A Computer Game Tester Job Is More Than Fun

There are a variety of reasons why a computer game tester job is important. While it's true the post can be fun, a computer game tester job involves a great deal of work. The designers, writers and programmers create the games, but it is the computer game tester who actually makes sure they function as intended.

In reality, the computer game tester is the hero of the video game industry. When a computer game tester does his/her job correctly, a game can shine flawlessly. When they don't do their job right, mistakes and glitches can end up being published in the final cut of the game. It can be as simple as miss coloured trash can. Or the errors can be complex as the jumping system needs to be changed entirely. These issues could end up costing a game developer lots of money to fix or money in lost sales if the problems are too great. The problem are also more costly and harder to fix after the game is released

Top reasons why a computer game tester job is vital include:

Quality assurance. The computer game tester job is meant to provide quality assurance for an upcoming title release. These people are charged with getting to know a game inside out and backwards and try to cause the game to crash. It is the computer game tester position holder's purpose to bring mistakes, errors, glitches and suggestions to the development team. If they handle their jobs as expected, the end result will be a game that's as free from errors as possible.

Continuity. The game tester is also responsible for making sure complex worlds follow the patterns set forth by developers, writer's an programmers. If a quest in an RPG tells a player to go see "Ted" and the non-player character on the other end has been keyed in as "Bill," the computer game tester is charged with finding this error of continuity and requesting its correction.

Playability assurances. In addition to quality, it is the computer game tester position holder's job to make sure games play as they should. They check to make sure different functions of a game work correctly, that text matches actions, that sound and graphics groove together. Issues are present in these areas and they are not caught, the playability can be jeopardized. Games that impossible to win due to glitches tend to not do very well on the market.

Fix confirmation. While it's the computer game tester person's job to find the mistakes, it can also be their task to make sure those mistakes are fixed. The programmers, designers and other team members will actually make the fixes in the software, but it's up to the tester to make sure the problems have been resolved and that new ones don't appear as a result.

A beta game tester might not be the driving force behind the creation of a video game title, but they are critical members of the production team. The unsung heroes of the games industry, the computer game tester is much more important than many people realize.