Games Testing - Reading Week 11

7 Different types of game testing techniques  

Gaming companies need to play-test before they release a game in order to find any faults, glitches and bugs. A recent example of this would be Assasins Creed Valhalla which caused uproar in the gaming community. If a company releases their game without figuring out the errors, it will bring talk amongst the community which can bring down sales. 

Game manufacturers need to know who their fanbase is first of all, they need to test their games in order to perfect their end product. 

These are the big risks when it comes to game testing:

If the game isn't compelling enough for your target audience.

If the game has boring aspects.

If the game is too repetitive and common for the users. 

With risks there are many different game testing techniques that big companies such as KiwiQA, TestBytes etc. use. The errors are documented and brought to attention. 

1) Functionality testing - Generic problems are hunted such as game mechanics, sound, graphics, crashing, freezing etc. 

2) Combinatorial testing - Early stage game testing which progresses overtime.

3) Ad Hoc testing - "General testing" which doesn't follow a plan.

4) Compatibility testing - Detecting any defects within the end product. 

5) Clean room and tree testing - Establishing consistency within the game.

6) Regression testing - Test cases are constantly checked and examined. 

7) Performance testing - Overall performance of the game such as the smoothness of the game. 

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How to Playtest! 

Play-testing is extremely important for game developers because it gives them an idea of how the player might react to the game. Game developers can't foresee how their game will be perceived by their audience so play-testing is crucial in order to release the end product. There are many forms of play-testing but you should always start in the early stages such as when the prototype is created. 

Game developers should always break down their game into the most necessary bits so they can tweak and alter things if they don't necessarily like it. You should always pick a wide-ranging audience to play-test your game such as experienced players and sometimes children but it always depends on the game. Kids tend to be truthful when it come to most things so it's perfect for a non-biased review. 

Game developers should always play-test themselves as well but they should keep in mind that they know the ins and outs of the game that players have never experienced themselves. 

There are different types of play-testing which work on nearly all genres. 

1) Playtest with focus - focuses on 1 feature of the game such as the player movement, the obstacles etc.

2) Blind playtesting - Observing the player when they are playing your game so you can document potential errors, exploits etc.

3) Exploit hunting - You give the player an opportunity to discover exploits and glitches by trying to break the game.

You should never try to give direction when your playtester is stuck on a specific part of the game, you should always step back and observe no matter how much you want to help!

References 

Youtube.com. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9U1dcUS_-w&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=Brackeys> [Accessed 6 December 2020].

dzone.com. 2020. 7 Different Types Of Game Testing Techniques - Dzone Performance. [online] Available at: <https://dzone.com/articles/7-different-types-of-game-testing-techniques> [Accessed 6 December 2020].