Computer Game QA Tester Course Plan

Introduction Section

  • Intro 1 – An Introduction to the Industry
  • What is a Computer Game?
  • Roles Within Game Development
  • Overview of Development Stages
  • Common Terms
  •  
  • Intro 2 – Introduction to Games Testing
  • Introduction to QA & Testing
  • Introduction to the QA & Testing Industry
  • Introduction to What a Games Test Is
  • Intro 3 – An Introduction to Game Creation
  •  
  • Intro 4 – More Advanced Gaming

Section 1 Part A

  • Lesson 1 – The Game Development Cycle
  • High Level Concept
  • Pitch Document/Proposal
  • Full Design
  •  
  • Lesson 2 – An Introduction to the Hardware
  • PC, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Apple
  • Understanding Hardware Restrictions
  • Online Games
  • Mobile Gaming
  • Game Engines
  • Lesson 3 – Practical Video Capture and Editing

Section 1 Part B

  • Lesson 4 – Introduction to the Role
  • The Roles Within QA
  • Project Management and the Lead Tester
  • Qualities of a Tester
  •  
  • Lesson 5 – Why Test?!
  • What Are Bugs?
  • Not All Issues Are Bugs
  • Protecting the Hardware Manufacturers
  • Protecting the Consumer, From Themselves
  • Ensuring a Fun Game
  • Transparency and Alpha Channels
  • Ensuring a Quality Experience for the End User
  • Localisation – Games Need to Appear Native, not International
  • Ensuring Milestone Compliance
  • Ensuring Legal Compliance
  • Lesson 6 – Time vs. Cost and Quality
  • Testing as Much of the Game as Possible Given Time and Cost Constraints
  • Approaches:
  •     – Publisher Testers
  •     – Developer Testers
  •     – Specialist Testers
  •     – Vendors
  • Time for Qualitative Issues and a Time for Quantitative Issues
  • False Economies – Controlling the Pressures
  • Never Forget Best Practice

Section 1 Part C

  • Lesson 7 – Bug Life Cycle
  • Bug Life Cycle
  • New Bug Approval – Weeding Out Duplicates
  • Regression Testing
  • Reopening Bugs
  • Closing Bugs
  • Lesson 8 – Bug Tracking
  • Bug Reporting Pipeline
  • Database Permissions
  • Bug Reporting and the Language to Use
  • The Art of Reproducing a Bug
  • Attaching Screenshots to a Bug
  • Bug Grades and Priority
  • Bug Categories
  • Debugging Tools
  • Why Bugs Slip Through
  • Preventing Bugs From Slipping Through
  • Core Tests
  • Bug Report Generation
  • Assigning Bugs
  • Bug Databases

Section 2 Part A

  • Lesson 9 – In-Depth Functionality Testing
  • Reproducing Bugs
  • Types of Test
  •  
  • Lesson 10 – Gameplay Testing
  • When to Report Gameplay Issues
  • How to Report Gameplay Issues
  • Knowing When a Suggestion Should be Saved for V2
  • Know When to Escalate an Issue
  • Lesson 11 – Localisation Testing
  • The Development Approach to Localisation
  • The Localisation Process
  • Double Byte Characters, Accented Characters and Native Keyboards
  • Testing for Concatenation Issues
  • Testing for Formatting Issues

Section 2 Part B

  • Lesson 12 – Test Plans
  • Why Have a Test Plan?
  • Assigning Areas of Responsibility
  • Detailing the Testing Procedure
  • The Test Manual
  • Test Matrixes
  • Final Release Acceptance Criteria
  • Lesson 13 – Compliance
  • Hardware Compliance
  • Platform Holder Requirements
  • Mobile Platforms
  • Handheld Platforms
  • NOE/NOA/WiFi Connect
  • SCEE/SCEA
  • XBOX/XBLA
  • Game Codes
  • Legal Compliance
  • Ratings Board
  • Publisher Milestone Compliance
  • Working with Hardware Manufacturer QA Departments

Section 2 Part C

  • Lesson 14 – Tools of the Trade
  • What a Tester Typically has on Their Desk
  • Automated Testing Tools
  • Recording Gameplay and Looking for Clues
  • Debugging Tools
  • PAL vs. NTSC, 16:9 vs. 4:3
  • Binary File Compare/CRC Checks
  • Platform Specific Tools
  • Working with the Dev Team to Build Testing Tools into the Game
  • Lesson 15 – Computer Game Genres
  • Introduction to Game Genres
  • Common Genres
  • Other Genres
  • Empathy for the Target Genre and Demographic

Section 3 Part A

  • Lesson 16 – Competitive Game Analysis
  • Introduction to Game Analysis
  • Subjective vs. Objective
  •  
  • Lesson 17 – Investigating the Fun Factor
  • What Is Fun?
  • Elements of Fun Games
  • Demographics
  • Lesson 18 – Public Testing
  • Beta Testing
  • Focus Group Testing
  • Pitfalls of Public Testing

Section 3 Part B

  • Lesson 19 – Concept Approval
  • Why have Concept Approval?
  • Why some Hardware Manufacturers have Concept Approval
  • Tiered Concept Approval
  • Know your Target Audience
  •  
  • Lesson 20 – Presenting Games
  • Why Testers Present Games
  • Presentation Tools and Techniques
  • Setting up Hardware for a Presentation
  • What can go Wrong, WILL go Wrong
  • Lesson 21 – Security
  • Keeping Code Secure
  • Fingerprinting Code
  • Version Numbering Builds
  • Tracking and Destroying Old Builds
  • Viruses
  • Testing with Copy Protection

Section 3 Part C

  • Lesson 22 – Post-Gold
  • Pre-Production Testing
  • Writing Tech Support Scripts
  • Cheat Guides
  • Prioritising Bugs for Patches
  • Patch Testing
  • Collating Customer Feedback
  • Closing a Project
  •  
  • Lesson 23 – Project Post-Mortem
  • Why have a Post-Mortem of a Project?
  • Who Should be Involved in a Post-Mortem
  • Writing a Post-Mortem
  • Learning Lessons from the Post-Mortem
  • Lesson 24 – Life After QA
  • Where a Career in QA can take you next
  • Outside the Industry – Professional Testing
  • The Sky is the Limit Within the Industry
  •  
  • Conclusion

 

 

 

 

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