Pros and Cons of Entering the Industry through QA Testing

What is a QA Tester?

A QA Tester, also known as a Game Tester, is an entry level QA position whose job is to perform manual testing of a game that's in development. If any bugs are found during testing, then the bugs are reported in a bug tracking database. Often, testers will perform adhoc testing around certain game features or execute specific test cases to verify functionality.

The Upside of being a Game Tester

Game Testing is one of the few avenues into the Games industry that does not require prior experience. Through game testing, you will also build a better understanding of how game development and production works. It's a good way to learn new skills, work with industry standard hardware and software, and start making professional connections.

Quality Assurance has evolved into its own specialized department in the Games Industry. Depending on a tester’s skills, aptitude, and career interests, they have the opportunity to further pursue a career as a: QA producer, QA engineer, or QA analyst. Alternatively, a tester may pursue other career paths in game design, engineering, production, artistry, customer support, or community management.

The Downside of being a Game Tester

Even though your work in quality assurance is critical to ensuring the game is of shippable quality, it is often considered the least valued from a business standpoint. Because a business wants to maximize test coverage while minimizing costs, testers often start working at minimum wage. Game testers are commonly hired as temporary contract workers instead of full-time employees, resulting in lower job security. As a result, contracted testers end up jumping from studio to studio to maintain steady employment. Because of the notion that “anyone can be a game tester”, quality assurance suffers because of the inability to retain experience testers.

Sometimes testers and developers don’t always get along. Passion for the project can fog judgement and developers may feel attacked when testers submit a bug or give feedback. In studios where the testers don’t interact with the developers on a daily basis, testers may feel like they are not a part of the team. Concerns brought up by QA can go ignored by the development team for long periods of time. Ultimately, these issues can be a detriment to the quality of the game if they do not get addressed.

There are far fewer internal QA tester roles today. So, if your plan is to enter the industry via QA and pivot to a different discipline, that is less of an option. Most places that employ QA testers are external QA. Expect to put in just as much work to find, apply, and secure a job in a different discipline.