Game Testers!

[suaknee]

Anybody do this for a living?

I'm interested, please discuss. Good stories, bad, any info is appreciated.

[azndoc]

Talk to Lisa

DRavenS13

She's is pretty much the resident expert on that shit.

GL

[suaknee]

word thanks

[suaknee]

anybody else chime in

[azndoc]

Nope nobody else needs to.

I already gave you the knowledge.

It's what you do with it that counts.

[Vision Garage]

haha. yea she works at EA. But she said that it SUCKS!

[muddafakka]

There was a time that being a game tester really sparked my interest. Of course, it was too good to be true. I talked to a few people in the industry and they said it's not what most people think...obviously.

They make you run through the games to find bugs, glitches, and other problems and report back...sometimes it can be a very repetitive process. You really have to have an eye for that kinda stuff. You'll fill out detailed reports on what problems there are and so forth. Playing the same levels over and over, etc. until the problems are gone. You've really gotta have it in you...I mean really be a die-hard gamer to do such a job. There's a lot more stuff to it I'm sure but from what I was told, that's basically it. Looking for errors and stuff.

If you're still game, best of luck with that. I take it you're in the central Fl. area?

[DRavenS13]

If you value your life, don't work as a game tester.

It is NOT the way to break into the business.

If you want to pursue a career in the game industry, go to school and apply as a producer or programmer, or higher.

You don't want this job, no matter how glamorous Grandma's Boy made it out to be.

[2Slow40]

Yeah I always heard game testing sucks ass.

You don't really play the game the way you do at home. You have to do the same repetitive shit over and over trying to find problems and what not.

[DOOK]

Grandma's Boy was a kick ass movie... "Drive Monkey... Drive"

[ManoNegra]

You have to do the same repetitive shit over and over trying to find problems and what not.

That and you don't get to pick which games to play.
How does debugging 'Barbie's Makeover Party' sound to you?
Knew a guy that did it because he was desperate for a job. He hated it.

[kdashy]

I know its not the same but I do DVD video testing.

You like to watch tv and movies right?

Not fun when you're doing the same three episodes of Dora the explorer for 4 hours.

Video games are even less linear than that.

[DRavenS13]

I've worked in this shitty company for almost 2 years.

It doesn't give you anything but added weight, a bad back, carpal tunnel and bad eyesight.

Yes, you play really shitty games 95% of the time, and even when they give you theoretically good games, the people that produced/designed them did a crappy job.

You can't even play regular games on your own anymore, because you just get tired of it.

That's not even to mention how management will treat you.

There's no benefits, you have to bitch and fight to get your raises, and it does get EXTREMELY repetitive.

I guess it's cool if you're going to school and whatnot, it's just a way to get a paycheck, but if you're looking for something fun, this is not it.

Don't buy into the hype, or what you think it might be- all of those that have come into this job with the highest hopes, come out of it totally dissatisfied.

[jrocslider]

and that pretty much sums it up.

end thread/

[!Zar!]

Yeah, I use to do it for a while, trying to meet deadlines and playing games; most are horrible. For hours on end.

Then once you're finished, you have to write up any and everything detailing what you experienced. So hope you are good at essays and what not.

I wouldn't suggest it. I tried telling my friend not to get into it, next thing you know, he went for it anyways. Sooner or later he quit.

Why? Because they want you to put in many hours. You'll be surviving off caffeine and junk food. Not to mention the late nights you'll be putting in...

[DRavenS13]

It's 130AM right now, and I'm still here.

[!Zar!]

See what I mean.

hahaha.

[TheWolf]

Yes I did that as well... for a while... thought it was cool for the first 8 hours... then it got seriously old... Especially if it's like a mmorpg your testing.. Then if you actually happen to like the game.. There's a solid 50/50 chance they will bungle the launch and or dick the testers characters... or you'll report on a flaw that would allow an exploit.. they don't think it's important enough to fix and leave it in so then after 3 weeks of launch every noob is running around in some mine shaft looking to kill x person 45000 times because they can automate it and get to level 50 without doing anything.

Yeah just don't do it... Pay sux as well

[LeftNutOfGowd]

I remember i wanted to be a game tester back when i was in jr. high / high school then i started to do more research on it and i came to realize that it was a shitty job like DRaven said its cool if your in school and just trying to get a paycheck

[ManoNegra]

Reminds me of when we would work on porn at the old job - catagorizing, tagging, database, etc. etc.
Sounds really awesome until you get to the gay porn or granny gangbans...

[ZX88]

my buddy does game testing in nyc he was really excited to start until he found out that he would be a tester for children games lol.

[origin_s135]

damn i was thinking about getting in to game testing too. i change my mindddd.

[kdashy]

What's with all these guys in their mid 20s wanting to do game testing.

Didn't you guys give up the dream when you finished Jr high.

[2Slow40]

YouTube - pure pwnage-gametester (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqm4SBPpGgw)

"Take your pony to the well.... your pony died cause it wasn't pretty enough....
Ah.. ahHHHHHHH"

[suaknee]

thanks for the great input everybody. I actually am just asking for a friend, I was going to lend him the money to get started. I guess I might just not want to put my friend through this torture after all.

[flip3d]

anybody have some of sophie's tea?

[norcal_black240]

If you don't want to have game testing as a career but have the perks of a game tester do this.

My friend use to buy games, beat them, then send in a few page review he thought of the game and what was good and what needed improvement. Several companies liked his ideas and input so now they send him new games for free before they hit retail, he plays the game, and gives his feedback on the game to the game makers.