Game Tester Salary - How Much Can You Earn?
Ask the question: "if you could do anything as a job, what would it be?" and the response for most gamers will be the same - a video games tester. Little wonder. Play video games all day everyday, and then get paid for the "effort"? That has to be one of the sweetest rackets going on.
To the overwhelming majority of people, the mere idea of being paid cold hard cash for the privilege of playing games all day is just enough. On hearing that they do not wish to probe any further , they just want the job. This is a real shame because if they did dig a little deeper, they would realise that the job is a LOT tougher than that, and it's not suitable for everyone.
Testing a game is often a tedious, dull, time consuming affair because the tester will be playing through the same segment of the game over and over in an attempt to remove any bugs, glitches and technical issues that may decide to rear their ugly heads. The process is an intricate and pain-staking one, and doing the same thing over and over can really take its toll.
A tester must ensure that they take precise and meticulous notes during their sessions so that the coders can then work out the problems in the code. Communication is a critical skill for video game testing as the tester must be confident enough to report the findings direct to the technical department so that they can use that information to good use.
Therefore, it should be (hopefully) clear that video game testing is not quite as enjoyable or as fun as simply blasting a few multiplayer games with your pals but there can be no denying that yes, the job does involve a lot of playing. That then leads us on to what most people ask next - just how much can the game tester hope to earn?
First and foremost, it is important to appreciate that there are a number of different factors that come into play when it comes to this issue, although by far, the two most important and obvious of these are time involved and the level of experience of the tester. When you compare the typical salary of a video games tester to those of other personnel involved in the game production process, it deosn't look great in comparison, but then it's one of the few positions in the industry available to someone without a college degree. Another key variable is the quality of work of the tester, i.e. how accurate they are with their reports, how well they spot bugs, how effectively they communicate their findings. Roughly speaking, the typical average rate clocks in at the 20-30 dollars per hour mark, and it provides the tester with something much more valuable than just money - experience, and a "foot in the door" of the games industry.
To the overwhelming majority of people, the mere idea of being paid cold hard cash for the privilege of playing games all day is just enough. On hearing that they do not wish to probe any further , they just want the job. This is a real shame because if they did dig a little deeper, they would realise that the job is a LOT tougher than that, and it's not suitable for everyone.
Testing a game is often a tedious, dull, time consuming affair because the tester will be playing through the same segment of the game over and over in an attempt to remove any bugs, glitches and technical issues that may decide to rear their ugly heads. The process is an intricate and pain-staking one, and doing the same thing over and over can really take its toll.
A tester must ensure that they take precise and meticulous notes during their sessions so that the coders can then work out the problems in the code. Communication is a critical skill for video game testing as the tester must be confident enough to report the findings direct to the technical department so that they can use that information to good use.
Therefore, it should be (hopefully) clear that video game testing is not quite as enjoyable or as fun as simply blasting a few multiplayer games with your pals but there can be no denying that yes, the job does involve a lot of playing. That then leads us on to what most people ask next - just how much can the game tester hope to earn?
First and foremost, it is important to appreciate that there are a number of different factors that come into play when it comes to this issue, although by far, the two most important and obvious of these are time involved and the level of experience of the tester. When you compare the typical salary of a video games tester to those of other personnel involved in the game production process, it deosn't look great in comparison, but then it's one of the few positions in the industry available to someone without a college degree. Another key variable is the quality of work of the tester, i.e. how accurate they are with their reports, how well they spot bugs, how effectively they communicate their findings. Roughly speaking, the typical average rate clocks in at the 20-30 dollars per hour mark, and it provides the tester with something much more valuable than just money - experience, and a "foot in the door" of the games industry.
About the Author:
For a free report on how to break into the games industry, and start earning a game tester salary visit betagamestester.com and download the free ebook to learn the secrets of how to test games for a living.
