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Archived: Game Tester dream....

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Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 8:32 pm | #1

so ive come to the point in my life where i need to find a job (17) and ive spent the last few months doing application after application at various places around town and i hate how now is the time i get all the spam of the "Buy this we will show you how to get a job video game testing and blah blah blah" and of course i think "damn that'd be an amazing job to have" and i start thinking about for a while before coming back to reality... sadly. anyone else here do the exact same thing when they see things like this?

(bringing it up cause it just happened to me when i signed in on gamebattles)

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 8:34 pm | #2

Actually I been looking into it for a while now and I'm taking IT and networking gaming so I can do just that

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 8:38 pm | #3

Quote by xAnbu Warrior:

so ive come to the point in my life where i need to find a job (17) and ive spent the last few months doing application after application at various places around town and i hate how now is the time i get all the spam of the "Buy this we will show you how to get a job video game testing and blah blah blah" and of course i think "damn that'd be an amazing job to have" and i start thinking about for a while before coming back to reality... sadly. anyone else here do the exact same thing when they see things like this?

(bringing it up cause it just happened to me when i signed in on gamebattles)

Not sure where in Cali you are but if you look hard enough you can find a real job as a tester, testers sometimes start out as part of an internship but it is possible to get those kind of jobs. I did it for school for awhile for a small company in Chicago a few months ago.

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 8:39 pm | #4

Nice! Following the dream.

im in the LA area basically and yeah i kinda looked around a little

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 8:44 pm | #5

Game testing really is an awesome job. I worked a contract for Pi Studios here in Houston testing Rock Band 2, AC/DC pack and track packs 2 and 3. A bunch of my friends from work went on to test Beatles RB. The hours are brutal during crunch times but it's an awesome feeling catching a bug and seeing it worked out in the next build.

But there's no magickal formula for getting in. It also doesn't require any specific education as most companies will want all sorts of different people to test their software. What they do want is a familiarity with video games (of course) and computers (as you'll be writing and entering bug reports in to a database, most likely). More than anything, the company will want to know they can rely on you showing up and getting the job done, and that you're willing to put in the loooong hours during crunch time if need be.

When I first started getting in to the games industry, I took a few classes at my community college and had my eyes set on Austin because I knew of a few game companies there. I found out shortly after that there are 2 big and a few smaller game studios right here in Houston that I had never heard about. Ask a lot of questions of technology/games people at Gamestops, Best Buy, anywhere you can to find out what is available near you. You may also want to sign up for the Independent Game Developers Association mailing list, as this will give you a direct line to people in the industry. Check IGDA.org.

There is also a specific section on craigslist for software testers/QA positions (Quality Assurance, some companies separate this from straight testing) in most major cities. This is actually how I ended up getting the gig at Pi.

12/31/69 7:00 pm | #6

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Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 8:53 pm | #7

I would love to be a game tester. I had the chance to be an unpaid intern game tester but I turned it down, I regret that now.

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 8:56 pm | #8

interesting... im definitely hitting up craigslist lol and ill join the IGDA.

love the way you spell magical meta haha

Re: Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 8:59 pm | #9

Quote by Bovice63:

I would love to be a game tester. I had the chance to be an unpaid intern game tester but I turned it down, I regret that now.

Should've done it dude, I only did it for a few months but it was a great experience- even for not getting paid!

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 9:01 pm | #10

Checka check it out ya'll:

Craigslist - Atlanta - software/QA/DBA

Craigslist - Los Angeles - software/QA/DBA

Craigslist - Houston - personals - adult gigs

...er, oops, didn't realize that last one was still in my copy/paste clipboard :sorry:

:sorry:

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 9:07 pm | #11

nice... so game tester would be under what?

12/31/69 7:00 pm | #12

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Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 9:10 pm | #13

Game testing, if not listed as "game testing", will usually be under QA.

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 9:12 pm | #14

i know that but QA what?

Re: Game Tester dream....

11/08/09 9:19 pm | #15

You'll have to read the specific job posting. Sometimes they call it QA engineer but it's actually testing, or they may call it QA analyst, or they may just say software testing.

Also, FYI, once you have 2 years QA experience in any related field, you can be hired as a "Senior" QA or QA Lead. This will give you much better chances of job placement, as well as better salary and benefits once you are in with a company. This is why there are so many unpaid testing gigs at the bottom of the "ladder"--if you are serious about getting in to the games industry from the bottom (as opposed to getting a college degree in animation or C#) then you need to be willing to grind it for awhile and be dirt poor.

Any work experience will go on your resume for the future, and the other major benefit is that you will be meeting exactly the right people for your field. Take names, take notes, ask questions when you can. One of my tester buddies at Pi, only 17 years old, became an Associate Producer after 10 months because he knew his stuff and the right people. Another of my friends went on to Time Gate Studios (the company that did Section 8) straight from testing at Pi.

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