So you have decided to become a video game tester – congratulations! The career path is a great one, and there will always be high demand for skilled video game testers. Becoming a game tester is a great way to get started in the video game industry. Doing so will enable you to use your creative skills and technical knowledge in such a fashion that will permit you to build things that others will experience and enjoy. Keep in mind, however, that there are some things you should know about becoming a video game tester before jumping into the field head first. Knowing the details that others may neglect to inform you of will make all the difference in building a long-term, successful career for yourself in the video game industry.
We’ll begin with the skill set and experience you should have to make a great start in the video game industry. This is an important factor that many who are passionate about becoming a video game tester neglect to investigate. The most important elements are as follows:
o Gaining Experience with Software Testing – At a fundamental level, testing video games is no different from standard software testing. Acquiring basic software testing skills, knowledge and understanding will help you immensely in establishing yourself as a serious candidate for becoming a video game tester.
o Testing Aptitude – If you are seriously committed to becoming a game tester, developing an aptitude for ‘breaking things’ is a critical skill set. While you don’t want to become an irritant for every minor flaw, you do want to develop a good sense as to what constitutes an actionable bug, as well as the critical attitude needed to expose flaws in the code. Learn what is needed to be able to analyze a game and determine how one can break it.
o Education – One of the great things about testing video games is that a college degree isn’t necessary. However: The more education you have in this field, the better your prospects are for long term career growth. In order to advance beyond basic black-box testing, you will need to acquire more skills. There are many options beyond college coursework, such as online classes, employer training, self-study, certificate programs, and so on. Some of the many options available might include straight programming, design work, and graphics artwork, as well as project management and QA leadership.
These are the three most important areas to develop in becoming a video game tester. You will find that hiring managers focus most on these three areas for the many people attempting to gain employment as a game tester. In the fast paced gaming industry, you should be prepared to be able to meet these criteria, or have a plan in place to develop your skills in all three.
Fundamentally, becoming a good game tester involves the ability to think quickly, problem solve, design good test cases and scenarios, and communicate in a effective manner the issues you discover. Developing your skills in these areas will establish you as a competent professional, as someone who knows what they are doing and is able to develop clear plans of action for everything they are assigned to test. For those who are able to bring these skill set to an employer’s table, you will have everything you need to succeed in a career as a professional video game tester.
The Fundamentals of Becoming a Video Game Tester
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