How to Make a Career as an Esports Game Tester?

One of the various positions and career paths one can think about pursuing in the expanding Esports industry is that of an Esports game tester. The following sections attempt to provide a brief explanation of what an Esports game tester is, and what their tasks and responsibilities are.

What is Game testing?

Game testing is a method of software testing used to check the quality of video games. Game testing's primary objective is to find and fix bugs and flaws in video games while also enhancing their stability and performance. Game testing is a step in the production process that helps to guarantee the release of a bug-free video game.

A significant component of game development is game testing, which is a procedure for finding, documenting, and fixing software flaws before they affect the gameplay experience. This makes all distribution channels work at their best, helping to regulate the game's quality.

What does a Game Tester do?

A Game Tester's job involves:

• Classify the requirements based on the intended purpose and target audience.
• Identify the user and system requirements and should be classified into functional, nonfunctional, and domain requirements
• Identify Testable items, Non-testable items, targets, and measures for functional and non-functional requirements
• Check if the functional requirements are complete, consistent & comprehensible
• Identify customizable requirements, conflicting requirements
• Identifying interdependent requirements is one of the game testing jobs.
• Prioritize the requirements based on the uniqueness, complexity, criticality
• Identify the theme of the game, Characters, Animation, AI, Cinematic, Camera view, gameplay

Key Risks in Game Testing

1. The game does not create compelling experiences for the targeted audience.
2. The game does not have a player-centric design
3. The fun factor and addictive gameplay missing in the games.
4. The game is not unique, competitive, or fast-paced.
5. The game fails because of technical issues, broken features, critical bugs, bad music sound, and poor video.
6. Game development cost goes over budget
7. The game should have a simple aesthetic design and gameplay.

Game Development Life Cycle

Before getting into the Game Testing Life Cycle (GTLC), let’s look into the Game Development Lifecycle for a better understanding.

#1. Concept Analysis

We discuss game concepts or ideas during this planning stage. Storyboards, settings and the atmosphere will all be discussed in order to comprehend the game's concept. Later on, when the game's programmers, designers, and artists are creating it, this approach will be useful.

#2. Game Planning

Once we finalize the concept, we create three documents to proceed with the development process.

Game Design Document( GDD): It contains details about the UI, features, characters, graphics, sound, and more.

Technical design document: It contains details like the programming language used, tools, software, and reusable components in the system.

The project plan: It contains the plan details such as schedules, budget, milestones, deliverables, etc.

#3. Game Development

We create a prototype based on the reviews and documentation. The programmers begin creating the application as soon as it is given the team's approval. The user interface, setting, and sound effects of the game are all the work of the artists and game designers.

#4. Game Testing

The most important stage of GDLC is testing. It entails thoroughly testing each game scenario and recording any bugs that you encounter. In addition to testing the game for problems, we also determine whether it is interesting and enjoyable to play.

#5. Pre-Production (Alpha/Beta)

We would have a playable version of the game with all the main features and characters set in at the Alpha milestone, however, some of the assets might be temporary. We put the product through testing and receive executive approval. After that, we address the problems identified in the alpha stage and create the necessary asset in the beta version. In this situation, the management may choose to test the application using actual users in order to understand their experiences as well.

#6. Pre-Launch

In this pre-launch state, the bugs found in the beta version get resolved and are ready to be launched into the market.

#7. Launch

In this phase, we release the game to the market. All the last-minute update and polishing happens just before the launch date.

#8. Patch/Upgrade

This stage comes under post-production, where we fix some bugs, patch those issues, upgrade the content, introduce new levels, etc.

The role of the game tester is to play through the entire game, trying out all features with an open mind; looking for bugs or errors in design that might not be apparent at first glance.

It’s important for game testers to have an understanding not only of how people play but also of what they need from their experience with your game so they can give you feedback on its effectiveness and satisfaction.

There are several types of games you can test–mobile games, PC/online games, VR Games (virtual reality), and console video games. There’s even AR (Augmented Reality) now!

You can also head to Tournafest's YouTube channel to watch videos related to the Esports Industry.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, you might also like to read about other blogs from Tournafest from varying genres of the gaming industry.

If you enjoy playing video games, you might want to download the Tournafest app from Google Play or the App Store to compete in Esports Tournaments and Scrims for games such as BGMI, Free Fire MAX, Pokemon unite, CS: GO, CODM: MP, Valorant and Call of Duty and win exciting prizes! You may also organize tournaments and fetch unmatched perks.

Stay tuned for more and we will see you later!

Until next time,

#liveitforgaming