Video game testing is a lot more involved than just sitting in front of of a monitor and playing the newest and hottest titles from the couch before the consumer market. Every aspect from a game's storyline to the console it will be played on are meticulously assessed by video game testers.

Significance

The gaming industry and programmers rely heavily on video game testers to ensure the software is working properly at different stages of development. A few testers are privy to testing and developing a game's storyline, however, a majority of testers are employed simply to make sure a game responds well to console commands and avoids freezing up or crashing the game system.

Benefits

Employment perks include having a part in the process of how a video game is developed, as well as ensuring a game operates smoothly. Not only does a tester get to play titles before they are released to the consumer market, but they may also get official screen credit for their work.

Earning Potential

According to Careerbuilder.com, as of January 2010, the average salary for a video game tester in the United States is $64,760. It should be kept in mind this figure includes all levels of video game testing occupations. Some testers start at an average salary of $8 per hour.

Misconceptions

Video game testing is not all just playing the games. Comprehensive reports on game or system performance must be written, and testing the same game on multiple platforms may be required. An above-average video game tester should also be able to effectively communicate to a programmer exactly what went right, or wrong, and why, using technical programming language.

Warning

Some game testing companies do not guarantee employment every day, but have a sign-up sheet system in place each day for interested parties. Game testing in some cases is not steady employment. Although no complete studies have been published, some video game testers suffer from nausea and other health-related maladies due to excessive game playing.

Source:

VideoGameTimes.com: Video Game Tester

CBSalary.com: Video Game Tester Salary

More Information:

Seattle Weekly: Testing Video Games Can't Possibly Be Harder Than an Afternoon With Xbox, Right?