Adam Bruno

People often wonder how to become playtesters. Now, while playtesting is an actual job for some people (myself included, formerly), others don’t want to fritter away 40 hours a week (plus “mandatory” overtime) to play the same crappy part of the same crappy game day in and day out. Most people would rather spend a couple of hours playing a good or at least decent game, tell people what they thought about it, and call it a day. While that’s not exactly “playtesting” in the truest sense of the word, it’s what Microsoft is offering. See below!

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure when this little feature was offered, but it’s free to sign up for, and I’ve already done so. The whole process took less than ten minutes, and they allowed me to tailor my gaming interests by priority.

Although the playtesting appears to be primarily focused in the Seattle area, the FAQ says that they encourage people nationwide to sign up. Maybe there are secondary sites, or there will be some playtesting of online and/or downloadable content, though Microsoft might not be too pleased with the possible security leak.

Naturally, I see it as my duty to let you all know if and when I get tapped to playtest, although I naturally won’t be sharing any details about what the product is. After all, those NDAs probably include references to firstborn children and immortal souls. In the meantime, go ahead and sign up; it can’t hurt. I can’t promise that you’ll get picked, especially if you don’t live in the Seattle area. But like they said, they want people everywhere, so it can’t hurt.

Hopefully sometime soon, you’ll all be treated to a post about my playtesting experience with Microsoft. Don’t hold your breath, but as soon as I get some info, I’d be happy to share it with you.

Source: Microsoft Website