GAME DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS / GAME QA & TESTING / Основы разработки игр / Анализ качества игр и тестирование

Introduction
Game QA & Testing:
the new professionals
I want to be a game tester when I grow up! Most likely, this sentence has never been uttered. Game testing is just not one of those professions—at least, not yet. Gamers
usually want to become game designers, producers, artists, or programmers. However, consider this little known fact: Game testing is one of the best ways to break in the game industry!
When game projects staff up in May, hundreds of testers flood publishers and developers alike with the unbridled energy of hardcore gamers. However, a majority of these testers had no training whatsoever before being hired to do what is a fairly technical job. They’re blamed for lacking knowledge to which they have never been exposed. When developers complain about testers, their major gripes center around a lack of professionalism— skills, appearance, attitude, education, or initiative. In this book, we will attempt to correct this. Written by industry insiders, Game QA & Testing is intended as an in-depth introduction to the world of game testing—from basic game development concepts to advanced testing techniques. We want to take testing to the next level—helping testers to become elite specialists in particular fields (e.g., art, audio, level design, networking, performance, compatibility, physics, artificial intelligence). This is no easy task, and
no other industry moves quite as fast as the game industry. Still, Game QA & Testing contains enough information to swiftly change the game for would-be testers.
In this book, you will learn: the role of game testers in quality assurance (QA) departments; the difference between QA and production testing; basic and advanced testing techniques; how to avoid being put “on call”; how to get promoted; and the future of testing. As one of the few books of its kind on the market, Game QA & Testing is a much needed, invaluable resource for students and game developers alike.
Today, testing is seen as a necessary evil—and testers are sometimes portrayed as hardcore gamers looking for a quick buck. This will all change as testers become highly sought-after professionals with unique skills. It’s all a matter of time and effort—just like mastering a game!
Luis Levy Jeannie Novak Santa Monica, CA Santa Monica, CA