So I just got a couple of questions and while I'm not sure if they fit in this thread, I want to know anyways.

1. Is it true that a full time game tester is rare to recruit these days? If so, how are testers normally recruited? Are they called at a specific day or are they given a contract to sign up for a part time job?

2. If a programmer is absent for a day, can the project that he/she has been assigned be shifted to someone else or is that programmer only responsible for the project and does it affect productivity in the long run?

3. What exactly is automation testing? Is it useful in games and if so, how? And how can it apply in unity and should programmers learn it?

4. Is getting a supervisor an important aspect in any company?

0. It's not a FAQ if it's just questions you're asking yourself.

1. There are lots of testers in the industry, often called QA (Quality Assurance). They aren't rare, but in my experience there are fewer of them than programmers, or designers, or artists. Sometimes the QA teams work for a publisher, rather than a developer, so they get to test many different games, but don't work alongside the actual developers.

2. Programmers are rarely assigned a project to themselves. A project is broken down into tasks, and each task is assigned to a programmer. It's rare that the project will suffer if any one task is delayed by a day or two - and in fact it's common for tasks to get delayed by days or weeks. Occasionally a task will be reassigned to a different programmer if necessary.

3. Automation testing just means testing with some sort of tool. Some people include unit testing under this category, which is a common way for programmers to test their own code. Another type of automated testing could be to use a scripting language in the game to ensure certain features are being used and respond the way we expect. Or they could simulate a player playing the game, and measure the outputs. Yet another approach is called 'fuzzing' where the tool produces random inputs and we check to see that the program doesn't crash as a result. Testing is useful because it increases the quality of the software. How to apply it in Unity (or any other specific platform) is a big question, but I suggest entering "unit testing Unity" into your search engine of choice.

4. "Getting a supervisor" is not something you do. When you join a company there will be someone you report to - that is your supervisor. You don't generally get a choice in the matter. Companies operate as a hierarchy, each person reporting to someone above them, so that the instructions can flow down from the top and responsibility flows up from the bottom. If you are talking about the more general sense of having a mentor, that can be useful, but for the most part game developers are expected to continue to work on self-improvement and not every company can afford to have someone dedicated to improving your skills or providing more than general supervision.

Ok so then in the case of testers, until they get the build, what else are they suppose to do? Are they allowed to do activities until a build is ready for them? Exactly how long do testers take to test games and what is the general work hour? When can they leave exactly and do programmers generally rely on the testers for their bugs in their coding?

The programmers I work with are neither aware of automation testing nor unit testing. How can I teach them such a thing exists to begin with since they only know Unity?

If the one I report to is rather shady or exploits me, what should I do being in a lower position than him/her?

"in the case of testers, until they get the build, what else are they suppose to do?" - In a larger studio there are often multiple projects ongoing, so there should always be a build of something available. Similarly, if you're a publisher then there's always going to be at least one of your developers who has something worth testing. In a smaller studio, on a new project, there might be weeks or months before there's anything worth playing, which is why smaller teams often don't hire dedicated QA team members, and may split QA duties across the team. Alternatively it's possible that a team might employ QA on a short-term contract basis.

"Exactly how long do testers take to test games" - This is unanswerable, just like it would be unanswerable to ask "exactly how long do programmers take to make games". It's a duty that is performed over time, and the amount of time needed depends on many factors - the complexity of the project, the size of the QA team, the quality of the QA tools, the ability of the other team members to respond and act on QA feedback, what level of quality the team are happy to accept before shipping, etc.

"and what is the general work hour?" - Hours for a QA/tester are broadly the same as anyone else's work hours. Here in the UK that's usually 37.5 to 40 hours a week. Some European countries have slightly shorter work weeks. Other countries have slightly longer. Additionally, if there is a crucial deadline coming up it's not uncommon for most or all of the team to do some, or many, extra hours in order to ensure the deadline is hit.

"How can I teach them [ automation testing and unit testing] exists to begin with since they only know Unity?" - how best to educate people is a bit beyond the scope of these forums, but common sense goes a long way. You need to start off with a clear understanding of why you think they need to learn these skills, then politely raise the subject issue with them and be prepared to state why you think it might benefit the project. You should be prepared for them to disagree, and you need to strike a balance between being willing to make helpful suggestions for the good of the team and being willing to accept that other people get to be in charge of their discipline (code, art, design, etc) and have the final say on how to carry it out.

You can also attempt to ask about these things before you join a team. When interviewers say "do you have any questions for us?" this is exactly the sort of thing to bring up.

"If the one I report to is rather shady or exploits me, what should I do being in a lower position than him/her?" - This question is far too vague to give you any concrete advice, since it depends on the situation, such as what exactly you mean by exploitation, whether you are employed or a hobbyist, whether you've signed a contract, which country you live in, etc.

On the whole you have these options:

• Tell that person that you feel exploited by certain behaviour. They may have been doing it by accident, and might be able to rectify their behaviour. Or they might get worse, or fire you. At least you'll find out if anything could be done.
• Tell that person's supervisor that you feel exploited by that person's behaviour. Sometimes this can lead to the situation changing for the better. Other times, nothing changes and your supervisor just gets angry that you reported him or her.
• Ignore it and carry on. Not much fun, but sometimes you don't feel that making a complaint will help, and maybe the project is good enough to make it worthwhile anyway.
• Leave the team/project/company. Sometimes it's best just to have a fresh start, and you can't expect to change or fix everything.