Many may perceive video game testing is full of fun, a job exceedingly easy. But a tester needs lots of patience, diligence to deal with repetitive, tiresome job of testing the game time and again trying to find the uncovered bugs and glitches. A video game tester spends many long hours before it is launched, so the gamers have all the fun. Even developing the game is fun, but the testing process is not, it is some grinding hours of hard unobserved labor. They need to play all the characters and look for any missing texture and color in their attire. They need to notice and record in a spreadsheet, so the programmer can rectify it. It is a job that needs many hours, weeks, and even months of mind gobbling attentiveness and labor.
On tight schedule
Most gaming companies have fixed release days of their new video games, which are amply propagated in media. As the release day’s comer nearer, the tester becomes busier sometimes, which may extend from 10 a.m. to 10 a.m. the next day. Seating tirelessly in a front computer screen for such long hours over a prolonged period takes a toll on their health. The sleep pattern gets affected, with the additional risk of migraines and other health hazards. Lots of caffeine and junk foods to stay alert, deteriorate their health. During crunch time, a tester named Thomas Hussey shares his story. He shares some interesting stuff about video game testing job, which speaks of the stress and anxiety over those times.
Do not blame them
If you have just bought a new video game and it crashes often do not be so quick to blame the tester. Because most of the time, the deadline for launching is fixed, and the team of video game testers does not have enough time to fix all those glitches. This one of the reasons why gaming companies release a patch or update immediately after launching the game.
Even if the video game tester spots the glitches, the development team has insufficient time to fix those. Fixing bugs may lead to new glitches that need to be corrected. The process is continuous and painstaking. Many times after launching the game, the testers create the same situation according to the feedback from the customers to look into the glitches. The developers rectify those errors and release patches for the seamless gaming experience. In spite of the high stress, many video game testers enjoy the job as they witness the entire process of making the game.
