Do Video Game Tester Jobs Really Pay That Well?
Do video game tester jobs really pay that well is a burning question on many job searcher's minds. If you have spent any length of time looking for jobs, full or part-time on the Internet, most likely you have seen or read about video game testers earning hundreds of dollars per day, at home, simply game testing. Can this really be true or is it just a bunch of half-truths and advertising hype?
If you are in the process of searching for a new job, or looking for a way of earning additional income, at some point you want to know just how much money video game tester jobs pay. To put it another way "show me the money"!
Sadly, few if any video game testing jobs pay you hundreds of dollars per day to sit at home and play. In reality, most surveys taken concerning video game testers jobs report that the average earning is in the range of $8 to $15 per hour (in the United States). Obviously this wage will vary if you live elsewhere in the world; most likely you will earn even less depending on your local minimum wage regulations.
Still the concept of making $8 to $15 per hour (more or less depending on your location) may still be appealing if you can work from home. Once again, this is idea of being a video game tester at home, is generally wishful thinking and happens only rarely. (Unless your dad or mom owns the company!) Most paid games testing jobs require you to work on-site at the game developers' testing facility. This is not surprising given the high security that surrounds the testing of new gaming products in a very competitive, multi-million dollar marketplace. As a video games tester you will most likey have to sign a legal document stating that you will not discuss or publish any information about the game you are involved in testing or face the prospect of instant firing and possible criminal charges.
Yet another consideration if you are really serious about a job where you get paid to play video games is the length of steady employment. The fact about most entry level video game testing jobs is that they are limited duration. This means that once the testing phase is over for the game you are working on; it is sent to market or scrapped due to too many problems, your employment is over. Think of it like being a fruit picker. Once the fruit season ends, so does your job. If you are lucky and have been a good worker, you may be put on another game testing project, however gaming companies often hire lots of extra video game testers at the last minute, just to get the product finished in time to meet their marketing deadline.
A final consideration are job benefits. Like most other careers, if you are not a full-time, permanent employee of the company or business, job benefits such as medical and health coverage are not provided until you are hired on full-time.
So to conclude, are video game tester jobs really that great? Probably not for someone who is looking to make a career as a video games tester simply due to the low pay, lack of job security, and few company benefits. If however you are just looking to earn some extra spending money for doing something that you enjoy, such as playing video games, then a video game tester job may be a reasonable job to pursue.
At the risk of contradicting myself, it must be noted that there most certainly are people who start as entry level video game testers and will over time work themselves into better paying positions that come with experience and quality job performance. So, yes, some people may use their video game tester jobs as a stepping stone into the gaming industry and in the end start to earn a good salary and benefits that come with management positions within the gaming company.
If you are in the process of searching for a new job, or looking for a way of earning additional income, at some point you want to know just how much money video game tester jobs pay. To put it another way "show me the money"!
Sadly, few if any video game testing jobs pay you hundreds of dollars per day to sit at home and play. In reality, most surveys taken concerning video game testers jobs report that the average earning is in the range of $8 to $15 per hour (in the United States). Obviously this wage will vary if you live elsewhere in the world; most likely you will earn even less depending on your local minimum wage regulations.
Still the concept of making $8 to $15 per hour (more or less depending on your location) may still be appealing if you can work from home. Once again, this is idea of being a video game tester at home, is generally wishful thinking and happens only rarely. (Unless your dad or mom owns the company!) Most paid games testing jobs require you to work on-site at the game developers' testing facility. This is not surprising given the high security that surrounds the testing of new gaming products in a very competitive, multi-million dollar marketplace. As a video games tester you will most likey have to sign a legal document stating that you will not discuss or publish any information about the game you are involved in testing or face the prospect of instant firing and possible criminal charges.
Yet another consideration if you are really serious about a job where you get paid to play video games is the length of steady employment. The fact about most entry level video game testing jobs is that they are limited duration. This means that once the testing phase is over for the game you are working on; it is sent to market or scrapped due to too many problems, your employment is over. Think of it like being a fruit picker. Once the fruit season ends, so does your job. If you are lucky and have been a good worker, you may be put on another game testing project, however gaming companies often hire lots of extra video game testers at the last minute, just to get the product finished in time to meet their marketing deadline.
A final consideration are job benefits. Like most other careers, if you are not a full-time, permanent employee of the company or business, job benefits such as medical and health coverage are not provided until you are hired on full-time.
So to conclude, are video game tester jobs really that great? Probably not for someone who is looking to make a career as a video games tester simply due to the low pay, lack of job security, and few company benefits. If however you are just looking to earn some extra spending money for doing something that you enjoy, such as playing video games, then a video game tester job may be a reasonable job to pursue.
At the risk of contradicting myself, it must be noted that there most certainly are people who start as entry level video game testers and will over time work themselves into better paying positions that come with experience and quality job performance. So, yes, some people may use their video game tester jobs as a stepping stone into the gaming industry and in the end start to earn a good salary and benefits that come with management positions within the gaming company.
Source...