Video game tester guide, Scam?

[Towlie2110]

http://www.gametesterguide.com/

I'm interested in getting a part time job for money here and there, and I would like to know if anyone has done this before or if they know somone.

Basically I want to know if it's a scam or not.

[neotokeo2001]

Sure reads like a scam. From the valuable free gifts to the hurry up before it is gone threat. But remember, If you are not satisfied you can (REQUEST) a refund. You'll never get it but you can request it all you want.

I can give you the same info for only $9.99. With a lifetime guarantee that you'll never see your money again. :D

[njiska]

If it looks like a scam and it smells like a scam then it probably is a scam.

And if that doesn't look like a scam then you'd better be blind.

[Garry Silljo]

1. It's not a job, just information about getting a job that you more likely than not dont even qualify for but you dont find out until after you pay.

2. ANY and I mean ANY time you are required to pay for employment, it's a scam.

[Half Japanese]

It's clearly fake.

According to everything I've seen, game testers are required to sit on a couch with another dude moving your arms about wildly like it has some effect on the gameplay. The only conclusion that you'll need to tell your semi-attractive older female boss is that you need to "tighten up the graphics a little bit" right before you and your buddy on the couch high-five.

I saw none of that discussed on that website. Then again, maybe that's the info you're paying $35 for.

[suckerpunch5]

Yep, 100% scam. Never pay money in order to get a job. Just like everyone else said. Also, the "HURRY!" business is also a tip off.

But if you live in or around orlando, check this out! LINK (http://jobs.ea.com/pljb/global_jsp/applicant/DisplayJob/JobDetails.jsp?display=1&pljbHome=/ElectronicArts/United_States/applicant/index.jsp&id=2663)

[Xizer]

http://tightgraphs.ytmnd.com

The sequel:

http://tightengraphics.ytmnd.com

[Darth Sensei]

It's clearly fake.

According to everything I've seen, game testers are required to sit on a couch with another dude moving your arms about wildly like it has some effect on the gameplay. The only conclusion that you'll need to tell your semi-attractive older female boss is that you need to "tighten up the graphics a little bit" right before you and your buddy on the couch high-five.

I saw none of that discussed on that website. Then again, maybe that's the info you're paying $35 for.

That's some funny shit right there. Oh, and one more vote for Scam.

[Half Japanese]

http://tightengraphics.ytmnd.com

That's definitely one of the funniest YTMND's I've ever seen. It almost single-handedly makes up for the leagues of shitty ones.

[udisi]

you don't want to be a game tester anyway...It's not fun at all, you don't so much play games as you have to try and break them. It can get very boring and repeatative. Also if you happen to be testing a halfway decent game, it ruins the fun of playing it by the time it's finished and such. Think about the bunch of crap games out there and then thank yourself for not being a tester and having to spend hours testing some mary kate and ashley game.

[RARusk]

That depends on what company you work for.

Back in the early '90s I was a tester for Broderbund Software. I tested a lot of Carmen SanDiego games and by the time I left a little over a year later I absolutely HATED that bitch! All of the Carmen games were the same, just different databases. However, I did have the opportunity to play different titles like "Wolfpack", "Joan Of Arc", "Centauri Alliance", "Stunts", "Wings Of Fury" and a couple of others.

Then I did a three month temp job at LucasArts Games (late 1991 - early 1992). The only titles I got to work on was "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Action Game)" and "Defenders of Dinotron City". But, as you can imagine, there were interesting side benefits:

--I was able to attend an LucasArts advance screening of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" (this was because ILM worked on the picture). Me and my sister were the first in line and it was so crowded that the guy that supervised the visual effects couldn't get in to see the picture he worked on! Natually they changed the rules to allow the visual people to go in first, which was fair of course, starting on the next screening, which I also attended, for "Hook". By the way, you are also encouraged to sit through the end credits to cheer the names of the artists as they come up. Very interesting movie going experiences.

--Went a couple of times with my fellow testers to Skywalker Ranch for lunch at the main house. The first floor is where the cafeteria is located and you can roam the entire first floor. Cool place.

--Then there was the 1991 Christmas Party held in the warehouse district in San Francisco. Oh my god, that was the best damn party I've ever been to. Two large dance floors, a huge ice skating rink plus a couple of performances by a two-time champion skater (introduced by a person dressed as an angel with huge fucking wings), and a sleigh with real reindeer. And George himself was in attendance. I got close enough to say something but he scurried away before I said anything (one of my greater regrets was not trying again - I just wanted to say something nice about the party and his games division).

--I also got some interesting souvenirs called rotophotos. On the company bulletin board they mentioned something about giving away some free stuff from the ILM animation department. One had to go through a long corridor lined with matte paintings from some of their films (like "Die Hard 2") to get to where they were giving the stuff away. What they were giving away were something called rotophotos. They were part of the rotoscoping process for visual effects. They were large BW photos, usually in negative, and had a frame number in one of the corners. Normally they would just dispose of the rotophotos but because they were going to all digital they decided to give these away as some kind of special event. I got a bunch of them from "Star Trek VI", "Hook", and "The Rocketeer". I've had them for years and I absolutely no clue to how much they are worth.

Despite these experiences I will say that gametesting CAN be very boring and repetitive which depends on the company and the games that are made there.

But I can also say, with great confidence, that gametesting is also the single most influential job I've ever had. It has changed the way I deal with people, how I write (which has been especially helpful for the guides I write for GameFAQs), how I design things (like my RGB Analog mods), and how I play my games.

Somebody who read one of my guides wrote to me about this subject and I think that this is a scam also. Listen, if you really want to be a tester, go find a legitimate company to work for.