Land a Job as a Video Game Tester

Land a Job as a Video Game Tester

By Jason W. Bay

Copyright 2015 Jason W. Bay

Smashwords Edition

www.GameIndustryCareerGuide.com

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy from anywhere it’s sold. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

IS THIS BOOK FOR YOU? WHY SHOULD YOU READ IT?

WHAT IS GAME TESTING?

WHAT DOES A GAME TESTER DO?

WHY IS GAME TESTING NECESSARY?

QA TESTING VS. PLAYTESTING

WHAT ARE SOME PROS AND CONS OF BEING A TESTER?

HOW MUCH DO GAME TESTERS GET PAID?

TESTER SALARY DATA

FACTORS THAT AFFECT SALARY

CAREER ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

WHY IS QA TESTING A GOOD WAY TO START A CAREER IN GAMES?

CAN YOU MOVE FROM TESTING INTO OTHER GAME JOBS?

JOB SECURITY

HOW TO FIND BUGS

METHOD 1: AD HOC TESTING

METHOD 2: TEST SCRIPTS

METHOD 3: COMPLIANCE TESTING

PLAYTESTING AND BETA TESTING

HOW TO REPRODUCE BUGS (AND WHY)

HOW TO WRITE A BUG REPORT

ANATOMY OF A BUG REPORT

TOOLS FOR BUG REPORTING AND TRACKING

HOW TO VERIFY THE BUGS ARE FIXED

HOW TO REGRESS BUGS (AND WHY)

SOFT SKILLS EVERY TESTER NEEDS

BE A GAMER AND LOVE GAMING

TEAM COMMUNICATION

OWNERSHIP AND SELF-MOTIVATION

DETAIL ORIENTED

TECHNICALLY MINDED

WHERE TO SEARCH FOR JOBS

WHAT IF THEY REQUIRE EXPERIENCE, AND YOU DON’T HAVE ANY?

HOW TO APPLY FOR A JOB

WRITING YOUR COVER LETTER

WRITING YOUR RESUME

HOW TO INTERVIEW FOR THE JOB

THE PHONE INTERVIEW (PRE-SCREEN)

THE FORMAL INTERVIEW

AFTER THE INTERVIEWS

ACCEPTING A JOB OFFER

WHAT’S IN A JOB OFFER?

FULL-TIME VS. TEMPORARY JOBS

SHOULD YOU ACCEPT THE OFFER?

CONGRATULATIONS!

APPENDIX A: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSIONAL GAME TESTER BILL SCHNEIDER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Is this book for you? Why should you read it?

Are you passionate about video games? Have you wondered how you could turn your skill with games into a career as a game tester? If so, you’re not alone. At my game career website, I get hundreds of questions from people that want to become game testers. Do these sound like you?

"I’m 18 and just need a job as a game tester, but I have no idea where to start."

– Alex

"I spend so much time and dedication playing games, I feel I should get paid! Please send me some guidelines to help me get started on this path."

– April

"How would I find a stepping stone for becoming a game play tester? Where I can give my first professional attempt to test a video game or project?"

– Nehamiah

"I can’t find a single Game QA/Test job.

What should I do?"

– Dylan

"I’ve wanted to test video games for some time now but I don’t know where to start or what to look for to get into the career."

– Anthony

"I truly do have a passion for games, just have no idea where to truly start at. Any advice will do me some good."

– Randy

"If you could help me out, it could change my life."

– Colten

For people like Dylan, April and Colten starting out with no experience, it’s hard to get a job for one major reason: They don’t know the basics. So when they interview for a job, the company knows right away that they don’t know what they’re talking about – because they don’t.

To make things worse, a lot of people want to become game testers, so there’s major competition for each and every game-testing job in your city. When you apply to a testing job, your application will be just one in a stack of hundreds. How can you stand out?

Do you think you could get a job as a Video Game Tester if only you had the right job knowledge, knew how to build your skills,