Tester?

[Maximillian I]

Hm...How does one become a video game tester for Telltale Games?

[Chaosfan]

Yes, tell us please because that is most probably everyones dream here.

[Maximillian I]

Well they once actually had a thing up about it, where they were hiring one. I kinda don't understand, I sent in a resume and everything. I fully met the requirements too, like a love for games, having had experience GMing, and stuff like that. But, then again, that's the reason for my question, so maybe we can find out what cut it takes to be a Telltale Game tester.

[jmm]

[rant mode]
Being a tester, regardless of it being for games or applications, requires a lot of other skills (And I started as a QA guy [not at Telltale], testing Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices)

Simply put: If you love games, love to play, play a lot, you are good at it... means squat. Those skills only serve you for open/closed (beta) testing (Which TT does from time to time). But if you want to be taken seriously, having a degree in CS is a required starting point. You have to be good analyzing and isolating problems and above all, have patience.

Just another random fact: From the outside it sounds like fun, but there is a lot of actual work going on and that is NOT playing almost finished games every day.
[/rant mode]

Hint: if you have those skills, keep trying, and tell on your resume about other skills you have (like "I'm a Maya guru" or "I know how to code"). Having those skills alone is only the starting point (and most of your competition has them too), so the more the merrier (Unless you have 8 PhD's, which will mean that you're overqualified and probably too expensive)

[Maximillian I]

Thank you for the info, but I already know what is involved with video game testing. I have learned and spoken to other people about it before. I have given the exact same speech to friends who think it is all fun and games...No, it is not. You actually have to work to find bugs and make the game as perfect as possible to be ready to be played by consumers. I learned this a long time ago when I too thought it was nothing but fun-filled days sitting on your ass playing video games. Therefore, my goal to become a video game tester for Telltale Games or any other company is not to sit on my ass and play video games all day. It is to do something that I would truly enjoy, given the fact that I am a huge fan of video games. Also it is part of getting my foot in the industry to my even bigger goal of one day working as a programmer/designer for a video game company. Many people involved in the industry have stated they started out as testers, it is a good way to get in. I have also worked with C++ and working on degrees for Computer Programming and Video Game Design.

[Tester Scott]

Originally Posted by jmm

[rant mode]
Being a tester, regardless of it being for games or applications, requires a lot of other skills (And I started as a QA guy [not at Telltale], testing Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices)

Simply put: If you love games, love to play, play a lot, you are good at it... means squat. Those skills only serve you for open/closed (beta) testing (Which TT does from time to time). But if you want to be taken seriously, having a degree in CS is a required starting point. You have to be good analyzing and isolating problems and above all, have patience.

Just another random fact: From the outside it sounds like fun, but there is a lot of actual work going on and that is NOT playing almost finished games every day.
[/rant mode]

Hint: if you have those skills, keep trying, and tell on your resume about other skills you have (like "I'm a Maya guru" or "I know how to code"). Having those skills alone is only the starting point (and most of your competition has them too), so the more the merrier (Unless you have 8 PhD's, which will mean that you're overqualified and probably too expensive)

You would be surprised that most testers in the video game industry have absolutely no coding experience whatsoever. There is also no reason to get a CS degree if all you want to do is become a tester. That is a lot of money spent for a career different than QA. The best possible trait you could have would be your eye for detail and your communications skills. You will need to ferret out all kinds of problems that a regular player might never actually see and will be required to accurately explain it so that someone can fix it. While having other skills like programming and animation might help they are definitely not required.

[tobar]

Since we're on the subject.....I assume this is a local job?

[tabacco]

Aye.

[Erwin]

Bleh. Testing. I have great respect for software testers, because I absolutely hate it. At work I followed a complete TMAP* course once, and I could not stay awake. That was 4 days down the drain. I never bothered doing the final exam either.

*Stands for "Test Management approach" and is mostly used in Europe.

--Erwin

[DanH]

Originally Posted by Tester Scott

You will need to ferret out all kinds of problems that a regular player might never actually see and will be required to accurately explain it so that someone can fix it.

Since our main method is the use of ferrets, we usually require at least 2 years experience training or working with animals in the Mustelidae family, with an obvious priority put on people who have directly worked with ferrets. We can't risk training inexperienced people, those things are bitey!

[splash1]

i think you have to be a certain age to Playtest

[Zootch]

How did the visual error in Abe Lincoln Must Die get past you guys?

[Tester Scott]

Originally Posted by Zootch

How did the visual error in Abe Lincoln Must Die get past you guys?

That's a common misconception. Nothing gets past our QA. Whatever error you are talking about is actually a feature.

[DanH]

I think he's talking about the easter egg in which the Cue cards show up for the war song.

[Maximillian I]

Yeah I definitely have that, the whole paying attention and communication skills. In fact, I'm something of a perfectionist. Like if I see something when I'm playing a game that looks out of place to me, even if it's actually part of the game x.x, I'm like...Wait. What the hell.

[Zootch]

Originally Posted by DanH

I think he's talking about the easter egg in which the Cue cards show up for the war song.

That and when leaving the White House, you can see through the doorjam and see them enter an empty, tiny room made to look like a hallway before jumping to the next scene

[Jake]

Originally Posted by Zootch

That and when leaving the White House, you can see through the doorjam and see them enter an empty, tiny room made to look like a hallway before jumping to the next scene

Don't blame us the architect who built the White House has some serious issues to work out! That thing is really old. Who knows what they were thinking at the time?

[Zootch]

It actually looks like they walk into an ornate closet.