As the gaming industry continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, so does the demand for skilled professionals in various roles. One of these roles is that of a video game tester, who is responsible for ensuring that games are free from bugs and glitches before they hit the market. In this article, we will explore the average salary for a video game tester, as well as some factors that can affect their earning potential.
The Average Salary for a Video Game Tester
According to Glassdoor, the average base salary for a video game tester in the United States is around $60,000 per year. However, this number can vary depending on a number of factors, such as location, experience level, and the size of the company employing them.
Factors Affecting Salary Potential
As mentioned earlier, there are several factors that can affect a video game tester’s earning potential. Here are some of the most important ones:
- Location: The location of a video game tester’s job can have a significant impact on their salary. As you might expect, larger cities like San Francisco and New York tend to offer higher salaries than smaller towns or rural areas.
- Experience Level: The more experience a video game tester has, the higher their salary is likely to be. This makes sense, as more experienced testers are able to identify and fix bugs more quickly and efficiently than less experienced ones.
- Company Size: The size of the company that employs a video game tester can also affect their salary. As you might expect, larger companies tend to offer higher salaries than smaller ones.
- Skills and Certifications: Having specialized skills or certifications can also help a video game tester to earn more money. For example, being certified in software testing or having experience with specific testing tools like JIRA or TestRail may make you a valuable asset to a company.
Real-Life Examples of Video Game Testers’ Salaries
To give you a better idea of how much video game testers are earning in real life, let’s take a look at some examples from Glassdoor:
- A video game tester with 2-5 years of experience and working for a mid-sized company in the United States can expect to earn an average base salary of $60,000 per year.
