Sony seeks participants for PSN reality show, 'The Tester'

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Sep 3rd 2009 at 3:30PM }

Sony has announced an open casting call for a new reality series, created specifically for PlayStation Network, dubbed "The Tester." Participants will run a gauntlet of elimination challenges, with the aim of outshining their fellow competitors in the fields of "mental prowess, dexterity and video game knowledge." The winner will, of course, receive "every gamer's dream job" and become "The Tester," who is a tester of PlayStation games.

Those looking to put this wacky and mildly voyeuristic job interview on their resumes are encouraged to submit their details and a short video to Sony's official website. To be considered, you must be older than 21, a resident of the United States and have an unflappable desire to tell someone that they need to tighten up the graphics on level three. The series, which will eventually comprise eight HD episodes, will debut this winter on PSN -- at an unannounced price. How's that for reality?

Tags: PlayStation-Network, PSN, reality, reality-show, SCEA, Sony, The-Tester

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:35PM

Oh Shit....

Guess I will enter this....what do I have to lose?? lol

Ryoga Vee @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:35PM

your dignity

Courtney @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:37PM

Vee, you can't lose what you never had.

XBL: xGeneral DEATHx PSN: Deeth82 @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:53PM

"This QA job sucks ass...I can't fuckin' throw dis shit!"

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:55PM

Lose Dignity?? from Testing Video games!??! Hell I play them enough I might as well get paid....then people can REALLY call me a PAID Sony Fanboy then....lol

Wonder how the wife would feel about moving to Cali?

Ryoga Vee @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:59PM

Want to know what the average game tester gets paid...

$10 Hr

Traceur_Ryuk (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami) @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:01PM

It may not be the best job in the world, but it IS a job. What I wouldn't do to get out of a department store. Too bad I'm only 19 and I can't sign up :(

copa @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:06PM

Chris, don't you have an engineering degree? Don't you front as "The Aggie CEO"?

Set your sights higher, my friend.

SpaceFox @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:10PM

"Guess I will enter this....what do I have to lose?? lol"

Your soul

kentuckyfried @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:19PM

my real job pays ok, but it's tedious, not fun, and overall sucks ass.

A bad day of playing video games is better than a day of work, so I'm all in for signing up for this.

Traceur_Ryuk (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami) @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:22PM

Chris, go for it. That would be awesome to see a Joystiq member on there, then you could give us all the behind the scenes, lol.

VaultBoy @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:40PM

Two-to-one odds says that none of the contestants will have any prior experience. If they did they wouldn't be jumping through hoops for this shit.

Heh @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:54PM

Dude, you don't want to be a play tester. Think of the ETs, the Superman 64s, the Bulletwitches you'll have to play through. Think about it. I wouldn't wish that on any poor soul.

Freakwincy42 @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:57PM

"play video games all day, might as well get paid for it." interesting. you guys know how irritating it is to find that terrible game crashing bug in that new game you just bought? and you think, who's testing these games? you know how many bugs were eliminated before that game comes out? imagine the tedium of being the guy who isn't playing games for fun, but is methodically trying to reproduce every possible game crashing bug they can find. it sucks the fun out of playing games forever. FOREVER. still, better than working in food service.

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Sep 3rd 2009 5:29PM

Engineering?? LMAO....where that come from??

I have my Net+ and A+ Certifications so I can build PCs and run networks but damn sure dont have an Engineering degree....lol

Mr. Manly ESC Mcbeefington Ferguson The Second @ Sep 3rd 2009 6:50PM

Since I don't have any of the requierements I'll vote for you...unless I have to pay to vote then don't count on it.

PSN: John-Paul-Jones (Led Zeppelin) @ Sep 3rd 2009 7:43PM

Let's GO Chris D! We're going to cheer for ya!

daniel-kun @ Sep 4th 2009 2:59AM

Freakwincy42, much like being a gynecologist sucks the fun out of... well you know what I mean.

Kamasama @ Sep 4th 2009 3:56AM

Obviously this is not an ideal job. However, it could just be considered a way into the gaming industry if that's what you're interested in.

Ryoga Vee @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:35PM

I've been a QA tester at a number of Video Game companies.. its NOT a dream job!

tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:38PM

Yeah I hear that from pretty much everyone who says they've been one, it's hell supposedly.

Rocks @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:39PM

you got that right...

it's fun for awhile, then you realize how lame it is...

i was a QA tester, and was surrounded by 40 year old goth guys who would complain that their kids don't respect them... no wonder.

copa @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:43PM

Next season: A 20 episode reality show that determines who will be the next sanitation engineer at your local Starbucks!

The Diuretic, Tuesdays at 8pm!

Ashitaka @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:51PM

Indeed. Most people don't realise it but you're not supposed to actually play the game, most of the time you'll be searching for bugs, jumping a thousand times next to a corner to see if something weird happens.

dragonheart333 @ Sep 25th 2009 3:42PM

It's also not exactly a 'once in a lifetime opportunity'. Some QA groups can be really awesome but overall it's a very undervalued field.

VaultBoy @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:29PM

QA tester is only a dream job for people too stupid or inexperienced to know any better. Now if the winner makes the leap from temp straight to perm, that might be worth it but the pay still sucks and the hours are INSANE. It is a step up from manual labor or flipping burgers (depending on the pay) but a VERY minor one. Game testing is the job you don't know you would hate until you get there. They forget the disclaimer:

You are not paid to PLAY video games you are paid to TEST them, so try walking into an empty apartment building and going to each and every unit's bathroom and turning the water on and off, flushing the toilet, and opening each of the doors. Now, does each flush make the right sound? Does the flush happen correctly? Does the water turn on/off? At the correct temperature? Does every door open and close? Do the locks on the doors work correctly? That is game testing. Imagine doing that 40-plus hours a week. It is not a dream job by any stretch of the imagination. Granted it is better than most jobs I have had but it is not all fun and games, pardon the pun. When the hours are crazy you pretty much lose all sense of yourself and time because if you are half-way committed both of those things go out the window by the second or third week. It's draining to say the least.

Rocks @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:35PM

@VaultBoy

not to mention that you usually aren't testing games that you want to play, I did a lot of testing for crappy shovelware titles, mobile games and the occasional "alright" game.

While it wasn't a horrible job, it wasn't the best job I've ever had. You can actually make more money flipping burgers and probably not lose your mind doing so.

Traceur_Ryuk (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami) @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:45PM

Well, like you said, you were testing for small mobile games and such. I imagine the winner will be testing in big SCE games. Resulting in a much larger pay.

Freakwincy42 @ Sep 3rd 2009 5:01PM

amen, VaultBoy. imagine going back to playing games for fun, and finding every irritating glitch noone else even notices... you can't unsee.

Gordon the Ghost @ Sep 3rd 2009 5:01PM

@Traceur_Ryuk (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami):

Sorry but the type of game you're on doesn't dictate your pay.

I QA-ed Resistance, Splinter Cell, pretty much every PS3 launch title, Star Wars: Battle Front, and just about every good PSP game.

Rate of pay? 12/hour.

Danny @ Sep 3rd 2009 5:49PM

@Vaultboy

Perfect for any OCD sufferers out there!

tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:40PM

How about a basketball challenge, I feel like I could win that. No?? Just nerds pretending to be cool and talk trash while they play others like in that ESPN show?....oh, ok :(

Joey_Jellico @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:42PM

Is dat some Boxxy?

DWells55 @ Sep 3rd 2009 7:18PM

Haha, I thought the same thing myself.

iHavepants {SteamPSN: Arkanti} @ Sep 4th 2009 10:16AM

And this, good sirs, is when you realise you need to get off the interwebs for a little bit ;_;

Trey @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:45PM

This could be cool (to watch). I really liked the show that was on Syfy? that had gamers competing in some crazy challenges. WCG Ultimate gamer i think. If they can replicate that show in a way, I'm sure they'll make something decent.

Ryoga Vee @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:50PM

I must admit, it will be better than that, 51 Minds is producing , they do all the VH1 "_____" Of Love, shows. So the quality will be great, But the content, eh...

makimak22 @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:47PM

Don't know why the movie "The Departed" crossed my mind....

Jimmijam @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:50PM

From what I understand, QA is a Gamer's nightmare job.

David @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:51PM

to whoever wins this, have fun running your character into every wall in the game 500 times to make sure there's no glitches!

testing sucks!

Confucius @ Sep 3rd 2009 4:13PM

That does sound like it sucks, But i'm glad that someone did it rather than me playing a game with a bunch of those glitches.

Matt @ Sep 3rd 2009 3:53PM

Pretty lame, consdering all you need to do in order to get a job as a tester for scea in san Diego is to fill out an application. Worked there for 6 months. Most jobs staffed by a temp agency.

Why jump thru hoops? Just go down and fill out a form and ur hired.