Videogames have a unique ability to suck us in: We quickly suspend disbelief and immerse ourselves in the worlds that game designers create for us. One of the first things we do is test the rules of the game to find out what results from our actions. Armed with this knowledge, we set out to master the game’s world.

But some game designers play with our expectations. Sometimes they deliberately trick us by sending fake-out signals. Sometimes they play on our assumptions about videogames, then show us that their game doesn’t work the same as the rest. Either way, we feel tricked — but to be surprised is to be entertained.

The battle has begun. 11 contestants have entered the ultimate game of Russian roulette. 10 of them will win. One of them will lose, and have to spend a year bug-testing PlayStation games.

The first episode of Sony’s The Tester, a reality show only available through the PlayStation Network downloads store, went live last week. The premise is simple: 11 gamers will put themselves through all sorts of humiliations at the hands of their cruelly whimsical masters at Sony, and at the end of it all, one of them will get a one-year contract gig doing quality assurance.

EDIT: Over at C.Dump Magazine, forum member Necromaster also wrote about “The Tester” in his review of the first episode. I guess Kohler was not alone in his dislike.