Landing your dream job: Steps to becoming a video game tester

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Over the past decades, the industry of video games has been evolving rapidly. Today, there are over 2.5 billion gamers all across the globe and the worth of the video games market is expected to cross the point of 90 billion dollars in 2020.

The growing demand for video games implies the growth in need for game QA specialists as well and the growing worth of the market indicates that this demand will rise even further in the upcoming years.

If you’ve been immersed in the video entertainment medium and looking to obtain a well-paid job, the role of video game QA tester may seem to be a dream job for you. Not only it will give you access to the latest products before they are released, but this job is also perfect for all video game lovers who don’t mind spending long hours testing fun and exciting products.

What does it take to become a video game QA? In this post, we are going to share a comprehensive guide that will help you learn what this job is all about and how you can become a QA game tester yourself!

Quality Assurance Game Tester: Job Introduction

In a nutshell, a video game tester is a quality assurance engineer who specializes in testing games. It is an expert, whose role implies playing the newest video games prior to their release to ensure that every part of the product works as supposed and that there are no bugs in the system that can negatively affect the end-user experience.

The role of game QA services is huge. In the process of testing, specialists ensure interactivity and overall quality of a specific game, thus, ensuring it will not contain any problems and glitches by its final release.

With that being said, it becomes clear that the role of a quality assurance games specialist implies huge responsibility, as the quality of the final product and, respectively, its success, depend heavily on how well a specialist can do his job.

How To Become A Quality Assurance Tester Video Games: Step By Step Guide

The good news for all video game lovers out there is that pretty much anyone can become a game tester. In essence, all you need for this job is a passion for video games, knowledge of the industry, testing processes, and tools.

The guide provided below will set you on the right track, help to gain an advantage over competitors, and finally get your dream job.

Let’s look at the steps you need to take to become a video game quality assurance specialist and succeed:

1)      Expand Your Technical Knowledge

Although not all companies will require you to have a degree or certification, having one will definitely set you apart from the competition. Therefore, if you want to stand out and succeed, consider obtaining relevant education.

2)      Make The Most Of Public Testing Opportunities

If you are a true fan of video games, you might already know that many companies encourage users to participate in public beta testing of their products before they are officially released. Companies do this to get feedback from their end-users on the quality of their games and detect possible bugs. Participating in public testing will help you gain your first experience in game testing and get better career prospects.

3)      Develop The Right Skills

The skills you possess are at the core of the testing process. The more well-rounded you are, the higher are your chances of succeeding as a game QA specialist.

Here are some of the main skills you will need to develop:

• Focus and persistence;
• Attention to details;
• Technical writing;
• Thorough knowledge of the gaming medium and relevant terminologies.

4)      Search For Jobs

First of all, it is vital to know where to look for game QA jobs. At this stage, you need to decide whether you are searching for an on-site or remote QA game tester position. There are plenty of part-time and contract openings that allow you to work from home. Such offers can be found at freelance job search websites like Upwork, Fiverr, Gaming Jobs Online, etc. However, in some cases, it may make more sense to search for a full-time position in a reputable company, as it will give you a number of benefits like financial stability, health insurance, retirement benefits, and a unique opportunity to learn from professionals.

Another way to find openings is to look for them at the websites of gaming studios. As a rule, they post an announcement about open positions right on their websites. 

Hopefully, our guide will help you define the steps you need to take to become a game tester. Follow these tips to make your first steps to enter the video gaming industry and become a successful tester. Good luck!

Editor’s Note: Kate Zalozna. CTO at QA Madness. I’ll share my knowledge and experience of implementing QA strategies and ensuring their alignment with a company’s business needs. After working in QA and software testing for over 9 years, I have a lot of things to share.

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