How to become a beta tester?

[Katalya]

I am at the point where I need to at least learn the basics of video game beta testing. I am looking for secure ways of getting into the casual beta testing where I can do it from home. I don't trust those sites that say they will find jobs for you for a monthly fee, they seem bogus. I am not looking to really get paid(that would just be a bonus), I am just looking for the experience and any leads or websites you guys might have. I know it is the entry level of game design, so I just want to have some on a resume for after I graduate.

Thanks, any help is much appreciated. :D

[Myst]

keep your eyes open for the contact us pages for dev sites. i got into a closed beta of supreme commander because i heard about it. found the dev site. applied. there isnt some universal que that you can join. do your homework on the developers of the game, contact them, site your qualities that make you a good beta tester. if they think you're valuable they'll let you into the cool kids club.

[Zigma]

keep your eyes open for the contact us pages for dev sites. i got into a closed beta of supreme commander because i heard about it. found the dev site. applied. there isnt some universal que that you can join. do your homework on the developers of the game, contact them, site your qualities that make you a good beta tester. if they think you're valuable they'll let you into the cool kids club.

Or you can just join fileplanet.

[Vinen]

lol @ Beta Testing MMO's being work experience.

[Shuemue]

lol @ Beta Testing MMO's being work experience.

Sega, for example, ask detailed questions about any gaming experience you have during the application process.

[6souls]

if you want to do it as a hobby, just check out the developer sites. i have done tests for Sony, Capcom, SE, & Atari in the past. just gotta keep your eyes open. there used to be a couple sites, besides fileplanet, that would list all the current beta tests.

[Quicklet]

lol @ Beta Testing MMO's being work experience.

Almost as lol as MMO "leadership" being work experience.

Oddly enough, the first image that comes to mind whenever I hear people asking about beta testing is the clip that Nintendo had of their beta testers for Donkey Kong Country when they sent out a promotional video for it.

[ghanima]

You need to be in an area where they are hiring testers, EA has a studio out in Florida but they might not test there. That's the only developer I can think up off the top of my head that's out there. Many major publishers send all their games to the same location for testing (if they do internal testing and they don't outsource it), and most of that is on the west coast.

gamasutra.com is a good place to start looking for jobs in the industry- just be aware that nobody is going to let you test from home. I know you said you want to do something casual, but open/closed beta testing of multiplayer games isn't going to give you any kind of idea as to what testing is like.

You can PM me if you like, I don't really feel like broadcasting my experience for everyone to read.

[Melena]

You really don't need previous testing experience to get in as a tester with most companies, partly due to the turnover rate. When I worked at EA, both testers and tech support were hired at 6 month contracts with the possibility of full time. For testing, part of the interview process (which I believe they do at Sony as well) would have you watch a small video clip, about 5-10 minutes if I remember correctly, and after it was over, they would ask you about the bugs in the video. In all honesty though, these are the requirments to get into game testing.

1. A love for video games (duh)
2. The ability to do 60-80 hr work weeks when crunch time hits.
3. The ability to accept mediocre pay. It's not fast food pay, but at least in the bay area, $9-$12 an hour isn't much
4. The patience to suffer through craptacular games like Bratz and Winnie the Pooh.
5. An incredible eye for detail. Even if it's ever so slight, they want you to write it up.
6. Excellent communication skills. 99.9% of your bug reports are going to be submitted to your lead through email, so you will need to be able to describe exactly how to trigger it.

If you want any more info on my adventures at EA or what my friends did to land jobs at Sony and Shaba games, PM me or message me on aim.