From Manual to Automated: Transitioning your Game Testing Strategy

Game testing has evolved with time, thanks to the continuous advancements in technology and testing strategies. This evolution is necessary due to the increased complexity of game development and testing approaches.

Traditionally, game testing was a manual process that required testers to handle every testing aspect. However, as the testing requirements and complexity increased, keeping pace with these demands became more challenging. This has resulted in the adoption of modern automated game testing strategies to enhance testing outcomes.

But how has game testing evolved? Why transition from manual to automated game testing? And have automated testing tools taken over every aspect of testing? Join us as we explore the journey from manual to automated testing and how it is reshaping the future of game testing.

The Age of Manual Game Testing

Before the advancement of technology, testers depended on manual testing processes. They would play the game carefully to identify and report glitches, bugs, and other gameplay issues. This approach offered valuable feedback, as testers would experience the game from the end users’ perspective.

However, as testing requirements and games became more complex, this process became more time-consuming and error prone. This affected the overall reliability and efficiency of the manual game testing approach. Even worse, the growing competition in the gaming world meant that developers needed to deliver games to the market faster than ever. This rendered manual game testing more impractical.

The Emergence of Automated Game Testing

As technology advanced, new automated testing tools emerged. These tools enabled developers and testers to leverage the power of technology to improve the testing process. So, what does the automated game testing approach entail?

As the name suggests, automated game testing involves automating various game-testing processes. Testers use scripts, tools, and frameworks to perform systematic and repetitive tests. These tools are powerful enough to simulate player interactions, check for bugs and glitches, and validate game mechanics. Therefore, they facilitate faster and more accurate testing.

Challenges of Automated Game Testing

It’s no secret that automated game testing has numerous benefits. However, it presents several challenges that must be addressed to ensure accuracy and efficiency in the testing results. Here are some common challenges of this game-testing strategy:

1. Scripting Complexity

Creating test scripts for automated testing can be challenging. It requires you to have an advanced skillset and mastery in game testing. Fortunately, the rise of machine learning and AI algorithms has helped create complex automated test scripts faster and more efficiently.

2. Adapting to Continuous Game Updates

The gaming environment is dynamic. Once a game is released, that’s not the end – developers must continuously release updates addressing different issues. The issues may range from performance fixes to updates that address players’ complaints. Adapting automated testing tools to address such updates is often challenging as you must continuously update the test scripts. This can be addressed by embracing advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to enable automated testing tools to adapt to evolving testing requirements.

3. Ensuring the Accuracy of Automated Test Results

It can be challenging to determine the accuracy of automated test results. If the testing framework is biased, it can lead to missed bugs or glitches that may significantly affect the end-user experience. To address this challenge, it’s vital to include skilled testers to evaluate the automated test results. Also, refining the automated testing framework can help enhance the accuracy and reliability of automated test results.

4. Finding the Right Balance

Automated testing is here to stay. However, it’s essential to note that it’s not here to replace human testers. Instead, the automated testing strategy is here to augment manual testing. The human element remains vital in evaluating gameplay experience, subjective factors, and usability aspects that cannot be easily automated. Therefore, gaming companies should strive to strike a balance between automated and manual testing approaches. This way, they can leverage the strengths of both game-testing strategies, delivering high-quality games.

Final Thoughts

The evolution of game testing strategies from manual to automated approaches has revolutionized how we test games. The transition to an automated game-testing strategy has improved test accuracy, scalability, coverage, and efficiency. Also, it presents several challenges, such as scripting complexity and adapting to frequent updates. These challenges must be addressed to enhance the effectiveness and reliability of the automated game-testing strategy. While automated game testing seems to be taking over testing tasks, manual testing remains vital in evaluating the subjective aspects of the game. Therefore, as companies embrace automated testing, they must strike the right balance between manual and automated testing approaches. Doing so can help them achieve optimal testing results and deliver exceptional gaming experiences.

Are you struggling to transition from a manual to an automated testing strategy? iXie has got you covered.

At iXie, we boast an expert team of game QA Engineers. This allows us to offer clients the support they need to ensure their games hit the market on time. Contact us today for more information.

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