I’ve said to a few of my co-workers in the past that a reality TV show featuring the development of a video game would be an interesting series. It appears someone has somewhat thought the same thing.
Sony is set to debut a new, online only series simply called The Tester. The show features eleven contestants who will face each other, Survivor-style, in a series of game-related challenges. The winner of the whole thing gets the grand prize of being employed as an actual game tester for Sony.
While the show might be entertaining, I’m still disappointed by the direction they took. First, I really want a show that documents the development process. I want the public to know what kind of things go on when a game gets made. A Survivor-style show featuring made up challenges isn’t realistic. In real life, no one gets immunity or any of that crap. “Sorry Jimmy, you’ll have to get someone else to make that monster for you, I have the Chalice of Silicon for this round.”
Also, I don’t know another reality TV show where the grand prize is something an average person can get with way less hassle. These people will have to jump through hoops and do crazy stuff for just the chance to get a job that anyone with a high school degree and a desire to make $10 an hour can get. Think about that. The grand prize for this series is a $10 an hour job that garners very little respect, will probably entail long hours, and is at the bottom of video game development ladder.
I suspect that whoever wins the job probably won’t last beyond a single project as a tester.