Working as a Game Tester – 10 Important Terms You Need To Know
Imagine applying for Quality Assurance job totally unaware about what Quality Assurance even means. Better yet, visualize yourself receiving your first beta game to test in the mailbox and not knowing what a bug is. To save you from this kind of embarrassment, I created a list of ten terms aspiring game tester need to know as they prepare to enter the game testing field.
Alpha – refers to the stage in a game’s development where all the features and codes have been implemented, but there are bugs in the game and gameplay needs to be tweaked.
Beta – is the stage where everything has been implemented into the game, and, as far as the developer know, there are no bugs and gameplay has been fully tweaked
Beta Testing – is the testing done at home by volunteers. These volunteers are mailed a copy of the game before release date and report back to the game company what they thought of the game and possible bugs they found.
Bugs – are problems with a game. Bugs are classified into four categories: A, B, C, and D bugs. The “A” bugs are types of bugs that must be fixed before the game is shipped out. “A” bugs make the game crash, cause viruses within the game, and, ultimately, force the game to be unplayable. “B” bugs are those that are less serious than “A” bugs. Unlike “A” bugs, games with “B” bugs can be shipped because they are only minor flaws that do not ruin the gaming experience. Games with “B” bugs tend to get released because certain “B” bugs are too hard to fix. “C” bugs are bugs that might seem important to some tester but when weighed against the company’s need to release the game, the “C” bug is not a big problem at all. Lastly, “D” bugs are very minor promblems that will most likely remain unfixed. Ultimately, it is impossible to fix all the bugs a game has.
Code Release – is the stage in a game’s development where the game is considered complete and ready for manufacture.
Debug – is the process of fixing a bug or simply finding what causes the bug so it can be fixed.
Gold Master – represents the final copy of the game. The Gold Master is coined after the Quality Assurance deemed the game as final and when the programmers have stopped working on the game.
Lead Tester – is an experienced tester who guides beginner testers.
Play Testing – is the testing of a game to determine how fun it is as opposed to testing a game to find bugs.
Quality Assurance – refers to a stage in the game’s development where testers stress over trying to identify all the game’s potential problems. This term can also be used to describe a department within the game company that tests games and equipment.
Now you are equiped with the knowledge you need to begin searching for job in the game testing industry.
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