‘My life as a video game tester’

During his four years in the role, Harun Ali worked on high-profile titles including Lego Dimensions, Star Citizen and Human Fall Flat 2 before they were made available to the public. 

The role, also known as Quality Assurance (QA), sees testers look for potential bugs within a new game, producing a report on the bugs that they find to the gaming company. These bugs will then be fixed by the developers before it is officially released. Testers can also play the game ahead of its release, giving their feedback on its playability to the developers. 

Harun, pictured above, who graduated in 2015 with a BA (Hons) Graphics for Games from the University of Bradford, says he would often spend all day every day for months playing the same video game prior to its general release in his previous tester job. 
He now divides his time between Bradford and Tenerife where he works as an associate producer for No Brakes Games. 

Harun, 30, has now passed on his knowledge in his first book – The Pocket Mentor for Video Game Testing - which gives a guide to getting into the industry. It also features a chapter on mental health in the games industry.

He said: “Video game testing is fun. I was testing on Lego Dimensions for six months. That was a fun project. 

“In QA, you are making sure that there are no defects in a game. If you find an issue, developers can reproduce the bugs and fix them. You are that second pair of eyes. You find a bug and report it. A game has to eventually come out. 

“Games testers can be involved in all levels of the game’s production process. Testers are the first and last line of defence for any game. This is to get them ready for the public.

“The hardest thing to overcome in video game testing is the repetitiveness of it. Games can take five years before they are released. If you have to play a game for eight hours a day for five years, it might not be as fun. You then have to find unique ways to find the job fun, to keep you motivated playing the same game over and over again. Something added to the game can make it fresh.”

Harun says he hopes people who wish to become a video game tester will be given an insight into the trade after reading his book. He also previously worked as a games development tutor at both Wakefield and Bradford College. 

He said: “It’s super exciting to release my first book. I didn’t think that I would be writing it so early in my career. The book has tips and advice on being a games tester. I still do a little bit of testing here and there.

“A lot of people have misconceptions about it (being a games tester). They see it as a foot in the door to get to do what you want to do. You can build a career in QA. 

“I have learned so much since graduating. I love trying to inspire young people to get into the industry. I designed the book to be as accessible as possible. For people who are coming out of education and want to work in the games industry or want to switch from another career to games.”

The Pocket Mentor for Video Game Testing by Harun Ali, pictured above, which was released on 7 December 2023, priced £29.99, by Routledge, is available now from routledge.com/The-Pocket-Mentor-for-Video-Game-Testing/Ali/p/book/9781032323978