Playtesting?
- Thread starter SYSTEM-J
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I haven't done any, however, just from stories I hear, be prepared to play the same bad game and broken parts of games over and over and over until they're fixed (doesn't sound fun, but I'm truly envious of you even getting the chance to do that).
Perhaps it's not that bad, but I hope you don't get stuck with something truly awful.
Perhaps it's not that bad, but I hope you don't get stuck with something truly awful.
I wish I could, but I never have.
That said... I've sometimes heard that its a pretty crap job...
That said... I've sometimes heard that its a pretty crap job...
It's not nearly as fun as you'd think. Occasionally they may playtest for actual "fun testing" to see what would balance things or fix the mechanics, but probably won't take too much of your direct input. There's a reason developers don't show games until they're done; I'm sure a mid-development build of HL2:Episode 3 would play kind of shitty and not be that fun.
I went for an Interview with Rare during the N64 days, that job died in the interview room because they were sure they could match my previous salary (My previous job was a design engineer at Ford. . . They couldn't match it)
I then started work for a few months at Sega in London, testing various games on the dreamcast.
Not a great deal of advice I can give to be honest as Rare would have worked out if they hadn't been so cocky and the Sega job kind of fell into my lap when I called them everyday and badgered them for a job for around 3 weeks.
What I can tell you is the job itself is not all fun and games.
My first day at Sega and they put me on a very early version of Sword of the Beserk, I finished it in that day and hated almost every minute of it.
But the job can be soul destroying, I spent 4 weeks playing the first level of Ecco the Dolphin (which I hated) prior to release, I believe the UK version got delayed for a few days as a result of a bug I found on the final version (That's ok Uk, you're welcome).
But I had some fun there too, I worked on the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Chu Chu Rocket, Sega Worldwide Soccor European Edition, Resident Evil Code Veronica and Bust a Move 5 all of which were great to work on and the guys in the office were really cool which meant for a nice work environment, but the problem i found is that I was living with my fianceé and child and could not afford the travel into London on a daily basis on the very low wage that Sega paid, as a result I had to leave the job.
It was fun (mostly) while it lasted though and was a good experience to have.
Best of luck
EDIT:
Interview-wise, Sega didn't have an interview process at that time for it's testers, which was why the phone-them-and-bug-the-crap-out-of-them approach worked.
Rare asked the usual getting to know you crap, fave game, what would you change about it and why? How long do you spend playing? How long have you been a gamer? that sort of stuff, before moving on to specifics about the job and discussing salary.
I then started work for a few months at Sega in London, testing various games on the dreamcast.
Not a great deal of advice I can give to be honest as Rare would have worked out if they hadn't been so cocky and the Sega job kind of fell into my lap when I called them everyday and badgered them for a job for around 3 weeks.
What I can tell you is the job itself is not all fun and games.
My first day at Sega and they put me on a very early version of Sword of the Beserk, I finished it in that day and hated almost every minute of it.
But the job can be soul destroying, I spent 4 weeks playing the first level of Ecco the Dolphin (which I hated) prior to release, I believe the UK version got delayed for a few days as a result of a bug I found on the final version (That's ok Uk, you're welcome).
But I had some fun there too, I worked on the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Chu Chu Rocket, Sega Worldwide Soccor European Edition, Resident Evil Code Veronica and Bust a Move 5 all of which were great to work on and the guys in the office were really cool which meant for a nice work environment, but the problem i found is that I was living with my fianceé and child and could not afford the travel into London on a daily basis on the very low wage that Sega paid, as a result I had to leave the job.
It was fun (mostly) while it lasted though and was a good experience to have.
Best of luck
EDIT:
Interview-wise, Sega didn't have an interview process at that time for it's testers, which was why the phone-them-and-bug-the-crap-out-of-them approach worked.
Rare asked the usual getting to know you crap, fave game, what would you change about it and why? How long do you spend playing? How long have you been a gamer? that sort of stuff, before moving on to specifics about the job and discussing salary.
I'm not applying for the fun, believe me. I'm applying because I badly need the money. Although once I've got it on my CV I imagine it'll be much easier to get other playtesting work.
My main concern is that the playtesting will have to occur at the developer's office. It's a considerable commute away and there's no way I could afford it. I'm hoping that in this 21st Century cyberspace world we live in I can work from home.
My main concern is that the playtesting will have to occur at the developer's office. It's a considerable commute away and there's no way I could afford it. I'm hoping that in this 21st Century cyberspace world we live in I can work from home.
RIIIIIIIIGHT. They're just going to give unreleased prototypes out for people to take home. Happens all the time in the industry.SYSTEM-J said:
Also, it's an interview, they'll ask the same questions asked at every interview.
Ding, here you go.
Yeah, perhaps that's wishful thinking on my part.
And I know what happens in an interview, thanks. I've found that interviews tend to play out a little differently depending on the job. I've been put on the spot and asked to give impromptu sales pitches in interviews before, and I'm guessing that won't happen next week.
And I know what happens in an interview, thanks. I've found that interviews tend to play out a little differently depending on the job. I've been put on the spot and asked to give impromptu sales pitches in interviews before, and I'm guessing that won't happen next week.
Mid-development build of Ep3?Katana314 said:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Did you know that ep3 will never get done? You know why? because Valve will get halfway done, and then they will get a quarter done, and then an 8th, and then a 16th, and then a 32nd, and so on.
OT- No, I have not, but like the other people said, it probably isn't as fun as it sounds. But I guess it is a good way to get your foot in the door.
I'd only want to playtest games that I wouldn't play otherwise. At least that way I might still enjoy some games.
