Paid to Play Video Games - Paid to Play OR Paid to Test?

There are two types of people that get paid to play video games. The first is the one that plays games in the hopes of "winning" cash & prizes. This person expects to win huge amounts of cash by playing simple arcade and puzzler online games. The second type is the game tester, whom actually tests and plays online video games and gets paid no matter what happens. Which type of game player has it better? Find out below.

Group 1 - Paid To Play

Pros:
- Can play to win awesome prizes and huge sums of cash.
- Can play virtually any type of online game and possibly win cash: action, puzzle, adventure, sports, racing, etc.
- Can play onlines games for money whenever he/she wants by visiting gaming/arcade websites.
- Not required to meet deadlines, send in bug/glitch reports, or complete tasks.
- High-end computer not required. As long as there is an internet connection, the player is good to go.

Cons:
- Chances of winning large prizes or great amounts of cash are usually astronomical.
- Smaller amounts of earnings can not be collected because there is a minimum "payout" threshold that must be met.
- For the best chances of winning actual cash, the player must compete in tournaments with thousands or tens of thousands of others.
- Cash flow (in general) is extremely low. Most individuals that play games online for money in this manner often can't make more than a few hundred dollars per month; if even that.

Group 2 - Paid To Test & Play

Pros:
- Get paid to play online video games, regardless of outcome; be it win or lose.
- Get paid to test never before seen video games.
- Get paid to play video games of any genre; action, sports, driving, racing, MMORPGS, etc.
- Keep the video games you're paid to test.
- Get paid on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
- Make more than $600+ per week testing games.
- Experienced game testers that play games online for money can make upwards of $50,000-$70,000 per year!

Cons:
- Starting video game testers can find it hard to land high-paying testing jobs.
- Must meet deadlines set by developers.
- Must send in detailed bug/glitch reports on each game.
- Must have the equipment required to test the games: PC & internet connection, XBOX 360 & internet connection, PS3 & internet connection, Wii & interent connection etc.
- Must find developers to work for on a regular basis.

If you truly wish to play games online for money, those are your two basic options. You can either play & "hope" to win some money OR you can test video games and actually EARN some money. The choice is up to you!

Paid Video Game Testing - 3 Tips For to Make Things Easier

Paid video game testing can be a lot of fun, but you should also know that it is NOT always fun. A video game tester has to do work and complete the tasks assigned to him. If he doesn't do his work well or if he simply approaches his tasks as though they're not a big deal, chances are he won't be a paid video game tester for long. After hearing that, if you're still interested in testing video games for pay, follow the 3 simple methods below.

1. Test Video Games For Free

It might make you sick to your stomach to do work for free -- if you call game testing work -- but it is a necessary evil in order to get your foot through the door. Offer your services to gaming companies and developers and tell them that you'll test their games completely free of charge. Since game companies don't like to spend more on testing than is absolutely necessary, they'll be more than happy to avail your service. After a few free jobs, you should have a nice pile of references ready & waiting for those paid video game testing jobs.

2. Make Contacts

Every person you talk to (whom works with video games) is a potential asset that you can use. This person could be the launching point from which you land that first big game testing job. This individual might be able to inform you about high paying testing jobs opening up; those of which aren't being actively talked about. He/she could also pull strings with some important people and get you testing jobs when you need them most. In short, they could be your window of opportunity into the video game tester universe; hence, be as professional and as cordial as possible with every one you meet.

3. Be Active

Don't wait for testing jobs to fall out of the sky and hit you in the head -- it's not going to happen. Instead, get yourself out and about and start approaching game testing companies directly. Tell them who you are, what you do, and how much of an asset you can be to their team; whether it be a permanent or temporary position. If you present a strong case, there's no reason why you should be turned down.

Paid video game testing can be extremely rewarding -- but, be sure not to get in over your head, as there is actual work involved with this sort of job!

How to Get Video Game Testing Jobs With Ease - The Simple Solution!

If you're trying to get your foot in the door of the video game testing world, then you need to listen up. If you've got zero experience, zero recommendations, and zero contacts, the chances of you landing high paying video game tester jobs are somewhere between nil and zero. But, don't let that get you down, as there is a way to build up your experience, your list of contacts, and land a job at the same time.

Firstly, don't drawback in disgust at what you're about to hear -- In order to start testing video games for money, you're going to have to first begin testing video games for free. You heard right, free! No cash, no earnings, no money -- just your time donated to the developer in the hopes of making their game better. Why would any sane person do this? Simply because it's the best way to get started in the video game tester world.

Big name developers (LucasArts, Konami, Eidos Interactive, Electronic Arts, Capcom, etc.) are spending tons of their OWN money on the extensive testing of their video games. This means they want top-shelf game testers to do the job; not new-comers that probably couldn't spot a bug or a glitch if their life depended on it. That being said, don't expect big name developers to throw you a bone because you want to "try out" professional game testing -- it takes a bit more effort than that to land video game tester jobs.

Offering to test video games for free is truly the perfect outlet for an aspiring tester. Gaming developers hate to spend more money than is absolutely necessary to release a game; therefore, if you're offering to test their game for free, you've got a much better chance of getting accepted.

Every video game you test is another title and developer reference you get to add to future applications. The more games tested, the more references you have. The more references you have, the easier it is to land video game tester job openings that actually pay respectable wages!

It may take a little while to get going, but as long as you're willing to put in a little effort and test those first few games free of charge, you won't have any problem landing video game tester jobs; and that's a fact!

Playing Games for Cash - It's a Real Job!

Being a beta game tester can be truly great, especially for someone whose life "revolves" around video games. Not only do you get to play some of the coolest new games before your friends and the rest of the world, you get PAID to do so!

How Much a Video Game Beta Tester is Paid

You can expect a starting wage of around $8-$10 per hour. As you work for more developers and get more experience, that amount will likely go up. Will it go up to $120 per hour as stated by those ads you've seen? Probably not, unfortunately. However, your "salary" can indeed reach the $25-$35 per hour mark when you become a fast beta game tester.

Another big thing to remember is that many beta game testing jobs are on a "per assignment" basis rather than hourly pay. That said, if the game testing assignment paid $400 and you were to complete it in about 8 hours time, you'd be making a whopping $50 per hour!

Generally speaking, the faster you are at beta game testing, the more money you'll make. On the flip side, if your speed comes at the price of quality, then it does you NO good.

Be Ready to Work

Being a beta game tester means doing actual work; not just sitting there drinking cola and playing cool video games. You'll not only have to play games you dislike again & again, you're going to also have to fill out bug and glitch reports on those games too. If you're not prepared to do this necessary evil, then you can NOT be a paid beta game tester.