The stakes are high in the video game industry. The development expenditures are in the hundreds, but the marketing budget is in the millions. The worldwide gaming industry is predicted to reach $268.8 billion in 2025, up from 178 billion US dollars in 2021, according to Statista’s study.
Due to its importance, gaming app testing should not be viewed as optional or a question of personal opinion. Learning to do thorough game testing or work with a business specializing in this area is vital to ensure that time and money are well-spent.
What Is Game Testing?
Testing a game is a way to see whether it has any problems. It ensures the game is up to players’ expectations. To detect and resolve bugs before the program is deployed, thorough testing is essential. Testing the game across various platforms and devices, like PCs to mobile phones and tablets, is vital.
Why Is Game Testing Not Like Software Testing?
Testing a game is more complex than trying a piece of software. Unlike the straightforward and systematic nature of software testing, the process of testing a video game is fraught with difficulties. Testing a game may seem much fun, but it’s rather hectic. Testing software is a lot more complicated than testing games. While automation is integral to software testing, experienced testers are still required to ensure quality. Professionals need in-depth technical knowledge and the right abilities to carry out software testing effectively. The testing of video games, however, has no such rule. There is less of a knowledge threshold for joining the game testing team.
Critical Areas Of Game Testing
Test of Interactions
How this game appears to the user is the most influential determinant of the overall rating. With a game testing platform, UI/UX testing should highlight what is broken and suggest ways the game may be better.
Quantitative analysis of performance graphs
Game testers must check that the game runs smoothly and to a satisfactory standard on all platforms. They can use automated game testing cases to guarantee this. For extended periods, these test cases can collect crucial performance measurements, such as battery life, CPU load, data consumption, and more.
Safety Tests
Ads and payment processors are only examples of the many third-party services utilized by mobile games. Testers sometimes have to spend much time running penetration tests since integrating third-party technologies is a common entry point for hackers. Even if you’re using the best tools available, you must do functional tests to ensure third-party tools don’t cause crashes or defects. Game testers should ensure players understand what information is collected and how it will be used. Furthermore, they must check that the game is secure and not leaking any information.
Other Devices
Users are tired of using their thumbs to control games on their phones. They want to hook up many screens, controllers, and virtual reality gear. Game testers must check that the game works properly with all the most popular peripherals.
Different Types Of Game Testing
Game testing is only complete with playtesting. If the game tester evaluates things like enjoyment, difficulty, balance, and so on that have nothing to do with the game’s functionality, the tester will have to play the game. More than hard evidence, this is a game of opinion. To a large extent, it defines whether or not a game app’s design is sound.
Load Testing
Effective performance management techniques may be implemented. Load testing shows how well an application performs under stress by simulating many concurrent users. It establishes the maximum and optimal scaling rates for an app’s user base.
Regression Testing
Games are tested for compatibility to ensure optimal performance when it comes to hardware, graphics, and software. When performing regression testing, it is necessary to re-evaluate the software while focusing on the elements that have not changed. With this method, we may compare and contrast past and present findings qualitatively. Time may be saved by finding defects early on. Thus it’s essential to determine if there are any before proceeding.
Functionality Testing
Functionality testing identifies flaws or mistakes that should be sought for and eliminated. They can negatively affect the gameplay experience and must be removed. Everything about the app has been checked and double-checked. This contains that the program is working as expected.
How To Test A Gaming App?
The standard procedure for testing a video game consists of the following:
Assemble the necessary components
One must gather and comprehend information concerning the game’s ideas, rules, levels, storyboards, characters, and architecture associated with the game.
Get your plan ready
Decisions about the scope, in-scope items, testers, testing cycles, testing methods, service level agreements, risk-based test analysis and mitigation, defect recording procedures, and more must be made and documented.
Design test cases
Designers must consider successful and unsuccessful playthroughs when designing mobile and desktop games. Testing strategies like critical route analysis, exceptional path analysis, and even simple black box methods have proven ineffective for gaming apps.
Execute test cases
Bugs are found by running test cases. Therefore this is an essential step. Better outcomes can be achieved by testing different age groups (alpha, beta).
Make a note of the outcomes
Document everything in video and screenshot form. Such information helps deduce how an app functions. Insight into the app’s usage may be improved in this way.
Conclusion
Game testers must comprehend not only how players interact with the game but also what they expect from it to provide you with feedback on its success and pleasure. Users of less expensive gadgets benefit from more extended playtime overall as a result of this. The HeadSpin mobile app testing platform can detect serious concerns among testers and game creators.
