Why Video Game Testing is Important

Dec 2
09:51

2010

Gina Kraft

Gina Kraft

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Most hardcore video gamers would love to be involved with video game testing. Testing video games is a vital part of the game development process, yet most people have no idea of what exactly a game tester actually does. This article will describe the role of a game tester in the game development process.

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Every industry uses quality control processes to ensure that their products work as planned when customers buy them. It should come as no surprise,Why Video Game Testing is Important Articles then, to learn that video game manufacturers have their own rigorous quality control procedures that are followed. Since the quality of the video game is at stake, it is vital that Video Game Testing be done in accordance with the programmers’ instructions. This is why video game manufacturers only hire testers that have excellent organizational and communication skills. Game Programming and game testing work hand-in-hand as an essential ingredient of the video game development phase to ensure quality standards are upheld; therefore, a tester’s ability to document tests accurately is of the utmost importance to programmers. The primary role of the game tester is to find elements of the game that are flawed, and then report these issues to programmers. The programmers need to know when and how problems occur, and random issues need to be vigorously tested to discover the circumstances/scenarios/factors that cause the bugs show up. Nobody in the gaming industry wants to send an error-filled video game to store shelves, and this is why establishing quality, error-free Game Design is such an important part of the game development phase. Should a video game manufacturer lose the confidence of the diehard gamers they will have tarnished their reputations (and will likely lose profit and market share in the process). For this reason, the role that game testers play during the game development process is vital to the game’s success once the finished product hits store shelves. In conclusion, video game testers play an essential role in developing video games. Game testers work with programmers to provide programmers with knowledge of how the game works under different scenarios and gaming conditions. When the tester discovers malfunctions, he or she documents these problems so that the game programmers can correct the issue. A company’s reputation is at stake every time they manufacture a new game, and nobody in the video game industry wants to be part of a video game recall. This is why the games are so strenuously tested, and why the job of video game tester is such an important role.