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I've been told by a few former game testers that you must live in their city because game testing has few educational requirements so it's easier to hire someone local. Some descriptions say "you must live in or near (insert city)". Some won't tell you this until you get on the phone with them.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ It sounds to me like you correctly understand that each different employer has their own hiring requirements which might differ, and that hiring locally is one common requirement that many studios have. The only way to know whether a studio you're interested in working for has this requirement is to check their published listings, or talk to them, as you've done. What are you looking for from an answer, beyond this? \$\endgroup\$
    – DMGregory ♦
    Commented Feb 27, 2021 at 15:29
  • \$\begingroup\$ I live in an area where there are a only few game tester jobs. I don't want to waste my time applying out of state if I can only apply in my city. That's why I asked this. \$\endgroup\$
    – user147878
    Commented Feb 27, 2021 at 16:04
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    \$\begingroup\$ We cannot speak on behalf of all of those out-of-state companies. Based on your research, it sounds like you've already identified that those employers are also likely to prefer to hire QC who live nearby. So I don't expect anything we say here would tell you anything you don't already know. \$\endgroup\$
    – DMGregory ♦
    Commented Feb 27, 2021 at 16:06

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It depends entirely on the situation.

There are a number of factors that favor hiring locally:

  • You have the option of person to person interviews.
  • Hiring across state lines can require additional considerations with respect to things like taxes, withholding and worker's compensation insurance.
  • It's easier to secure your game from various leaks. In person testers can talk about your game, but it's much harder for them to leak footage or files.
  • Some testing include observing the testers as the play and it's much easier to do this if they are physically present.
  • Typically, the number of applicants exceeds the number of positions; hiring locally restricts the number of applicants that need to be reviewed.

Some situation favor or possibly even require hiring remotely:

  • Assessing network performance under conditions that more closely resemble expected post-release play.
  • Testing the game with demographics that aren't present or under represented locally.

Ultimately a smart company is going to tune their hiring process based on their needs and resources.

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