i am looking for a job as a game tester but cannot find much information so i figured weres a better place to find some info then a game forum.

que 1 what is the aage limit to become a game tester
que 2 when should i try to get hirred as one
que 3 what are the qualifacations
que 4 what is the annual pay
que 5 will i enjoy it.

as no one can can be bothered to reply i will try
1:depends where you live( so prob max would be 21)
2:at a games company(check their official site and see if they are hiring just do what it says)
3: not sure but and extensive knowledge of game mechanics and such would prob be one(so someone who has worked at a games developer before would be a good example)
4:depends who and where
5:well if u want to do it just so you can play games before not really as you would normally have to go to every nook and cranny looking looking for bugs and glitches and playing through very early stages of a game.

im sorry for pretty bad answers but i thought i would at leasdt try and answer them as no-one else has but im sure someone else could give a much better explanation.

Umm, why don't you just Google it and find some information?

I think you have to do such wonderful things as playing the same sequence going everywhere in the map it's possible to go, with every possible permutation of items or other variables.

Sounds fun

1. age of being legally employable (you didn't say where you're from so don't know an exact age)
2. when you are best able to work a full time position and likely some overtime as well, and when you have the qualifications
3. attentiveness, ability to finish what you start, knowing to not try and solely test common things or patterns but try other things people might not normally do to try and find bugs/errors, follow-through in properly reporting/reproducing them
4. depends on where you live, what company, etc.. check your local ads for pay.
5. who knows? I enjoyed testing but I burned out of games because of playing them for work so often and not leisure, I was a heavy gamer then and it conflicted with testing games.. no idea how you would deal with it.

You just described my playstyle.

Apply directly to whatever game development company you want. If it's gamesas, they don't read comments here, so it holds doubly true.

I would hate to be a game tester. CRASH, BUG REPORT, REPEAT. No thanks.

Yeah that's pretty much how I imagine the usual day of a game tester is.

I think only the calmest of the calmest would be able to do the job without without having furniture and controllers flying all across the room. Also you'll be hating the game before it even is released.

This. I've occasionally done software testing in the past and it is very, very boring. Probably a guarantee that you'll hate the games in question and will never want to see them again. What it isn't is just sitting around playing games all day, saying "yeah, it's awesome" and getting paid for it.

It does require proper use of language skills to file those error reports. Also, you probably think it'd be fun because you get to play games. It isn't.

You don't play games for enjoyment as a game tester. Unless you enjoy re-testing each revision of the game until the bugs are fixed.

1. Most places depend on the normal age of employment.
2. When? Any time is really a good time, check when places are hiring and send in a résumé.
3. Qualifications are going to be a little different, depending on what the company is looking for, best to check their website for the job description.
4. Annual pay is something that'll again be different wherever you go/whatever you end up doing.
5. That is really the most important question. It's certainly not for everyone and there are going to be bad days, but speaking from my own personal experience, I absolutely love it. If it's something you're going to get passionate about, you might too.

False.

Would you agree that it's probably not what most people would expect it to be? My experiences of testing were that it required far more methodical thought and routine than my mind is really capable and willing of committing itself to.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get into video game QA? Do you have a background in programming/some other area of software/game design and see this as a way in, or did you come into it without any sort of prior experience just because you liked the idea?

In general, do you get people who stay happily in testing for their whole career/time at the company or do most/all view it as a stepping stone to other jobs in the industry?

Absolutely, it's not all fun and games (besides the fact that we're making both fun and games). The worst question I ever hear is "Oh, your job is just like Grandma's Boy, right?" The reason for that is two-fold. The first, I didn't see that movie forever, almost to the point where I wasn't watching it out of spite, and when I finally saw it I thought it was just an all around bad film. The second is, no, that's not what we do.

Although I did have a light (emphasis on light) background in programming and game design, that's not what I had in mind when I started in QA. I honestly really liked the idea of working here, and I'm still quite happy with it.

I've seen both kinds of people come through QA. There are some that use it as a stepping stone, definitely, but there are others who do really great work here in QA who stick around for the love of the job.

The minimum age is usually 18 (though I tested a Looney Tunes game at 13)

Whenever you want. I'm not a life coach.

I believe a background in QA would be preferable, but the qualifications could be just age and locatuon depending on how "deep" you want to get

Varies greatly, but I would pick this as a side job...

If it is the kind of game you enjoy, you will. But when I tested that Looney Tunes game, I got bored of all the questions pretty quickly.

Alright, another svcker to test Barby island adventures.

GameTesting is Called "Quality Assurace" from what ive read abotu it its more about playing the same 3 mins sequence 300,000 times an hour or turning on and off the console repeatedly

the only tiem i saw an actual advertisemant for peopel requesting one for video games was 2 towns over for me and i was like fuuu :/

/
You're in luck, cause I'm a game programmer.

1. advlt, so 18 or 21 depending on country. As it is with most jobs. I guess in theory you can be younger in some countries but I doubt you'll have a chance.
2. When you finished studying. Or whenever you got other experience as tester. You won't get into a big game studio as a paid tester without experience and qualifications, as with any job.
3. Well, you need to know most of what there is to know about test theory, which isn't totally peanuts. Then having a decent understanding of development might help (I hate it when they can't follow the processes behind what's on the screen), you probably need 3-5 years of prior experience as a tester, preferably also in games (yes, chicken and the egg...), etc.
4. Depends on where you live and your level of competence and experience. Also depends on the company and the current economics. If you live in western europe or the US, I guess anywhere between 1500 and 6000 a month.
5. Nope. I am pretty much 100% sure that what you think the job is about, isn't what the job is about at all. You don't exactly PLAY the game (well, a bit...), you try to break it by doing the must stupid things a player might accidentally do, and you methodically test each and every bit of game anyone can think of. It has very very little to do with actual game playing. You won't have a save game of a character you're progressing with. You test small bits of the game in a closed environment.

But if you like games, I don't want to not recommend pursueing a career in them. I enjoy it very much. Edit: development that is, I'm not a tester (although of course I do some QA on my own work, I'm not that arrogant)

Sounds like my usual playstyle.

*Runs away from angry QA mob*

On top of what others said, I think I read it's only a minimum wage thing anyway. Nowhere near a career.

A good friend of mine's younger brother just got laid off his job as a game tester for THQ. He's having a REALLY hard time finding any jobs in the industry right now, and he has experience and letters of recommendation. Now might not be the best time to look for that type of work.

Didnt Rockstar* have job openings for this? I read it on their site a few months back. I mention R* because its the only job opening ive seen for this.
I think its more of a crash test dummy than a pre-release gaming experience. You just have to do EVERYTHING possile. I think.