12. Game Testers

Did you know that you could play and earn? Game development is a multibillion industry, we all know about that, and game developers do not want to take any risks. That is the reason audience feedback becomes important to them. Just as movie producers guesstimate their prospects through the rushes they get, game developers guesstimate the prospects of their upcoming games through the feedbacks of game testers. Also, they come to know if there are any bugs in the game that need to be fixed before it can be released.

Sounds scrumptious, doesn’t it? Well, a game tester’s job is really like that. There are both paid and free game testing sites, but it is highly advisable to go for the paid ones because there is big money involved there. You can choose your genre of gaming. Whenever there is a game coming up in that genre – which keeps happening all the time – you can apply for testing that. You will be then either given a download link for the game (it could be a demo) or you could be shipped a disk of the game. You play it and answer what they are looking for.

There’s usually a questionnaire to be filled. Of course, there’s a deadline which you need to strictly adhere to. Sometimes you will be playing under pressure, but who’s complaining?

The following links will be useful to you if you are looking at an opening as an online game tester:

• Games Tester (http://www.gamestester.com/)

• Gamer Testing Ground (http://www.gamertestinggroung.com/)

• Video Game Tester Jobs (http://www.videogametesterjobs.net/)

This is a highly legal activity, with an organization built to govern its functioning. This is controlled by the International Game Developers Association, where you can also find a lot of information about the profession.

You can expect to be paid anywhere from $10 to $200 an hour depending on your reputation as a game tester and the company’s reputation. You need to make a start here to understand the vast potential that exists in it.

Image source: http://office.microsoft.com
Content from SWA e-book "Home Business Models - Exposed"

The above post is brought to you by Melanie Santiago, who enjoys helping people get started on their online journey. Click here to get to know Melanie Santiago better.