Are you an avid video gamer? Do you run through games very quickly and beat them over and over again? If this sounds like you then you might be able to pursue being a video game tester. A lot of people state that you can not become a video game tester without having a college degree, but that isn't the case. Yes having a college degree can help your chances but you might be better off having a solid background in gaming. Also, if you can prove that you know how to find bugs in games you will have what it takes for the video game testing job. I have heard of even teenagers as young as 15 being able to land a video game tester job, don't you think you will be able to do the same?



When testing video games from home you will receive copies of different games you will need to test. You will also be able to keep the games as well. Talk about a nice little bonus for getting paid to do what you like! There are tons of different companies that are looking for testers and some can pay up to a pretty high dollar amount per hour. It seems that the average runs about $12-$15 per hour and the starting pay is around $9.00 per hour, which really isn't bad at all. Another great advantage you will have is the ability to work from your home and set your own hours which is always nice. You can work as much or as little as you want.

You may not always be able to work from home, you may be required to go to a video game testing center located near your home, and perform your work there. It all depends on the company's business practices, some will send the games to you via regular mail, and allow you to test them from your home, it varies widely.

Video game companies really depend on game testers to test out their games and make suggestions to help improve the game. Like, for example, if you think a certain part of the game is way too difficult for the average player you can let the game producers know by filing out the appropriate form on your bug report. Or even if you think that a specific creature if the game doesn't look realistic enough or even too realistic then you can let them know as well. Game companies view video game tester feedback as a very important part of creating video games. How cool would it be to see one of your suggestions be put into a game you were testing?

When you complete your testing on one game, and turn your feedback in, you will usually receive your paycheck within about a week. Some employers will pay you via PayPal, some direct deposit into your checking account, and some will send you a paper check through the mail, again varying depending on what company you are working for and their standard protocols. Just remember to be flexible and you will be able to land more video game testing jobs than you will have time to handle!