their job to make sure that every character, map and weapon works perfectly.

Because not a lot of people are actually aware that such a job even exists, companies in this industry are having trouble finding people to test their games. Some have never played a game in their lives, some might just go through the entire game and report no bug whatsoever, even though glitches exist.

Speaking of what a game testing job implies, people usually have preconceived conceptions about it. First of all, game testers do not make $200 an hour just for playing World of Warcraft all day or whenever it suits them.

A beginner game tester's salary usually starts at $10-$15 per hour and goes up with the experience. That is why most of the advanced testers make about $40-$50 an hour or, for those who are truly committed and have a lot of experience, even about $80/hour.

In order to get a salary, a beginner video game tester is expected to make sure that going through the entire game is completely possible and report every malfunction encountered during playing. As well, game testers have to test every weapon, car or whatever and make sure they function properly.

This job may become really boring (as every other job) or even challenging, as sometimes testers are required to test a whole game in a matter of weeks or even days. When such situations occur, waking up at 2 PM may no longer be possible, but at least it provides the experience needed in order to get a better salary.

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