Journal

Game testing is the ideal profession …or at least it seems like it would be. It was absolutely fun for the first 3 or 4 playthroughs – totally great. And yet, after you test the first hour of the game innumerable times, sometimes reloading your game 10 times in a row in an attempt to re-create a glitch that (you think) you found, you begin to question your sanity. That acknowledged, I still have fun playing the game, and it’s hard for me to believe that I participated in creating this masterpiece.
My game testing “tools” have evolved over time. My gaming fuel used to consist of Rockstar or maybe Monster energy drinks. Now, I find more comfort in a Lager or Hefeweizen. What used to be a tidy note pad has morphed into whatever piece of scrap paper I can find. And the beer aside, I am now more effective because I work at night, when I can concentrate, and wear headphones to avoid waking my wife with the unique sounds effects of Last Dream.
Hence, game testing is a valid and fun profession, but like any real profession, it involves real work.
All that being said, if you want to make an indie game or help a friend via game testing, DO IT! Don’t let anything hold you back from creating your own enthralling, creative work (unless you plan to directly compete with our game, in which case, I hereby curse you with mysterious, non-recurring glitches that no one else believes are real).