Computer Games Tester Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Computer Games Tester

Hours

40 + 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 great 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 noting programming 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 QA (quality assurance) 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
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 software quality management system
concentrate on the most serious issues first
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.

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.

As a QA team leader, salaries could reach £30,000 a year.

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, it will be useful to have basic knowledge of programming, and experience of using spreadsheets and database packages.

Employers will want to see proof of your knowledge and enthusiasm for the games industry. Attending games festivals and keeping yourself up to date with gaming magazines and websites can help you in this.

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.

Creative Skillset

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 and chances of a job by taking qualifications in software testing awarded by the British Computer Society (BCS). See the BCS website for more details.

British Computer Society

Skills and knowledge

To become a computer games tester you will need to have:

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
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
good office computer skills.

Foreign language skills are also useful for testing games aimed at overseas regions.

More information

Creative Skillset (Opens new window)
Focus Point 21 Caledonian Road London N1 9GB
www.creativeskillset.org

Creative Skillset Careers (Opens new window)
Tel: 08080 300 900 (England and Northern Ireland)
Tel: 0845 850 2502(Scotland)
Tel: 08000 121 815 (Wales)
www.creativeskillset.org/careers

e-skills UK (Opens new window)
1 Castle Lane London SW1E 6DR 0207 963 8920
www.e-skills.com

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 (links open in a new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

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 East 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 the South 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.