The Game Team - Game Testing All in One - page 82

In this matrixed organization, the roles assigned to each contributor can be shown in
a table or matrix, as in Figure 4.4. It is also possible to have people who are not
assigned to any one specific project, but who act as “floaters�? in order to assist any of
the active projects on an as-needed basis.
Figure 4.4 Job role/project assignment matrix.
In small game companies, there may only be enough people for one game at a time,
so the same person may have different roles. The team from Digital Eel that created
the game Dr. Blob's Organism includes one person who contributed to code, design,
and art, and another who worked on the design, art, and sound. A simple chart or
email can let everyone know who is doing what.
Summary
Teams make games. Testers are part of the team. Everyone on the team wants to deliv-
er a good game and has one or more roles to play in making that happen, and the peo-
ple on the team should be aware of the contributions and responsibilities of the other
members. Testers need to examine the individual products delivered by each role as
well as their relationship to one another within the context of the game. Any game
project documentation provided along the way, from the game design document to
the release notes, can be used to accelerate test development and improve the effec-
tiveness of the tests.