The turnover in their QA departments is higher as a result. They also use more contract and temporary testers. The studios that treat the testing group as a separate “service” group tend to pay less. What I’ve observed is this: Studios that treat testers as a core part of the development team, also tend to have better pay. They’re viewed as key partners in developing video games that are stable, bug free, and fun. At others, the testing and QA groups are treated better. Unfortunately, many studios treat their QA department as second-class citizens – and pay them accordingly. Not all game tester jobs are created equal.
#HOW TO BECOME CRITICAL OPS BETA TESTER SOFTWARE#
Try searching for job titles like “game qa tester,” “game tester,” or “game quality assurance.” Another common approach is to start as a tester in a non-game software company, and then move to games once you have experience on your resume. There are many testing jobs available, but they have different names depending on the state, country and game company. I did go to school to learn programming, but only after I’d started my QA job.Īfter you’ve done your research on what a video game tester actually does, you may wonder about a more practical matter: What is an average video game tester salary? Search for Game Tester Jobs Later I went on to become a designer and an engineer, and eventually a director in charge of multiple departments. I began my career in quality assurance (another name for testing, or QA). In fact, I’m the poster boy for starting as a tester. Even the old standbys of “rock star” and “pro athlete” have been bumped off the wish list, replaced by something that once seemed out of reach: a job as a video game tester.īy now, most grown-ups know that getting a job as a video game tester doesn’t mean you sit around and play games. But it’s still a great way to break into the game industry. When I was a kid, everybody dreamed of growing up to be an astronaut or firefighter, a ballerina or doctor. Things have really changed! Ask a modern kid what they want to become.
Other factors that affect Tester salary.
Why shoot for the moon when Reach and Pandora await you? Table of Contents See the annual pay for all video game jobs here. This article is part of the Video Game Developer Salary series.