As we know gaming industry in the contemporary world is filled with constant developments, innovation and creativity, the art of game testing has changed quite a lot with the adoption of modern game testing techniques.
With the advances in technology, game testing is no longer limited to phased testing where it occurs only at the end but it is an ongoing process and interpolated throughout the development cycle to offer the best possible gameplay.
The use of frameworks has brought about a change in the way games are developed for faster delivery as well as enhancing the modern concept of the scrum master on Agile methodologies. In the context of modern game testing, this means the repetitive and progressive process that is tightly connected with the majority of stages of a game’s development. Interaction with testers is important as they are involved in most of the testing activity with that of the developers since they can suggest good ideas and detect flaws on time.
Although non-automated testing continues to be useful in evaluating the game flow and mechanics, however, modern game testing techniques highly emphasise automation which has revolutionized game testing. Automation testing frameworks and tools enable the testers to run through thousands of tests and variants with complex and great speed thus maximizing coverage. In addition, starting with the short automated functional tests and ending with the long non-functional performance tests, automation helps to reduce the time and effort spent on routine tasks and concentrate on challenging and sophisticated ones.
Modern-day games do not have a specific console or hardware which will enact the game for them. That is spread over conventional gaming platforms – games consoles and PCs – as well as smart terminals and devices, and novel platforms such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Modern game testing has to include this kind of landscape by evaluating perfectly the game from all these aspects: function, performance, and usability of the game across all games’ platforms and computer configurations.
Cloud computing has become an important tool in modern game testing since it allows the creation of flexible and ‘play as you go’ testing platforms. Cloud-based testing services are highly flexible where the testers can create environments as they require within no time, thus cutting on costs of infrastructure and also increasing the speed of delivering the products to the markets. In turn, remote and distributed testing can be conducted due to these solutions, which will allow for the efficient cooperation of teams.
Modern game testing has left behind the pre-big data era and adopted the methods of data analysis and usage. This way the testers can collect a lot of gameplay information and analyze it to discover certain trends, which performances lag and what should be optimized. Such insights not only help think through the testing strategies but also enable developers to make appropriate choices, therefore achieving the quality of the game session.
Although tools, technologies, and methodologies are important, the core of modern game testing is to promote the testing culture across the different phases of development. There is no doubt that in the software development process, developers should work hand in hand with the testers to ensure that products are released with quality. It is thus possible to cultivate a culture of testing & review for improvement that would allow for constant identification of potential problems that may be detrimental to the experience of the game among the members of the game's target market.
Modern game testing should be an integral part of the gaming industry and there is a need to keep up with the new technologies and be able to tackle new variants of the challenges. As for the trends, future testers should know about virtual and augmented reality, cloud gaming, and blockchain-based gaming platforms, as the games, which use these technologies, should be tested and released with no defects. WeTest platform plays a huge role by providing the full range of services based on modern requirements with their deep accumulation in the field of games along with applications. The team of testers employs modern technologies combined with an approach that enables them to offer outstanding testing services for the smoothest execution of games and applications across various platforms.
Modern game testing methods ensure a promising future as the gaming industry further grows at a fast pace. By adopting the new technologies in the development processes and developing the testing culture in the game industry it is possible to advance the possibilities of development significantly.