If playing video games is the love of your life and you regularly spend time doing this, then surely being paid to play would be the ideal career? The question is, do these jobs exist in the real world?
The video game tester job really does exist, but maybe not on the terms you'd expect. The idea of earning a career from this hobby has been poisoned by many get rich quick online schemes.
If you're going to secure one of these dream roles, you need to have your facts straight, your expectations tempered and your hard work boots on. Then if you take into account the five points below, you'll put yourself in a strong position to make money playing video games.
1. Don't fall for the scams that you'll find all over the internet. If you type 'video game tester' into a search engine hundreds of results will come flooding back to you, linking websites to your search term and on these websites various e-Books will promise you riches.
Obviously, not all of the online e-books are scams, some do work and you can make money from them, but many more aren't worth the money. Look for realistic earning goals.
New video game testers won't achieve much more than $7-$10 an hour when they start out in this career. Experience is counted on previous roles within the industry, not how many hours you've played COD non-stop. You'll need to graft to show willing and work hard to make opportunities your own.
2. Develop real world skills for a real world job. Video games companies make vast multi-million dollar products and as such employ real employees in office roles. You need to be able to communicate with these staff members, even if you get a rare chance to work from home. You'll need to be articulate and have a firm grasp of English, both spoken and written.
Your communication skills will come to the fore during conference calls, either in house or via Skype. It matters little how well you perform your role if you can't make valid points clearly and concisely.
3. You must show determination and follow this up with perseverance in all areas of this career. This phrase applies to pretty much every career and video game testing is no different. If you lack these facets to your character you must acquire them to avoid failure.
Becoming a QA tester will not be an easy road to success. You'll no doubt experience plenty of setbacks and rejections, so turning this negative into a positive will determine your success in the long run.
If you need to study at an institution, either full time or via night classes, you have to have the will to stay the course. If you lack certain skills or qualifications, do something about it, just remember the goal you're striving for.
4. Professionalism will set you apart from your peers, but make you ultimately more employable to companies. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can earn large amounts of money by sitting on a bean bag at home all day gaming and snacking away.
If you're lucky enough to work from home you'll still need to follow the rules, regulations and working practices of a normal job, which is to say working hours, reporting and regular communication.
More over the likelihood is that you'll be going to a workplace, in which case you'll need to adhere to possible dress codes and behavioural standards.
Your resume will play a key role in getting your foot in the door in the first place. Make sure this is current, detailed and lists all relevant qualifications. Quality assurance is the role you'll be applying for so don't put video game tester anywhere on the page!
5. Your goals should be realistic and achievable, so that you don't become overly disappointed early on. The gaming industry is flooded with potential new testers and it will take time to find your path.
Many factors will come into play, including experience, how you present yourself and even luck. It might take much longer than you expected to secure that first illusive video game role, so be patient and grab any chance that arises firmly with both hands.
Even if you go the e-Book role in the beginning to make pocket money, be realistic as to how much money you can make.
Keep the realism point in the back of your mind at all times. Playing video games for fun won't be the same as playing them for a living. You'll be most likely testing certain parts of a game to find code anomalies and this might involve massive repetition to prove there is a fault.
Quality assurance testing is a job not a hobby. Keep this thought in your mind and every action and you'll avoid the pitfalls of your peers who expect an easy ride.
The video game tester job really does exist, but maybe not on the terms you'd expect. The idea of earning a career from this hobby has been poisoned by many get rich quick online schemes.
If you're going to secure one of these dream roles, you need to have your facts straight, your expectations tempered and your hard work boots on. Then if you take into account the five points below, you'll put yourself in a strong position to make money playing video games.
1. Don't fall for the scams that you'll find all over the internet. If you type 'video game tester' into a search engine hundreds of results will come flooding back to you, linking websites to your search term and on these websites various e-Books will promise you riches.
Obviously, not all of the online e-books are scams, some do work and you can make money from them, but many more aren't worth the money. Look for realistic earning goals.
New video game testers won't achieve much more than $7-$10 an hour when they start out in this career. Experience is counted on previous roles within the industry, not how many hours you've played COD non-stop. You'll need to graft to show willing and work hard to make opportunities your own.
2. Develop real world skills for a real world job. Video games companies make vast multi-million dollar products and as such employ real employees in office roles. You need to be able to communicate with these staff members, even if you get a rare chance to work from home. You'll need to be articulate and have a firm grasp of English, both spoken and written.
Your communication skills will come to the fore during conference calls, either in house or via Skype. It matters little how well you perform your role if you can't make valid points clearly and concisely.
3. You must show determination and follow this up with perseverance in all areas of this career. This phrase applies to pretty much every career and video game testing is no different. If you lack these facets to your character you must acquire them to avoid failure.
Becoming a QA tester will not be an easy road to success. You'll no doubt experience plenty of setbacks and rejections, so turning this negative into a positive will determine your success in the long run.
If you need to study at an institution, either full time or via night classes, you have to have the will to stay the course. If you lack certain skills or qualifications, do something about it, just remember the goal you're striving for.
4. Professionalism will set you apart from your peers, but make you ultimately more employable to companies. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can earn large amounts of money by sitting on a bean bag at home all day gaming and snacking away.
If you're lucky enough to work from home you'll still need to follow the rules, regulations and working practices of a normal job, which is to say working hours, reporting and regular communication.
More over the likelihood is that you'll be going to a workplace, in which case you'll need to adhere to possible dress codes and behavioural standards.
Your resume will play a key role in getting your foot in the door in the first place. Make sure this is current, detailed and lists all relevant qualifications. Quality assurance is the role you'll be applying for so don't put video game tester anywhere on the page!
5. Your goals should be realistic and achievable, so that you don't become overly disappointed early on. The gaming industry is flooded with potential new testers and it will take time to find your path.
Many factors will come into play, including experience, how you present yourself and even luck. It might take much longer than you expected to secure that first illusive video game role, so be patient and grab any chance that arises firmly with both hands.
Even if you go the e-Book role in the beginning to make pocket money, be realistic as to how much money you can make.
Keep the realism point in the back of your mind at all times. Playing video games for fun won't be the same as playing them for a living. You'll be most likely testing certain parts of a game to find code anomalies and this might involve massive repetition to prove there is a fault.
Quality assurance testing is a job not a hobby. Keep this thought in your mind and every action and you'll avoid the pitfalls of your peers who expect an easy ride.
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