What Do Video Game Testers Do?
Many gamers, both young and old, dream of one day becoming a video game tester. While the highly coveted position may seem like it is just fun and games, the reality is that it can be grueling work, often focusing on problem areas in a game rather than playing for enjoyment.
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Searching for Bugs
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One of the most important duties of a video game tester is finding and reporting on bugs. Often, bugs are found by trying actions the programmers hadn't intended the gamer to do, meaning that a lot of this job involves repetitive processes not inherent to the fun of the games.
Fun Factor
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One of the most exciting elements of game testing is determining if a game is actually fun. This involves playing the games on a less critical level, as an end user would.
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Reporting
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Problems, whether they are bugs, lulls in the excitement or inconsistencies in the story line, need to be reported so they can be addressed by the developers. This requires excellent communication skills and attention to detail.
Replaying
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Most testers stick with a single game until the testing phase is complete, meaning that once the previous bugs are corrected, the testing must be repeated to ensure that they have been corrected, and new bugs have not resulted. This can be the most repetitive and grueling portion of the job.
Working with Deadlines
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With the fast pace of the video game industry, it is critical that testers be consistently fast and efficient to track down all the bugs prior to the release of the game.
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