Since it is National Game Day, I often wonder if my son Mason would grow up to be a video game tester. I know all kids love to play games; but this kid...he's great at it! I mean...like crazy great. He's very intelligent; so not only does he beat these games, he can take them down in a day! That's some accomplishment. I wonder if his calling is to become a Video Game Tester? Let's find out.

WHAT DO GAME TESTERS DO

Game Testers actually have a pretty important job in the gaming industry. They play different versions of games that are in development; they report any bugs that they find along the way as well as other defects they might run across. When they find a bug, they have to figure out how to reproduce it and type up a bug report. Game Testers also attend meetings with development teams...but mostly...your job is to find bugs, describe bugs, and write a report about them. If that sounds like fun to you..then this might be your thing.  Do they ask you if you like the game? I don't think so. Do they care if you like playing the game? I don't think so. Does it take the 'fun' out of playing games?  Probably not.

SKILLS YOU NEED

A Video Game Tester is considered an entry level job; so a college degree is not necessarily required, unless you are wanting to move up into other more challenging jobs in the company. You DO need the following:

  • FOCUS
  • GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS
  • A GREAT ATTITUDE
  • DETAIL ORIENTED
  • WILLING TO MOVE TO A MAJOR CITY
  • WILLING TO WORK IN AT THE COMPANY FULL TIME

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN YOU MAKE?

There is no magic number here. As it is considered an entry level position at most game companies, you could be paid hourly or with a salary. According to ziprecruiter.com, the average salary in 2018 for a video gamer is around $50,000. Not bad for not having a college degree.

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