Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The game tester
The game tester is the member of the team who takes care of checking that the game
works as expected and doesn't crash, that controls are clear, intuitive, and effective,
that game mechanics are consistent, that the game logic works properly, and that
gameplay is fun.
Game testing can be called into play at different moments during the development. As
a general rule, a game should enter its testing phase as soon as a prototype is avail-
able. There is no better way to understand if a game mechanic is a good one than by
asking someone to try it and provide feedback.
It is mandatory that the tester is not a person who's developing the game, because
the objectivity of the tester's opinion is a crucial element in any stage of its develop-
ment, and in the early stages in particular. Generally speaking, the cost of correcting
a mechanic is proportional to the time that has passed since its implementation.
The thing that should be immediately clear, especially to our younger readers, is that
testing a game doesn't mean that people are paid to merely play it! Sure, they need
to play the game to test it, but finding and reporting bugs has little to do with playing
games. A good tester must be able to describe the bug in detail and explain how it
can be reproduced to help the development team to identify its causes and correct
them.
That the testing is a low entry level job in the game industry, is just half the truth. As
we will see during the course of this section, a good tester requires competency, and
exceptional communication skills. But it is also true that if you cannot prove your talent
in art, programming, or business administration with a strong portfolio or work exper-
ience, then starting out as a full time tester for a big game developer or a team is a
very good way to kick-start your career in the game industry!
The tools of deconstruction
The main tools for a mobile game tester are mobile phones and their interfaces,
mostly touch interfaces and gyroscopes. The tester thus needs to be at ease with mo-
bile devices and their features to test mobile games.
