The difference between game test and software test

(The game test here refers to all kinds of video games, especially online games).

From the software point of view, the video game itself is a software, belongs to the software category, so game testing and software testing must have their common ground, this article does not discuss this part in detail, but mainly discuss its differences.

First of all, we start with the software development process: usually a software development process is as follows: Accept order requirements Analysis design document programming program Implementation Integration test beta software release game is also a software, the development process can not escape this framework, but from the first step of development, The game has a big difference with the general software: first: Usually, the development of software is started by the customer order, the user is clear, the user's demand is also relatively clear. And the development of the game, usually does not have customer orders, user group positioning is also game planning according to market research and other information set, so the user's demand is relatively more ambiguous. For the game, even if the user group is clear, the user's needs are also from the game planning based on indirect information analysis, rather than the direct needs of users. Therefore, for game testing, the relative software test is a step further: testing the requirements document itself, and general software testing does not have this step. For testing, this directly affects the development of test standards. Typically, tests are designed to document standards and to verify that the software meets the needs of the user, but for game testing it is hard to say that designing a document is the standard that meets the needs of the user. Although software testing also has similar problems, it is not as serious as the need for a specific testing process for the document, and the importance of this step has been gradually recognized for the game. After all, according to the test theory, the sooner you find the cost of bug fixes, the less costly it is to find and fix bugs in the documentation phase than to fix them later.

Second: The general software development process to the software release as the end point, and for the game, especially online games, release is only a start. After the game is released, the development team will still need to maintain and update the game in operation and develop the later version in the game operation process. Operational maintenance updates and subsequent versions of the design are based on operational conditions to grasp the user's needs change, and to meet the changing needs of the process, the development process is often very short time, and the development of content and the original content of the game is closely related to the relationship between the complex and close, The game test task at this time is often not the usual software test (especially white box test) means can be competent.

In addition, the game relative to the general software there is a difference: The general application of the user software for the purpose of the target is clear, and the software will provide the corresponding operation manual to the user's behavior guidelines and restrictions; The goal and goal of game users are often not very clear, And the game can not be the same as the application of software to the user's operation to make too many restrictions. Therefore, the player's behavior in the game is more uncontrollable, which is a serious challenge for the game tester, the game tester needs to take into account the possibility of all the behavior of the player.

I think the game test is much more complicated than the normal software test because of the above reasons. The location and significance of the test: what is the positioning of the game test in development? Play games and find bugs. This is clearly wrong, and my understanding is as follows:

1: To assist developers to improve product quality, as far as possible to find the defects in the product as early as practicable, and to help developers eliminate defects, to promote products to better meet user needs, and save development costs. Assist developers in two aspects: A: Assist designers to perfect design B: Find bugs and help programmers fix bugs find bugs and position bugs as one of the most basic tasks for testers, locating bugs in two areas: a: Try to reproduce the bug in 100%, and find the full condition of the bug. B: Pinpoint bugs as accurately as possible, and find the necessary and sufficient conditions for bugs. Theoretically all bugs are able to find the necessary and sufficient conditions, but the actual situation should be based on the needs of the project, as well as Test team and the ability of the program team, workload comparison flexible master.

2: Product quality evaluation, provided to the development team, operations team and leaders at all levels as a reference to decision-making. I think this is one of the most important functions of the testing team, if you ignore this function, it is easy to have a "game test is to play games to find Bugs," the wrong understanding.