How are Game Testing Practices Beneficial to Game Developers?
The world of gaming does keep most of us engaged, regardless of what age group we belong to. ‘Video Games, ’ as the world calls them, have been struck by technology to evolve in a bigger and better way. You can now access games loaded with Virtual Reality (VR) that have fueled the popularity of mobile, desktop, web, and console gaming to unimaginable levels.
Currently, the worldwide gaming community is 2 billion strong and is growing with each passing day. It is expected that the global gaming market will acquire a value of US$ 287.1 Billion by 2026 end, thereby delivering a CAGR of 9.24% during the same period. There is immense pressure on gaming companies and game developers to keep up with the latest trends and be innovators of future trends. To ensure the end gaming product is bug-free, these companies need to rely on QA testing services. Otherwise, the criticism from end-users can immediately hamper business dealings.
What is Game Testing?
It is a type of software testing for games that involve identifying bugs and further optimizing performance. While creating video games, you can implement testing activities during the prototyping stage or the development stage. It ensures the early detection of discrepancies without reaching the end-users. With the help of game testing services, you get to assess, identify, record, and repair all types of software defects, potentially influencing the user’s gaming experience.
It is believed that for highly complex games, there is a need for dedicated testing resources to upkeep QA testing activities. The testing of such video games should initiate from the first code itself. In simple words, it involves a DevOps-driven, continuous testing technique in collaboration with CI/CD pipeline to ensure timely release.
Stages to Game Testing
There are primarily three stages for successfully carrying out game testing. However, most game developers talk about various challenges that hinder the standard technique and leave them clueless about starting or stopping the testing process.
Let us focus on the main steps of game testing for better utility.
Game Test Strategy
To make improvements within the game, it is necessary to chalk out a game testing strategy. The most basic methodology can comprise various segments like the number of testers and testing cycles and timelines, type of testing, service-level agreements, risk-based testing, reporting, etc. Having an entire strategy prepared does increase your chances of successfully conducting game testing for better outcomes.
Design & Test Case Execution
It is recommended to write down both positive and negative test cases for spotting maximum bugs and errors in a game application. You can use different techniques for creating test cases, such as critical path testing or traditional testing methods like black-box testing. For highlighting more defects, it is sensible to execute game test cases in the recognized environment using configurations of software and hardware.
Record Test Results
Comprehensive recording of tests is helpful for thoroughly understanding the identified defects and further reviewing them efficiently.
Popular Game Testing Techniques for Game Developers
To reduce stress, gaming companies and game developers rely on software testing companies to actively analyze their gaming applications. These methods are now gaining prominence at the global level. Some of these include:
Combinatorial Testing
It can be seen as an experimental design that is majorly used for commercial software testing and the generation of test cases. Combinatorial testing with game testing does work to enhance test execution efficiency and deliver better quality at a reduced cost. Key features of this testing type include:
- Identification of discrete elements which can be differentiated either in configuration or data
- Combinatorial testing includes category-partition testing, catalogue-based testing, and pair testing
- Methodically create a combination for testing
Functionality Testing
This particular testing is carried out to validate whether or not the end product satisfies the set specifications. Some of the main issues highlighted by functionality QA testers are:
- Generic discrepancies in a game centered at user interface and graphics
- Stability issues, game asset integrity, audio-visual concerns, etc
- Performance issues such as crashing, freezing, and progression blockages
- User interface (UI) issues focused on both content category and graphical elements
Clean Room Testing
You can see it as a software development process that is planned to create gaming software using a confirmable level of reliability. The main aspects of cleanroom testing are:
- No requirement for programmer testing method
- The programming stage begins only after the official specification
- Combination of mathematical reasoning, statistical reasoning, and design refinement during test case creation
Ad Hoc Testing
General testing or Ad hoc testing can be defined as a less structured approach for analyzing video games. It is randomly performed on any section of a particular gaming application. Important features of ad hoc testing are:
- This testing category has three different segments, namely, Pair Testing, Monkey Testing, and Buddy Testing
- Ad hoc testing helps in recognizing defects using a random approach, and zero documentation
- The benefits of Ad hoc testing include the completeness of testing and identify hidden bugs apart from the planned testing
Compatibility Testing
The purpose of compatibility testing is to ensure a game functions properly when evaluated concerning associated hardware, software, and graphics configuration. You can consider it one of the essential mobile app testing services that verify a game’s seamless working on specific devices. Useful features of this test include:
- Confirm whether or not the game user interface is compatible according to the device’s screen size
- Ensure the product fulfills all essential requirements established by the game developer as well as the end-user
- Verify real compatibility amongst varied testing environments
Conclusion
If you look at the ongoing trend, the outsourcing of game testing activities is viewed as a viable option for several game-developing companies. The main benefits include saving time and resources, as you no longer have to struggle in managing an internal game testing team. Having a trusted software testing services provider with practical expertise in multi-platform games can indeed prove valuable for your business and customer satisfaction.
ImpactQA is known to offer a complete range of game testing services covering all categories of multi-platform games. We specialize in the various game testing practices mentioned above. With an adept team of qualified professionals, we carry out a careful inspection of your gaming application to detect system bugs or errors at the earliest. Be it PC, console, mobile, or AR / VR devices, we maintain software testing proficiency of the highest order.
To discuss your project, feel free to contact us.
