| Video game testing is a multi-billion dollar a year | | | | hour. Just from hearing that you must have |
| industry and it's a career that will give you a | | | | gathered that this job is an extremely important |
| stable way of life. Video game companies are | | | | one, why would they pay you so much if it |
| paying a lot of money for people like you to play | | | | wasn't too important to have testers? |
| their video games. All you have to do to cash in | | | | Just like in any other industry out there, there is a |
| on some money is play their pre-released video | | | | process called field research. In the video game |
| game and report back any bugs that there might | | | | industry game industry field research includes |
| be. This is a win win for you because you get to | | | | testing their games. They need you to play their |
| play copies of games that haven't been released | | | | products for several reasons. If they don't test |
| yet and you get paid to play them. I know it | | | | their products and release it with several bug they |
| sounds like it's too good to be true but this | | | | will lose a lot money from people returning the |
| profession is a proven career that has been | | | | game, from people spreading the word that the |
| reported by big companies like Google, ClickBank, | | | | game is buggy (loosing potential customers ) and |
| and yahoo. All of this raises one question, why the | | | | they will lose brand loyalty. This means that their |
| hell are these companies paying people to play | | | | name will be tarnished and that people will be |
| their products? | | | | more reluctant to buy a game from that |
| Becoming a video game tester is a relatively easy | | | | company. It is also critical to have an outside |
| task to accomplish. There are a lot of e-books | | | | perspective to their product; they will collect all |
| out there that will show you how to start of | | | | the information from the testers. They will then |
| making money from playing games. The basic | | | | pass this data on to the marketers that will use it |
| tester gets paid about $30/hour and an | | | | to develop a good market campaign designed |
| experienced tester gets paid roughly $60+ an | | | | around the information collected from the gamers. |