Being a video game job tester is not all it’s cracked up to be. If you are considering taking on videogame job testing as a potential side career or a part-time job in addition to your day job, please read ahead for some information that not everyone knows. Here is some background to get you started.
Video games have stages of development and for good reason. They have multiple stages of testing, two are beta and alpha. While alpha is mostly for people who work for the company or the families of those workers, beta is for people like you and me because the company is simply trying to get every possible configuration and possible way of playing the game out there to stress test the game itself. Also beta testing can be done for multi player games to stress test the servers it is played on.
There are a few things you should always keep in mind when considering becoming a video game beta tester as a job or career path. Keep these things in mind when you are deciding whether or not you want to approach this venue. Personally I suggest you go for it, there’s no real downside and you always can make a few extra bucks on the side.
1. This can be a full-time working career if you put alot of effort into it, but I think it’s best to keep it as a part-time and keep it light and fun for you. Otherwise it quickly becomes a chore, and the fact that you are at home, and YOU decide your hours means you will soon be slacking off and not earning nearly as much as you did before.
2. Being a beta tester does NOT mean you are playing video games for fun. This is a real job and should be considered as one, meaning you need to be very careful in how you execute your job, and you need to put in the hours to get money out of it.
3. The pay can be fantastic considering you don’t need a formal education or a real background to go into this industry. It can also be seen as a stepping stone to try and edge your way into the industry, but honestly it’s not nearly as effective as trying to be a graphic artist or programmer and getting in from there. The pay can be upwards of 40+ dollars per hour but you need to realize that’s with alot of report writing, alot of grueling hours spent whittling away at a game and a lot of cursing.
4. So the good parts are? Well let me tell you. Considering how you don’t need any former job, the pay’s pretty good. I mean, you are playing video games, which if you love them is great! And you also get to do it at home, and YOU decide your hours. Which can be a burden or a relief if you have something else you need to concentrate on, for instance going to college or starting a business.
