.Map :: MoHAA Mapping

Anyone wanna take over for me at my real job so that i can pursue this offer?

Game Testers

Although testing can be fun and rewarding, it is hard work. We are looking for responsible dependable candidates who have an eye for detail, great work ethics, excellent communications skills, and the ability to work in a team environment. We need people who are prepared to work overtime, late hours and during weekends in addition to the 40 hours during the week days. Length of employment will be approximately 4 to 5 months or upon completion of the testing project. The interview process may include several interviews by phone or in person at our office in Los Angeles with Testing Managers.

Electronic Arts, Los Angeles

EALA is now hiring testers with a passion for computer gaming to help test various First Person Shooter and Real Time Strategy titles.

Got an email from EA askin me to contact them for a position as a game tester. Now if this email woulda came 4 weeks ago this wouldnt even be a dillemma but now.... oh what to do what to do..... In case you missed it I very could well be the greatest EA whore here so the lack of money being offered here isnt a problem what so ever. Just the chance to get a say in a game that will be released by EA is huge for me. And dont believe the hype about them already having MOH:PA done already and just waiting for the next fiscal year. They still fine tunning that puppy for sure.

If you want it, you are an idiot not to take it. That is if you really WANT it. But be warned, testing is not the same as just trying out the new cool games. It is hard structured methodical and sometimes even boring work. But from what I know about you Random, they should cry with happiness if they got their hands on you.

Well if it were me gettin an email from EA askin me to be a tester, I'd be packin my bags and askin them when they want me to leave. Cause I love EA games.

you gotta be careful about those jobs that you test games, it sounds like a dream but you've got to find every last detail in the map and make sure it's done right. it might get borig after a few years, but hey! you get to see a ton of new games that EA is about to release and test them out before anyone else.

if it were me, i'd blow this place and get to LA and say,

"i'm ready, MOHPA here i come...."

if you're not totally sure about it, just sit down and think about it.

im already in LA, w00t for me!
i didnt get an email though....

Yes so let me explain more of the dillema there is nothing about that job i wouldnt like other than it only pays 11 dollars an hour. Everything else is top notch i know i would most likely have a chance to network and show them my works and ideas and possibly obtain a full time job.

Currently i have kick ass gig. 40k U.S. to start will get certified in a few weeks to get 45k. They reimburse me for everything i spend on the job so its like i get all this cool stuff for free. The gave me a new laptop cell phone and soon they will be making my car payments. They like me and my work considering i have only been there a month and they assigned me one of the top 3 accounts with assignment nationwide so there are some cool travel perks involved. I could go on and on.


So it comes down to this, do i really give up a stable good paying job to follow a dream with possibly no pot of gold at the end or the rainbow.

But like i said earlier to even have this opportunity tells me " It's good to be me "

Just beeing asked can boost the ol' ego. And a nice ego is a good thing

if i were u id prolly stay .what u are descirbing is very good ,knowing what ea will produce next isnt quite the same as having such a great job .unless ea is willing 2 do the same as ur current employer then ur better of w/o EA .that was my 2 cents

what kinda of benifits does ur current employment have, and what does EA have?? by benifits i mean like health medicare etc
i would probably go with EA, if u dont like it u could probably go back to where u work now

Current job offers every benefit under the sun except the ability to sneak preview new games before they are released. But yeah im stayin put and keeping games as a hobby. Just nice to know they offered me a position at all, even if it is only as a tester.

sign up for this job if ur willing to spoil ur eyes haha

so i take it ur staying then.... thats cool............ maybe u could do part-time work for them, like if they run out of testers at some moment you could fill in.

I hope I'm not too late to chime in on this.


I've worked in the game industry before and considering the value your current job holds for you, I strongly recommend you keep your current position. You've mentioned this as a dream oppotunity to get an early look at new games and possibly make a small contribution of your own to their creation. That is one point in favor of taking the job. But let me throw some cold water in your face regarding the negatives:

At $11.00 per hour, you will be lucky to make $30K a year and only with a whole lot of overtime under your belt. That's practically minimum wage here. I'm not sure where you live now, but in LA, you better make some quality friends to share an apartment with as soon as possible or be prepared to eat Ramen noodles forever because that's all you will be albe to afford. Unless it's a $hithole, expect to pay at least $750 - $1500 in rent depending on the size.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Testing games is NOT the same thing as MAKING games. It can be quite tedious, boring, and if you happen to get stuck testing a really crappy game, it will be frustrating as well. But some companies just want you to find the bugs in the game and then be quiet. Other companies encourage feedback from the testers regarding gameplay and controler issues. Some will certainly want to hear any ideas you might have that can improve the product. You won't know which category EA falls under until you get there.

5-6 months employment! That is typical in gaming industries especially for testers. Layoffs after a project is completed is the norm. What are you going to do when that happens? You can apply for another tester position elsewhere, but you will also be competing with probably 50-100 other testers who have been laid off as well and have more experience. By the way, those numbers are not an exaggeration. My last job at a game company resulted in about 120 testers laid off along with about 50 production staff.

Opportunities for promotion? If you are lucky enough to last 2 years as a tester, you could get promoted to lead tester and slowly work your way up through management positions over the testing department in the long term. But you will still probably not make the $40 K you are making now. Virtually no testers at my last job were there for more than 4 or 5 years.

Typically, testers are students who are using it as a temporary job while they are getting a education. -- But not always. Some are just game freaks. I new several testers who were getting computer science degrees to be programmers. This was good introductory experience for them. But do you fall under any of these categories? Testing should be a stepping stone to something better. Not an end unto itself.

It is even more rare for someone in testing to get promoted to the production crew. That did happen at my last job to a degree. Several guys were brought over to do scripting or level design work. But it turned out that the money they made as full time salaried employees was less they were making when they got paid hourly wages plus overtime. --- But that can only be blamed on the people running the company. Still, entry level production crew will only mak $40K - $50K.


If this were a job offer for production crew, my opinion might be different.
But with all the perks you described at your current job, that IS a dream job. It also sounds like a job that has a future. Don't throw that away to be a game tester for 6 months. Use your creativity in your spare time to make more maps or mods.



I just noticed you already turned down the job. I'm glad you had a wake-up call. Hope your job is going well.

I salute you diego, passing on experience!

Good man, this is what makes the world a better place, the willingness of people to advise, inform and explain to others no matter at what lengths it takes to do it!

Mj

Random is currently "online deficient" due to a combination of travel and computer malfunction. But hes on his way back

We have a new Rjukan project map by him ready, just waiting for the man's return to release it