Reality Check 05.14.09: The Gamer Dream Job

Posted by Alexandra Pusateri on 05.14.2009

This week, Alexandra Pusateri talks about the average gamer's dream job: video game testers.

Have you missed me? Thanks, finals at University of Memphis. You rock. If you're new to my column, I don't blame you. You might feel like you haven't needed a reality check, but here's where it hits you: maybe there's a lot of things that surround the video game industry that you don't necessarily think about. How, do you ask? Just let me, Alexandra Pusateri, open your mind to the world that doesn't just encompass the number of frags you have or how many pixels your HDTV counts. This takes gaming to a whole new level. Reality Check is back this week to talk about a popular, but misunderstood, game job.

If you missed my last column, Reality Check has taken a bit of a detour. Two weeks ago, I wrote a column about video game podcasters, who bring almost an ESPN-like commentary to the gaming industry. It spawned an idea to do a mini-series on game jobs that aren't really well-known, or ones that have been misjudged by the gaming community.

Those in this industry – no matter the job – work very hard to do what they do. Just because it's an entertainment industry doesn't mean all play and no work. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of the gaming industry, with game testers being the most frequently misconstrued.

A lot of gamers have said that their dream job would be to play video games. The first thing the average gamer thinks about is being a video game tester, who is hired by a game company to play their game and check for bugs. To this average gamer, video game testing seems to be the best job ever: sitting around, playing video games all day, and being able to get paid for it.

These gamers have a lot to learn.

Game testers have to deal with the tedious job of playing a game's level over and over again, paying meticulous attention to everything. If there's a quirk that's not supposed to be there, you're the person to catch it. Even though you might like playing your favorite video game repeatedly, you may be hired to play a game you don't like or wouldn't necessarily play. You have to be just as enthusiastic as you would be playing a game you love.

Arma "FLitz" Ricketts is a former game tester for Activision, who worked on Guitar Hero: Smash Hits. His work started from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, playing the game for any glitches. "[Often], my fingers were so stiff; I just couldn't do it anymore," he says, but long days are a mainstay in QA – or quality assurance, which is the department that handles testing. Not to say that Ricketts didn't enjoy it: "I loved that I was contributing to something I had such a passion for. One of my friends after finding out I got the job said, ‘Dude, you've been training your whole life for this job.'"

Ricketts worked on Guitar Hero: Smash Hits from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM on an average work day.

Not all game testers have that same experience. Karla Starr wrote an article titled "Testing Video Games Can't Possibly Be Harder Than an Afternoon With Xbox, Right?" for the Seattle Weekly back in 2007. In it, she describes her experience working with Volt, a contracting company that hires game testers in the area. "The end of my first full day of testing is also the end of the first time I've played video games for eight straight hours, by far my longest-ever stretch," she wrote. "The last two hours, I feel nauseous."

Starr was contacted after replying to a help wanted ad in Seattle, looking for game testers. She interviewed Marcus Courtney, president of the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, who described the game tester pool almost like the old deckhands of the 20th century: "You go there, and you kind of hang around, and they say, ‘All right, we need five guys to help unload this ship—you, you, you, you, and you. The rest of you come back tomorrow.' It's not any different."

Apparently, many would-be testers don't even show up for their shift – which can start as early as 7:00 AM. This causes the managers to pull from a list called the Bullpen, a signup sheet that allows impromptu testers to be called upon if someone's a no-show. Starr was turned away her first day, thanks to someone from the Bullpen.

Video game testing is nothing like this.

But before you might even consider applying for that tester job or adding yourself to the Bullpen, you may want to prepare yourself. And this doesn't mean just warming up your thumbs: "A lot of patience is required," Ricketts says. Testers are under enormous pressure, having to fit specific deadlines and goals. If you do your research, like Ricketts did before he got his job, you should be fine.

But game testers also need to be open to criticism. "It is a good little door for those trying to get into the gaming industry," Ricketts says. "[but] I hope they have a thick skin." Comparing it to Hollywood, Ricketts says some in the game industry might look down on you for being a game tester, but it's a good way to work your way up.

The job, while glamorized, can get you some nice cash – eventually. An average tester with less than three years experience can earn you $32,000 a year, according to Animation Arena. Not until you get over six years experience will you start making over $50,000 a year.

If you're not worried about becoming rich from playing video games, then the job may be for you. Becoming a game tester isn't all that difficult, Ricketts says. Networking can only help you, so if you know someone who is a tester, be sure to mention them. You also need your brain: "Make sure you know your games, and know how to break them, as well as have keen writing skills."

Some may call game testing an unrewarding job, but Ricketts feels differently: "I loved watching it grow, looking back at the [previous versions], attempting something that I had written up as a bug, [and] seeing it fixed. Leaves a warm, fuzzy, numb feeling in the left arm and being [happier] it isn't a heart attack or a stroke."

Ricketts now co-owns The Nerdiest Kids, a website started by a bunch of G4 fans writing game news and reviews, with an ever-growing community.