Alpha/Beta Tester

[Jfc_56]

I am Very interested in becoming an Alpha/Beta tester I understand there are alot of benefits but i dont know how to get started. Please if any testers could help me I would greatly apreciate it.

[LynxFX]

Tester for what?

If it is for games that is usually all done in house, with a few exceptions where they go outside to a specific group of prequalified testers, and rarely to the public.

Not a whole lot of benefits for beta testing. Heck a lot of the time you don't even get a copy of the final finished product.

[Koopa]

and you probably start out testing crappy games.

[LiquidX]

I knew this guy who had high hopes like you... at first he wanted to be a baseball player but now that he turned 6 he wants to be a space man.

Seriosuly dude, its very hard to become a beta tester. And most of the time you can only do it if you live near the developer (Washington and Cali usually). Oh and BTW, no you cant Beta Halo 2 if you move to Washington. If you hear someone say you can, point and laugh.

[BananaMan]

I knew this guy who had high hopes like you... at first he wanted to be a baseball player but now that he turned 6 he wants to be a space man..

hahaha

[lotec16]

I was in a public beta for eath and beyond... or was it beyond earth? Some kind of MMORPG that sucked so much I only played it for 2 hours then put the disc on my shelf and never looked at it agian. It would suck ass to HAVE to play a crappy game.

[Darkside]

ok if you want beta go to http://www.betawatcher.com/

there.

[l Maximus l]

I signed up to do some game testing about 2 months ago. Ironically, I got a call yesterday and they asked me some questions. They said that they will get back with me after they are done interviewing people like they did with me.

It would be cool to be selected just to try it out since I've never done anything like it.

[TheCovenant]

eh, beta testing isnt as fun as everyone makes it out to be.

how cool would it be to play doom 3 right now?

Well, the game will freeze up for absolutely no reason a lot of the time. each time it happens you have to wait for it to be reported, or sometimes worse (you have to record the report yourself) then keep playing. The graphics wont be up to par, so dont count on that. The ai wont be implemented. Evrything will b e done with a command prompt....



remember the early days of everquest beta???

Computer crashes for no reason, game freezes up for no reason, graphics= pitfall 3d for the atari, long load times and INSANLEY BIG BIG BIG PATCHES to download.

its not fun at all. And not only that, its hard to get into in the first place. Yea dude, you're better off going to TV showings and then saying whether or not its good.....same basic concept, no load times.....

[Duke]

Eh, I disagree, some of the most fun I've had gaming was beta testing a few mmo's, shooter and whatnot. Sure, there are problems, but you're in early, and you really learn a lot about the game. That said, I don't remember the last time I signed up for anything, so maybe I'm remembering it more fondly than it was.

Anywhoo Jfc, since this is an xbox site, I'm assuming you want to do it for console games. As has been said before, there are rarely open betas for 'em. They do it in house.

If you're lucky enough to live in the vicinity of a developer, beta testing is basically an entry level position. Doesn't pay much, but apparently many people in the industry got their start there. It is a lot of work though. Especially as the game nears launch, 12 or 14 hour days are the norm, and by all accounts, you will never want to play the game after it comes out.

This isn't beta testing live or some MMO where you play when you want, and maybe send a report or feedback in if you feel like it. You play the games a million times through trying everything on everything.

Best bet is to check websites for any devs/publishers in your area. I started an application process w/ the EA near me a couple years ago until I decided that $10/hour wasn't worth the 3 hours spent commuting every day. Good luck.

[Jfc_56]

ok if you want beta go to http://www.betawatcher.com/

there.

Hey thanks this is really a good site for beta testing

[mrmp3]

By far, beta testing for MMO's is great. You learn the ins and outs of the game, you see errors being fixed, and you know if u wanna buy it upon launch or not. If you want to beta console games, it's practically impossible. Almost no chance. PC Games though generally have closed beta phases where you'll eventually get in. Then of course open beta.

[BigJosh359]

I think it depends on that you beta test whether you get the final product.

I know someone whom beta test for Activision. First project, he got a copy of the final game and a mention in the credits of the manual, second, though its a kick ass game he is beta testing, aint going to get crap.

No pay, maybe a free game, satisfaction of debugging a game.