Me

A game tester analyzes video games to document software defects as part of a quality control process in video game development. While popularized as a dream job for gamers, interactive entertainment software testing is a highly technical field requiring computing expertise, analytic competence, thick skin, and the ability to endure long hours.

Modern video and computer games take from one to three years to develop (depending on scale). Testing begins late in the development process, sometimes from halfway to 75% into development (it starts so late because, until then, there is little to nothing to play or test). Testers get new builds from the developers on a schedule (daily/weekly) and each version must be uniquely identified in order to map errors to versions.
Once the testers get a version, they begin playing the game. Testers must carefully note any errors they uncover. These may range from bugs to art glitches to logic errors and level bugs. Some bugs are easy to document ("Level 5 has a floor tile missing in the opening room"), but many are hard to describe and may take several paragraphs to describe so a developer can replicate or find the bug. On a large-scale game with numerous testers, a tester must first determine whether the bug has already been reported before they can log the bugs themselves. Once a bug has been reported as fixed, the tester has to go back and verify that the fix works - and occasionally return to verify that is has not reappeared (See Regression testing).
It is a common misconception that being exceptionally good at playing video games is important to the role of game tester. Whilst it is necessary for the game to be tested at the topmost levels of play, it is perhaps more important that testers try to think like a player who has just started playing - making the kinds of mistakes they will make and trying to imagine the full range of strange 'incorrect' things that players will do.
This type of "playing" is tedious and grueling. Usually an unfinished game is not "fun" to play, especially over and over. A tester may play the same game — or even the same level in a game — over and over for eight hours or more at a time. If testing feature fixes, the tester may have to repeat a large number of sequences just to get to one spot in the game. Understandably, burn-out is common in this field and many use the position just as a means to get a different job in game development. For this reason, game testing is widely considered a "stepping stone" position. This type of job may be taken by college students as a way to audit the industry and determine if it is the type of environment in which they wish to work professionally.
In software development quality assurance, it is common practice to go back through a feature set and ensure that features that once worked still work near the end of development. This kind of aggressive quality assurance—called regression testing—is most difficult for games with a large feature set. If a new bug is discovered in a feature that used to work, once it is fixed, regression testing has to take place again.
Game testing may become grueling as deadlines loom. Most games go into "crunch time" near deadlines with developers (programmers, artists, game designers and producers) working twelve to fourteen hours a day. The game-test team must be right there with them, testing late-added features and content. Often during this period staff from other departments may contribute to the testing effort to assist in handling the load - especially in multiplayer games.
All console manufacturers require that the title submitted goes through a series of tests to ensure it meets the rigid standards they have established. Failure to respect the required standards will delay or even prevent the game from being published on the market. Many video game companies separate technical requirement testing from functionality testing altogether since a different testing skillet is required.

Modern video and computer games take from one to three years to develop (depending on scale). Testing begins late in the development process, sometimes from halfway to 75% into development (it starts so late because, until then, there is little to nothing to play or test). Testers get new builds from the developers on a schedule (daily/weekly) and each version must be uniquely identified in order to map errors to versions.
Once the testers get a version, they begin playing the game. Testers must carefully note any errors they uncover. These may range from bugs to art glitches to logic errors and level bugs. Some bugs are easy to document ("Level 5 has a floor tile missing in the opening room"), but many are hard to describe and may take several paragraphs to describe so a developer can replicate or find the bug. On a large-scale game with numerous testers, a tester must first determine whether the bug has already been reported before they can log the bugs themselves. Once a bug has been reported as fixed, the tester has to go back and verify that the fix works - and occasionally return to verify that is has not reappeared (See Regression testing).
It is a common misconception that being exceptionally good at playing video games is important to the role of game tester. Whilst it is necessary for the game to be tested at the topmost levels of play, it is perhaps more important that testers try to think like a player who has just started playing - making the kinds of mistakes they will make and trying to imagine the full range of strange 'incorrect' things that players will do.
This type of "playing" is tedious and gruelling. Usually an unfinished game is not "fun" to play, especially over and over. A tester may play the same game — or even the same level in a game — over and over for eight hours or more at a time. If testing feature fixes, the tester may have to repeat a large number of sequences just to get to one spot in the game. Understandably, burn-out is common in this field and many use the position just as a means to get a different job in game development. For this reason, game testing is widely considered a "stepping stone" position. This type of job may be taken by college students as a way to audit the industry and determine if it is the type of environment in which they wish to work professionally.
In software development quality assurance, it is common practice to go back through a feature set and ensure that features that once worked still work near the end of development. This kind of aggressive quality assurance—called regression testing—is most difficult for games with a large feature set. If a new bug is discovered in a feature that used to work, once it is fixed, regression testing has to take place again.
Game testing may become grueling as deadlines loom. Most games go into "crunch time" near deadlines with developers (programmers, artists, game designers and producers) working twelve to fourteen hours a day. The game-test team must be right there with them, testing late-added features and content. Often during this period staff from other departments may contribute to the testing effort to assist in handling the load - especially in multiplayer games.
All console manufacturers require that the title submitted goes through a series of tests to ensure it meets the rigid standards they have established. Failure to respect the required standards will delay or even prevent the game from being published on the market. Many video game companies separate technical requirement testing from functionality testing altogether since a different testing skillset is required.
Within the game industry, testing usually falls under a title such as quality assurance (QA). However, game QA is far less technical than general software QA. Many game testers have only a high school diploma and no technical expertise. Game testing is normally a full-time job with expectation of regular overtime, but many employees are usually hired as temps and the length of employment varies. In some cases, if the tester is working for a publisher, the tester may be sent off to work at the developer's site rather than in his employer's own offices. The most aggressive recruiting season is late summer/early autumn, as this is the start of the crunch period for games to be finished and shipped in time for the holiday season.
A common misconception is that professional game testing is akin to a public beta test or stress test, where players are expected to enjoy the game and report any bugs they happen to find. In reality, game testing is highly focused on finding bugs, often using tedious methodologies. Even if one could play the game freely, there is no guarantee that the game is stable or fun enough to be enjoyable. A tester may be required to play the same portion of a game repeatedly for hours at a time. Understandably, burn-out is common in this field.
Despite the demanding and risky nature of the job, game testing doesn't pay a great deal and is usually paid hourly, with wages ranging from USD$8 to $15 per hour in the United States. As temps, testers typically receive no benefits or holidays and simply take unpaid vacation days when desired. Some testers use the job as a stepping stone in the game industry, but the success of this strategy is unproven, and depends on which part of the game industry the tester desires to work in. QA résumés, which display non-technical skill sets, tend towards management, then to marketing or production. Those wishing to land a job in programming, art, or design usually need to demonstrate their skills in these areas, either by taking jobs outside the industry and/or working on mods.