Why Do You Want to Be a Tester For Sony/PlayStation?

Here's a post in honor of my fellow Tester Wannabes!

Why do I want to be a game tester for Sony PlayStation? The obvious answer is that I love games, and, most of all, playing them. But that’s a given. None of us would be vying for this opportunity if we didn’t love gaming and the gaming industry. So I’m not going to bore you with an essay about my deep love for gaming. I will say, however, that I have many other skills and passions that I know can, and often do, go hand-in-hand with being a great game tester.
I know that Sony probably isn’t looking for just any old game tester; otherwise they wouldn’t be holding a massive audition campaign. Sony is looking for someone who is not only a reliable game tester, but also someone who can be a face to put with their product, a brand ambassador. I want to be that person.
As part of my income, I have done some freelance work as a promotional model for various events. I’ve done everything from Oktoberfest, Nintendo, Big Apple Con, A&E, to Disney. (This requires some mental flexibility and the ability to learn quickly because often times, there is no actual training for a gig.) I understand the requirements of professionally and effectively represent and network for a company or a brand in a positive way, and it’s something that I enjoy. How great does it feel to get someone else excited about a product or event (and it’s even better of you believe what your selling). I do own other gaming consoles other than my PS3, but I also believe that ever since PlayStation came on the market that they have been pushing the envelope and putting the best stuff out there to help revolutionize gaming for geeks like us, and who wouldn’t want to represent that?
I know it’s not all glamour, though. Game testing can be boring, monotonous, frustrating, and mentally demanding. Call me a crazy, but I find those kinds of tasks somewhat invigorating. I’m very meticulous, detail-oriented, and a little OCD about the tasks that lay before me (look how long I took to get my blog up and running for crying in the mud GOGG has been an idea bouncing around in my head for 2 years, but I digress). I’m an organizer. I LOVE making lists. Puzzles, logical/lateral thinking exercises, knitting, and scrap-booking are all activities I enjoy other than gaming. These all require patience, an eye for detail, and creativity. In other words, I like to challenge my brain for FUN! How screwy is that?!
With the pressure of being a visible representative of PlayStation and the stress that comes with the actual testing process, I’m sure it’s easy to get bogged down and overwhelmed. I can relate to this, in that I worked in a high-pressure corporately-owned fine-dining restaurant for 2 years. When things got overwhelming or (sometimes) excruciatingly boring, I would try to find the humor in the small things in life. I now work in a customer service position in a call center, which is less stressful, but still requires plenty of patience and top-notch communication skills. With my ridiculous and dry sense of humor you can rest assured that I will not crack under the demands of the testing job.
Well, have I bored you enough fellow gamers? Sony? Long story short: I understand that this job is not all fun and games and recognition, but I know I have the creativity, the patience, the perseverance, and the sense of humor to succeed. Most of all, I want to be a tester for PlayStation to be a part of something bigger than myself by helping bring games to a new generation and representing the female voice in the gaming industry. Good luck, fellow gamers!