I used to think that playing video games is something that lazy people do. You know, people who are lazy and have nothing to do; But boy, was I wrong? Playing computer games is not only fun, but it is also a way to find out who you really are inside, if you pay attention to your reactions while playing.
I know this idea may not seem realistic to you, but that is the truth. By playing a video game, you can better understand yourself by the way you react to winning or losing, your ability to stay calm under stress, your stamina, etc. Anyway, that’s a whole different topic on its own.
But that is not what I want to talk to you about today; I want to talk about doing what you love and making a living from it. Play video games to your heart’s content and make a living doing it. And to do that, you need to acquire some skills.
A lot of people don’t really know that this is actually possible. There are millions of people out there who have great talents thanks to years of playing video games since they were kids. People who do nothing but sit at home in their bedrooms playing games all day and all night.
The skill set
What I would like you to consider is the possibility of doing this and making a living from it. And it is absolutely 100% possible. Being a video game tester is something of a dream for most people, but for others it’s as easy as taking a walk in the park. Yes, it’s easy, but you also need to have the basic skill set that is required. These are the basic skill sets you need before being considered at any gaming establishment:
1- Attention to detail- Yes, you read that right, pay attention to the details. Contrary to what you might think, the video game test is not just about sitting down and playing. You must have the ability to pay attention to detail and be alert so that you can show off the glitches or bugs that are in the game.
That’s why they hired you in the 1st place. If you’re not paying attention but just sitting around playing and having fun, it’s going to be very difficult for you to be an exceptional video game tester. Don’t get me wrong, you can certainly have fun while doing the work, but don’t get carried away and forget to do your work.
In order to do that, you need to have an iron will to keep your focus while having fun at the same time.
2- Critical thinking- You must have critical thinking skills and an analytical mindset. In gaming tests, most thefts can be easily spotted and seen with just a glance, like if the game crashes when you want to change levels. But there are some that aren’t so obvious, that’s when your attention to detail and ability to analyze what just happened will come into play. This will allow you to make a good judgment and report the error.
3- Verbal and written communication skills- In keeping with having an analytical mindset is your ability to effectively and clearly communicate what you just saw. Most of the time you will be asked to write a report and you will not be present when the programmers or whoever needs to fix those bugs is reviewing your report.
Therefore, your ability to communicate what you see is very essential so that the programming department does not have to come looking for you to clarify what they do not understand in your report. That translates to wasted time and time is very important to game developers, it equals revenue.
4- Passion for the game- Above all, you must have a burning passion for the game. This is the most important of all the skills you need, but thank goodness you were most likely born with this. The reason is that if you are not passionate about video games, it is likely that developing all other skills will be a difficult task. It’s not that it can’t be done, it can definitely be done even if you’re just looking for money, but it will take one more will to do it.
There you go. Those are the skills you’ll need to perform well as a game tester. If you eventually master all of the above skills, you will be contributing to bringing better, richer, and more beautiful games to the general public, while earning a good income at the same time. This is a win-win situation for everyone. The developers are happy, the customers are happy, and you, the tester, are happy too.