Digital games tester

Description

Digital games testers review and test various genres of digital games by playing them in order to find bugs and glitches within the game’s functionality or graphics. They may evaluate the capacity of attraction and playability of games. They may also debug the games themselves.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to digital games tester:

digital games testers
digital game tester
computer games tester
virtual games tester
video games tester

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as digital games tester. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Digital games tester is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Digital games tester career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to digital games tester.

ICT integration tester
ICT test analyst
ICT system tester
ICT usability tester
ICT accessibility tester

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of digital games tester. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of digital games tester with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of digital games tester.

Digital game genres: The classification of video games based on their interaction with the game media, such as simulation games, strategy games, adventure games and arcade games.
Software anomalies: The deviations of what is standard and exceptional events during software system performance, identification of incidents that can alter the flow and the process of system execution.
Levels of software testing: The levels of testing in the software development process, such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing and acceptance testing.
Application usability: The process through which the learnability, efficiency, usefulness and ease of use of a software application can be defined and measured.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of digital games tester.

Report test findings: Report test results with a focus on findings and recommendations, differentiating results by levels of severity. Include relevant information from the test plan and outline the test methodologies, using metrics, tables, and visual methods to clarify where needed.
Provide software testing documentation: Describe software testing procedures to the technical team and the analysis of test outcomes to users and clients in order to inform them about the state and efficiency of software.
Execute software tests: Perform tests to ensure that a software product will perform flawlessly under the specified customer requirements, using specialised software tools. Apply software testing techniques and tools in order to identify software defects (bugs) and malfunctions.
Address problems critically: Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various abstract, rational concepts, such as issues, opinions, and approaches related to a specific problematic situation in order to formulate solutions and alternative methods of tackling the situation.
Replicate customer software issues: Use specialised tools to replicate and analyse the conditions that caused the set of software states or outputs reported by the customer in order to provide adequate solutions.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of digital games tester. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Agile project management: The agile project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Mdx: The computer language MDX is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.
Principles of animation: The principles of 2D and 3D animation, such as body motion, kinematics, overshoot, anticipation, squash and stretch.
Xquery: The computer language XQuery is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organisation World Wide Web Consortium.
Sparql: The computer language SPARQL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the international standards organisation World Wide Web Consortium.
Ict debugging tools: The ICT tools used to test and debug programs and software code, such as GNU Debugger (GDB), Intel Debugger (IDB), Microsoft Visual Studio Debugger, Valgrind and WinDbg.
Tools for ict test automation: The specialised software to execute or control tests and compare predicted testing outputs with actual testing results such as Selenium, QTP and LoadRunner
Human-computer interaction: The study of the behaviour and interaction between digital devices and human beings.
Resource description framework query language: The query languages such as SPARQL which are used to retrieve and manipulate data stored in Resource Description Framework format (RDF).
Query languages: The field of standardised computer languages for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information.
Ldap: The computer language LDAP is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information.
Ict project management methodologies: The methodologies or models for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals, such methodologies are Waterfall, Incremental, V-Model, Scrum or Agile and using project management ICT tools.
Linq: The computer language LINQ is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.
Process-based management: The process-based management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Lean project management: The lean project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Software interaction design: The methodologies for designing interaction between users and a software product or service to satisfy the needs and preferences of most of the people who will interface with the product and to simplify the communication between product and user such as Goal-oriented design.
N1ql: The computer language N1QL is a query language for retrieval of information from a database and of documents containing the needed information. It is developed by the software company Couchbase.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of digital games tester. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Manage schedule of tasks: Maintain an overview of all the incoming tasks in order to prioritise the tasks, plan their execution, and integrate new tasks as they present themselves.
Debug software: Repair computer code by analysing testing results, locating the defects causing the software to output an incorrect or unexpected result and removing these faults.
Use scripting programming: Utilise specialised ICT tools to create computer code that is interpreted by the corresponding run-time environments in order to extend applications and automate common computer operations. Use programming languages which support this method such as Unix Shell scripts, JavaScript, Python and Ruby.
Develop automated software tests: Create software test sets in an automated manner, ​using specialised languages or tools, that can be performed by testing tools in order to save resources, gain efficiency and effectiveness in test execution.
Develop ict test suite: Create a series of test cases to check software behaviour versus specifications. These test cases are then to be used during subsequent testing.
Conduct ict code review: Examine and review systematically computer source code to identify errors in any stage of development and to improve the overall software quality.
Measure software usability: Check the convenience of the software product for the end user. Identify user problems and make adjustments to improve usability practice. Collect input data on how users evaluate software products.
Perform software recovery testing: Execute testing using specialised software tools to force failure of software in a variety of ways and checking how fast and better the software can recover against any type of crash or failure.

ISCO group and title

2519 – Software and applications developers and analysts not elsewhere classified

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Digital games tester – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022