Why does Your Video Game Need Intelligent Quality Assurance Services?

The gaming industry has reached the zenith in the entertainment arena, overtaking both the music and the movie industries. As per a study of Zion Market Research , the value of gaming industry in 2021 was estimated at $201 billion and is further projected to reach about US $435 billion by 2028.?

Due to its fast-paced growth, this industry is attracting a lot of competition. In such a scenario, to stay at the top of their games, businesses would need to stand out and revise their USPs in every way possible.?

This is where intelligent quality assurance of video games is bound to make a difference.??

Be it video quality, interoperability, load on the gaming software, real-time optimization or any other area, video game testing is the key to ensure that companies provide a top-notch gaming experience to their customers.??

Here are a few points that will highlight why your video game needs to pass through an intelligent QA (Quality Assurance) testing framework.?

Identify the focus areas for the next version?

Just like other software products, video games are also subject to upgrades throughout their time in the market. In addition, most video games usually have a background story, which evolves over the course of a game. Therefore, an upgrade in such story-based video games is not limited to a small software patch but an entirely new story and features.?

A thorough evaluation of the gaming software helps developers plan and implement the next version (or sequel) to the current game. Besides implementing such upgrades, gaming software testing also helps assess if these updates add value to the overall gaming experience.?

For a comprehensive software testing process, gaming businesses need to carry out intricate quality engineering and technology assurance frameworks. However, most gaming companies do not have the technical expertise and professional experience to apply such frameworks. Therefore, reaching out to skilled quality engineering service providers is the best available option.?

Enhance AI simulation for a better gaming experience?

Since IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue used an AI program to beat the then world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, AI in gaming has undergone a sea change. Today the gaming industry uses sophisticated algorithms such as Finite State Machine (FSM) and Monte Carlo Search Tree (MCST) to implement AI in games.?

Such use of AI in gaming is not just limited to making the game more challenging for the user, but also enhance the overall gaming experience. One of the most common ways of doing it is by controlling and customizing the non-player characters (NPCs), which includes plot plans, the game's virtual environment, etc.?

However, all these advanced AI implementations need to go through rigorous quality engineering. Usually, gaming businesses do not possess engineering competency in these domains. Hence, they seek technical assistance from leading quality assurance firms.?

Improve the gaming performance of your device?

As soon as a video game is released to the market, gamers start trying their hand at it. Of course, many factors make a game popular, but once it is popular, the inflow of gamers skyrockets in no time. Therefore, companies must ensure that their gaming application can handle unexpected spells of traffic surges.?

Whether it is an offline game or a live streaming game, any outage or crash during a game, result in poor user experience. Therefore, gaming companies need to focus on load testing and stress testing their gaming software to avoid such crashes.??

However, most businesses are not fully equipped with the digital architecture to perform the software testing processes. For such companies outsourcing the QA process to experienced quality engineering firms is the best move forward.?

Ensure seamless cross-platform play and progression?

Gone are the days when gamers had to stick to their respective gaming platform (PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PlayStation) until they would complete all stages of a game. In those days, not just cross-progression (progressing in a game even after changing the gaming platform), even cross-play (playing with friends on different platforms) was impossible.?

However, the present-day gaming world is as interconnected as the Marvel Multiverse. The level of interconnectedness is so real-time that in a single game, you, as Ironman, can fight Thanos on Xbox and your friend Captain America can fight Outriders (the army of Thanos) on a PlayStation.?

As a result, gaming companies can no longer depend on one platform to validate and verify their gaming software. To ensure this, companies need a highly skilled QA team proficient with manual as well as automated gaming software testing .?

Maintain consistent gaming experience across all mobile devices?

Since the Snake game in GSM phones, mobile gaming has come a long way. There is no doubt that Games such as Candy Crush, Pokémon Go and Angry Birds have instilled a new form of excitement. But it was the advent of PUBG Mobile that radically changed the world of mobile gaming.?

As per a report by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA) , the revenue of the global mobile gaming industry valued at around US$94.8 Billion in the year 2022 is estimated to be around $139.5 Billion by 2026.?

Today, gaming companies need to test their gaming software not just on next-gen consoles but also on multiple mobile devices. Such mobile interoperability testing is done in several stages. These include creating user stories, preparing test cases, and so on.??

Running such a multi-stage testing process can get complicated at times, which is why businesses look for guidance from knowledgeable software testing specialists and experienced QA testers from trusted?quality engineering firms.?

Support smooth social media integration?

Be it live streaming or sharing a game achievement, the social sharing option in a video game is crucial for gamers today. Game developers know it very well and accordingly integrate social media sharing as well as live streaming options in the gaming software.?

However, integrating these options is not enough. Gaming companies also need to test their gaming software on the parameter of social media integration. Besides Facebook and YouTube, there are multiple other social media for gamers such as Twitch, Reddit and Discord. So, it is important to validate it with respect to every social media platform.?

Mitigate risk related to game integrity and security?

Besides holding a vast amount of PII (personally identifiable information), video games are also privy to customers' financial data and even address details. Therefore, video games are hot cakes for cybercriminals.??

Some of the most common cyber threats pertaining to video games include – Account takeover, Cyberbullying, Swatting and Doxing. To ensure that a video game is well-safeguarded from all kinds of cyber-attacks, gaming companies need to conduct thorough security testing and penetration testing on their gaming software.?

Key takeaways?

Technology is an ever-evolving domain. When it comes to the gaming industry, it has always pushed the technology advancement envelope beyond usual standards. Most of these technological innovations in the gaming industry are conspicuous from the visuals, game features, difficulty level and many other factors.?

However, all these technological innovations are not fail-proof and require proper testing before being released to?the market. In fact, if a game is released without proper testing, it does more harm to the game than good. The gaming software testing process helps in minimizing the risk of failing.?

However, most companies do not possess the domain expertise or testing infrastructure for conducting video game software tests. Hence, these companies reach out to industry specialists for quality assurance services .?