Land a Job as a Video Game Tester

By Jason W. Bay

Learn how to land a job as a video game tester from game industry expert Jason W. Bay! Anyone can get a job as a video game tester, but even after you learn the basics, there’s major competition for each and every testing job in your city - your application could be just one in a stack of hundreds. How can you beat the odds to make sure you’re the one that lands the job?

Jason W. Bay has spent more than 15 years in the video game industry. He started as a game tester and worked his way up to become the head of a large game studio, so he knows exactly what hiring managers are looking for in a job applicant. In this book, he teaches you the essential game testing skills so you can feel confident applying for jobs, and then walks you through the entire process from resume to job offer so you can land the best job possible. After reading this book, you’ll know exactly how to:

Find and report bugs using the most popular testing tools
Write a resume that gets noticed, even if you don’t have any experience
Find the best testing jobs, while avoiding the many Internet scams
Apply for jobs at game companies you admire
Compare job offers to select the one with the best pay and perks
Master the unspoken “soft skills” that companies demand from game testers today

This book is everything you need to launch your career as a video game tester. What are you waiting for? Your new career starts today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason W. Bay
• Release date: Feb 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310654510

Jason W. Bay

Jason W. Bay is the creator of the Game Industry Career Guide website, where he publishes insider information and inspiration to help thousands of aspiring game developers start and build their careers. Jason has spent over 15 years in the video game industry in many roles including tester, designer, writer, programmer, technical director, and director of studio operations. He's been a featured presenter at international game industry conferences, written for industry magazines, and worked with top game development schools to help students get hired. Connect with Jason on Twitter @YourGameCareer, or swing by his career website for a ton of free info about game industry jobs at: www.GameIndustryCareerGuide.com.

Book preview

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,