In addition to high tolerance for endless hours in front of a computer or TV screen, bug-hunting requires a certain amount of creativity, according to the testers. However, even the most enthusiastic game testers admit there are drawbacks to the profession. The overtime is nice, but it makes for strange sleeping arrangements. The long hours can also make for some tense working conditions, especially when testers are crammed wall to wall during crunch time. And testers are perceived as a weak link in the chain.
Testers can earn more, but it takes time and persistence.
Most start out as temporary workers. After another year, it's not uncommon to be promoted into supervisory testing positions or other departments such as production, information technology or marketing, according to Allen. Jesse Abney was one of the first testers in Electronic Arts' centralized quality assurance department in the mid-1990s. Abney expressed an interest in hardware and helped set up EA's compatibility lab, where the company makes sure each game works on an array of computers and video cards. EA officials estimate one tester moves up every two weeks.