How my job combines my passion for gaming and football

Ever wondered who makes sure your footy video games are great? This guy!

CJ works as an associate quality assurance manager on the video game Football Manager. His team test the game to make sure everything works, and collaborate with the developers to create the most realistic simulation of football.

Working on one of the world's biggest football video games is the perfect combination of my two biggest passions – gaming and football!

• Grew up loving football and gaming. Realised he probably wasn't going to be a pro footballer but was keen to find other opportunities within the game
• Studied Sports Science at college and discovered a love of coaching
• Completed FA coaching qualifications - FA Level 1 and FA Level 2
• Gained experience in an unpaid role at Arsenal developing his coaching skills
• Got a full-time paid job at Fulham Football Club with their youth teams
• Went to a networking event organised by Kick It Out – who tackle discrimination in sport – and found out about opportunities at Football Manager
• Joined Football Manager, combining his two passions!

There are lots of different ways to progress in the gaming industry.

CJ works in the QA (Quality Assurance) team, testing games. In this team, his career progression has followed this path:

QA tester --> QA lead --> QA manager

His team is just one of the options, though. "There are lots of other roles within the industry too, including production, game design, social media and development, where developers help to code the game," he explains. "Depending on your skills and interests, there are different pathways you can take that you might enjoy and be suited to."

• Follow your passion: If you’re passionate about a particular game or video games in general, that will help you along the way
• Hone your eye for detail: Attention to detail is key so you can spot where the problems are in games and think about how to fix them
• Work well with others: You’re always going to be working as part of a team, whether that’s with developers, QA (quality assurance) or the social team. Being open to working with different people and taking on new ideas will get you a long way.

There are different roles in video game testing. CJ notes that: "Salaries can vary depending on your role and the company you work for. They can range from around £20,000 to £50,000 and upwards." The higher salaries in this range could apply when you've gained more experienced and progressed in your career.

CJ is now a quality assurance manager, but he started out as a quality assurance tester. Find out more about the role of QA tester below. This role can have various other job titles, such as games tester, computer games tester, and video games tester.

What to expect if you want to be a computer games tester

• Computer games tester average salary: from £24,000 to £36,000 per year.
• Computer games tester typical working hours: 37 to 42 hours per week.

What qualifications do you need to be a computer games tester?

You could get into this role via a university course, a college course (such as a Level 3 Diploma in Creative Media, an A-level in Computing, or a T-level in Digital Software Development (England only)), an apprenticeship, or applying directly if you have relevant experience.

This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.

For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).

Bitesize Careers, in partnership with The Open University, has launched the Follow Your Passion campaign, exploring how you can draw on your passions and interests to find your future jobs.

• Kick off: September 2026
• Focus: All things football!
• Discover more: To find more careers in football, click the link to the Bitesize Careers Follow Your Passion page.