What are the most creative ways to test games?

1 AI Testing

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a powerful tool for testing games, especially for complex and dynamic systems that have many possible outcomes and interactions. AI can simulate different scenarios, behaviors, and strategies, and generate feedback and data that can help you identify and fix issues, balance difficulty, and optimize performance. For example, you can use AI to test your game's combat system, level design, or narrative branching, and see how it reacts to different inputs, choices, and events.

2 Blindfolded Testing

Another creative way to test games is to play them blindfolded, or with the sound off, or with the controller upside down. This can help you test the accessibility, usability, and feedback of your game, and see how it communicates with the player through different channels. For example, you can test how well your game uses sound effects, music, and voice acting to convey information, emotion, and atmosphere, or how intuitive and responsive your game's controls and interface are.

3 Speedrun Testing

Speedrunning is a form of playing games that involves completing them as fast as possible, often using glitches, exploits, and shortcuts. Speedrun testing is a creative way to test games that can help you discover and fix bugs, glitches, and exploits, as well as improve your game's design, balance, and polish. For example, you can test how well your game handles edge cases, exceptions, and unexpected inputs, or how well your game rewards skill, strategy, and exploration.

4 Roleplay Testing

Roleplay testing is a creative way to test games that involves playing them as if you were a specific character, with a distinct personality, background, and motivation. Roleplay testing can help you test the immersion, consistency, and quality of your game's story, characters, and world, and see how it adapts to different play styles, choices, and actions. For example, you can test how well your game creates believable and engaging characters, dialogues, and quests, or how well your game reacts to your moral, ethical, and personal decisions.

5 Crowdsourced Testing

Crowdsourced testing is a creative way to test games that involves inviting a large and diverse group of people to play your game and provide feedback. Crowdsourced testing can help you test the scalability, compatibility, and appeal of your game, and see how it performs on different devices, platforms, and settings, as well as how it satisfies different preferences, expectations, and needs. For example, you can test how well your game runs on various hardware configurations, or how well your game attracts and retains different types of players.