Job profiles
Computer games tester
- Hours40 + per week
- Starting salary£12,000 + per year
If you love computer games and enjoy working through things in a methodical way, this could be a great job for you. Games testing is a popular way of starting out in the games industry. It can be a good way to find out about the business as a whole. As a computer games tester it would be your job to play games many times to spot any bugs and mistakes that need to be fixed before the game goes on sale.
You don't need formal qualifications to become a tester. Your playing skills and knowledge of the games market will be more important to employers.
A good games tester has the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines. You will also need patience, persistence and good office computer skills.
The work
Testing is a vital part of producing a computer game. As well as finding and recording programming faults (bugs), you would also play the role of the game’s first public user. You would report on its playability and recommend improvements.
As part of a team of quality assurance (QA) testers, you would:
- play games in detail and in as many ways as possible
- test different levels and versions of a game
- check its performance against what the designer intended
- compare the game against others on the market
- note problems and suggest improvements
- try to work out what is causing a problem
- try to recreate the problem, recording the steps you took
- check accessibility options
- check for spelling mistakes and copyright issues such as logos
- check the text on packaging and in instruction manuals
- enter each 'bug report' into a quality management system
- work to strict deadlines.
You would work closely with programmers, artists and designers before a game is released, and with customer support teams after it is on the market. Some jobs may involve checking and translating in-game instructions and manuals for overseas markets.
Hours
You would often work long and unsocial hours (such as evenings, weekends and public holidays) in order to meet deadlines, particularly when getting near to a game’s release.
The work is office-based and you would spend most of your time at a computer.
Income
Starting salaries can be between £12,000 and £18,000 a year. With experience, earnings could reach £25,000 to £30,000.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
Entry requirements
QA testing is a popular way of starting out in the games industry, particularly if you are not already qualified as an artist or programmer. It can be a great way to find out about the business as a whole.
You do not need formal qualifications to become a tester, as your playing skills and knowledge of the games market will be more important to employers. However, some basic knowledge of programming may give you an advantage when looking for work, as will experience of using databases, which are used for bug reports.
Employers will want to see proof of your knowledge and enthusiasm for the games industry. Attending games events, trade shows and expos, and keeping yourself up to date with industry news through gaming magazines and websites can help you in this.
Another useful option is to join dedicated forums on social media sites, particularly ones linked to professional bodies, games development companies and games publishers, where you can make contact with people working in the industry, seek advice and hear about opportunities before they are advertised.
Experience in games retail is another way of developing useful background knowledge and an understanding of game players' needs.
Although not essential, having a foundation degree, BTEC HND or degree in games design, games development or computing can be helpful, especially if you want to progress into programming, design or producing.
Several universities offer computer games courses. The most useful ones include practical skills and work placements. Many people find their first job in the games industry through placements. Check with universities about course content and entry requirements. You can find details of industry-approved courses on the Creative Skillset website.
See the Creative Skillset Careers website for more information about more roles in the computer games industry.
Training and development
You will mainly develop your skills on the job, although your employer may train you to use their bug reporting software and design test plans.
You could increase your skills by gaining Professional Certification in Software Testing (formerly known as ISEB) through the Chartered Institute for IT. See the Institute's website for more details.
Skills, interests and qualities
To become a computer games tester you will need:
- excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- a passion for playing computer games and an ability to play at high levels
- good written and spoken communication skills
- an understanding of quality assurance processes
- the ability to work well as part of a team
- a tactful manner
- good negotiation skills
- the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- patience and persistence, for repetitive work
- a methodical and disciplined approach
- excellent attention to detail
- a good knowledge of the games market
- a willingness to work flexibly
- good office computer skills.
Foreign language skills are also useful for testing games aimed at overseas markets.
Opportunities
You could work for a games publisher, a larger games developer, or for an independent QA testing company.
Around half of the UK games industry is based in the south east of England. Other main areas are Bristol, the North West, the West Midlands, Sheffield, Leeds, Dundee and Edinburgh.
Jobs may be advertised on games websites and by specialist online recruitment agencies. You could also find work by contacting companies directly, and by getting to know people in the industry.
From QA tester you could progress to lead tester and QA management, or move into level design, production management or marketing. To move into more specialist areas you would need further skills such as programming or 3-D modelling.
You may find the following useful for vacancies and general reading:
Related industry information
Industry summary
The computer games industry is part of the creative industries, which is represented by Creative Skillset. This includes: advertising; animation; computer games; corporate and commercial production; fashion and textiles; film; interactive media; photo imaging; publishing; radio; and television.
The computer games industry is firmly established as a major feature of the UK's contemporary media landscape. The industry has recently experienced massive growth in its audience and incredible advances in technology and creative possibilities.
Key facts:
- 8,850 people are employed in the computer games development industry, which is 2% of the whole creative industries.
- There are around 220 businesses of which: 155 are games development companies; 30 games publishing companies; and 35 games support companies.
- 25% of businesses employ between 1 and 5 people, 11% between 6 and 10, 18% between 11 and 20, 21% between 21 and 50 people.
- 68% of the workforce has a degree, but an estimate 90% of entrants since 2000 were at degree level.
- 27% of the degrees held by those in computer games are media related.
Jobs in the industry range from: Games Designer, Level Editor, Artist, Concept Artist, Programmer, Quality Assurance (QA) Tester, Audio Engineer, Producer, External Producer, Project Manager, Creative Director, Animator, Lead Artist, Sales Manager.
National and regional data
This games workforce is distributed relatively evenly across the UK, which differentiates the games sector from the rest of the creative industries. The largest number of employees in computer games is located in:
- South East
- West Midlands
- North East
The East Midlands hosts some of the UK’s leading games developers including Climax On‐line in Nottingham, Eurocom and Circle Studios in Derby, and Free Radical in Sandiacre near Nottingham.
The East of England games industry has grown considerably since 2006 and there are an estimated 400 people working in the industry. Cambridge is home to one of the UK's main games development clusters, including companies such as Jagex.
In London, there is high concentration of games publishers in London, including Eidos and the European head offices of Sony Computer Entertainment.
The games industry in the North West has grown by 113% over the past four years. In particular Merseyside played a critical role in the development of the UK Games industry and this is reflected in the pool of interactive software talent in and around Liverpool.
Major games publishers and software companies (including IBM and Microsoft) are in theSouth East. Surrey has a concentration of companies working in computer games development, including the European headquarters of the American games company, Electronic Arts. Other development studios are clustered in Brighton, Guildford and Oxford.
There are an estimated 200 people working in the computer games industry in the South West.
In the West Midlands, Leamington Spa is host to two of the most successful UK games companies, Blitz and Codemasters. This growing cluster is supported by the Universities of Birmingham, Coventry and Warwick, which have academic expertise in the application of Games and Artificial Intelligence technologies, virtual reality and 3D imaging.
In Yorkshire and Humber, there are 40 computer games developers and publishers.
There are around 800 people working in the computer games industry in Northern Ireland.
Scotland has carved a significant niche in the industry with a number of high‐end studios producing games for worldwide distribution and a workforce of around 600. Popular games console titles, like ‘Grand Theft Auto’, ‘State of Emergency’ and ‘Harry Potter Quidditch World Cup’ were all produced in Scottish studios. Dundee and the east coast, through to Edinburgh, are home to the majority of Scotland's computer games developers.
Wales has a growing computer gaming sector with Jester Interactive Limited, Gamesworld 7, Broadsword Interactive and Dark Rock Games.
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