If you think playing video games is just a waste of time, you better think again! Those who love video games know fully well that they can get something good out of playing, even if it takes all day long. If you have the enthusiasm and you are having fun playing video games, why not turn your passion into something worthwhile and earn money by becoming a game tester?

Don’t get too excited though because there are things you need to know first before you earn extra cash as a video game tester. It’s not as easy as it seems it is. Competition can be tough when you get into the Video Game Industry. There are lots of gamers out there from around the world who would like to earn money by becoming a game tester. It will be to your advantage if you are equipped with information about the ins and outs of the Video Game Industry. Game testing is a part of the game development process and it is also considered as software testing that takes care of quality control for video games.

It is true that you can earn by becoming a game tester, but it’s not all having fun and playing games. Of course you can still enjoy with what you do, but since you are earning out of playing the games, you have to consider that fact that it is a job and just like any other jobs, there are responsibilities that you have to embrace.

As a game tester, you will play the game to look for errors. It’s your job to report to the game developers all the errors that you can find and they will have to fix them in return. The main task of the game tester is to discover and document these errors or more known as software defects or bugs.

Anyone who has interest in the field of research can become a research assistant. The tasks of a research assistant vary from paper works to maintaining lab cleanliness, to collecting data. For those who have Masters and Doctorate degree, the responsibilities are more complex which include presenting data during conferences, analyzing data, conducting literature reviews, attending project meetings, interviewing subjects, preparing presentations and more. If you are skilled in performing these jobs, you can make money as a research assistant.

The pay rate depends on your educational status. For undergraduates, normally it is minimum wage and usually, the pay is already part of their financial aid package. Graduate students on the other hand can waive their tuition and receive additional stipend every semester. If you want this to be your career and seriously want to make money as a research assistant, you can apply in hospitals and private companies and get paid higher.

There are research assistant jobs that are suitable as an entry level career and there are jobs that are more appropriate to degree holder individuals. Since the pay will depend on your proficiency, you need to come up with an impressive resume. Undergraduates may not have previous work experience but other abilities like reliability, following directions, working independently, can blend well in a group, among others can make a difference. And of course for graduate students, their previous research experience could make a big impact on their resume.