The Point Of Video Game Testing

When you go out to buy the newest game for your video game console it's unlikely that you think much about what went in to creating the final product. Sure, you know there are the animators and code writers and someone working on the hardware, but there is much more than just creating a game. Working out the kinks is a painstaking process.


Imagine the newest, long awaited game coming out for the Xbox 360 (or any other console). In the first days after it is sold gamers start to complain that there are problems that render the game unplayable or illogical. This is a huge blow to those who put all those months into creating and perfecting the game for marketing and sales.

Important for Quality Assurance

Video game testing is one of the most important parts of QA (quality assurance) for cleaning up the final product and ensuring that it's actually completely ready for the general public. But how does video game testing work?

Although some people may consider playing video games a waste of time, video game testers actually do it for a living. Sound like a dream job? Well, it's certainly not the most boring job around, but it does take some professionalism, and requires more than just playing a game.

What Do Video Game Testers Do?

In video game testing, the tester is sent a game that is in the later stages of development. They are supposed to play that game, usually getting paid by the hour. However, the actual job part of the job is supplying important feedback.

With the arrival of a new game to test is a description of what to be looking out for. While playing, the game tester pays careful attention to the details in graphics, as well as looking for bugs that make certain moves difficult or impossible. Also, watching the flow of the game and ensuring that there is nothing confusing or wrong as you go along is important.

Several Different Versions are Made

Throughout the process of creating the game a number of versions are made. The alpha version will be the first one tested. After that, feedback is taken into account and improvements made and the next version is ready to be tested. This process goes on until the game appears to run perfectly smoothly with no glitches. Then it is ready for marketing and sales.

Video Game Testers Are an Important Part of the Team!

Although it sounds like a fake job, video game testing is an extremely important part of making a video game. Anything sold with imperfections will have unsatisfied customers complaining and writing bad reviews, possibly even suing. This is terrible for sales of the game, obviously, but also for the credibility of the company itself. They take game testing very seriously and those who test the game are an important part of the team. Maybe you're looking for a new job?

 



 

Video Game Testing News:

 

Video games might actually be part of solution in fight against obesity
Often derided for contributing to the obesity epidemic, video games may actually be part of the solution, particularly if they promote exercise, according to a survey released Thursday...


Independent Game Developers Stay Small, Passionate - All Things Digital

All Things Digital

Independent Game Developers Stay Small, Passionate
All Things Digital
Big video games like Mass Effect 3 and Halo 4 aren't going away anytime soon. But a growing cadre of independent games developers is taking the road less traveled EUR” keeping teams tiny and visions narrow. In fact, they say they don't want to grow.

and more »
..


Fluke Networks Gives Telecom Technician Tool Belts an Extreme Makeover - MarketWatch (press release)

Fluke Networks Gives Telecom Technician Tool Belts an Extreme Makeover
MarketWatch (press release)
EVERETT, Wash., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Fluke Networks today announced the TS54 TDR telephone test set, which is 62 percent lighter and 20 percent more cost effective than other similar solutions on the market,(1) and changes the game .

and more »
..


Market Wire - Curriki Receives $3 Million Donation
September 21, 2011 -- Curriki, the leading K-12 global community for creating, sharing, and finding open learning resources, today announced it received a $3...


Business Wire - QA Testing Leader Pole To Win Commences European Operations
April 23, 2012 -- European branch of Pole To Win America established in London, focusing on expansion of localization services TOKYO -- Pole To Win...


NBA 2K12 Mobile App -- Action on the Go: Sports Video Game Review
My son and I love sports video games. We will try nearly any major sports game, and we buy and keep only those that we like the best. We really like NBA 2K12 for Nintendo Wii, so when we saw it available for our mobile devices - iPod and iPad - we just had to download the applications. The mobile versions have proved just as great as the game console versions...


FOX16 Safety Alert: Kids and online video games
Matthew Kinney loves to play online video games with his sons. What he doesn't love? What his kids are hearing from the other players...


Latest Street Fighter x Tekken Patch Introduces Game Breaking Bug - TheSixthAxis

Latest Street Fighter x Tekken Patch Introduces Game Breaking Bug
TheSixthAxis
As you'll see in the video below, the game will freeze whenever Rolento's knife comes into contact with a projectile. I tested this out myself and I can confirm that it happens on both consoles after updating to version 1.04. As you can imagine, .

and more »
..


Business Wire - Pole To Win Establishes New Branch in the United Kingdom
August 1, 2011 --

Expanding worldwide presence into Europe TOKYO -- Pole To Win America, Inc., the...



Warrior Times Weekly: Odd jobs: Video game tester - my.hsj.org

Warrior Times Weekly: Odd jobs: Video game tester
my.hsj.org
No one would say no to a job where a person just sits around and test the newest video games. Brian Alcazar gets to just that though, and gets paid for it. Alcazar can make up to about $150 a day testing video games. He gets to play video games for .

..


Business Wire - Mobile Game Company Freeze Tag Announces Rocket Weasel, An Interactive Puzzler for Android & Apple Devices
January 19, 2012 -- Rocket Weasel game to be released by Freeze Tag Games, a Mobile Game Company developing Family Friendly Fun Games. TUSTIN, Calif. --...


Dropping Game Jokes Into Porn Video Names is One Way to Make a Living - Kotaku

Dropping Game Jokes Into Porn Video Names is One Way to Make a Living
Kotaku
Because the job is mind-numbing (he likens it to a game tester.sounds awesome, but is actually awful), as he has to sift through the actual videos to do it, he's got an interesting fallback for when it all gets a bit much. "The one thing that keeps .

..


How the video games industry is faring
A look at results from selected companies in the video games business:April 12: Market tracker NPD Group says U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell 25 percent in March ...


MPs call for violent video game ban after Breivik 'training' claims
MPs have called for new restrictions on violent video games after the Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik claimed he "trained" on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare...


Neuroscientists develop video game for stroke recovery
Stroke experts in the U.K. work with Limbs Alive to develop the first in a collection of action video games that encourage movements to relearn arm and hand control. Originally posted at News - Cutting Edge..


Market Wire - blurbIQ's Contrarian Findings: Interrupting Online Video Views to Test Brand Reception INCREASES Interaction and Completion Rates
September 29, 2011 -- Coming on the heels of announcements by KN Dimestore and Vizu regarding their services that insert multi-question surveys into streaming video...


Video Game Testing - LATEST VIDEO GAMES
Obtaining gaming testing experience before you decide to submit your resume and start meeting with for the first the first having to pay gaming tester job will greatly improve the chances of you getting hired, and open a lot ...


Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England) - A NEW generation of contact […]
November 28, 2011 -- A NEW generation of contact lenses that project images in front of the eyes is a step closer after successful animal trials, say...



Cash Advance | Debt Consolidation | Insurance | Free Credit Report | Cell Phones at Nextgenlinks.com

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: , ,