Open Resources for Game Testing

Welcome to the first module of the game testing course. The first testing method we will be using is focus group testing. 

Questionnaires play a very important part on our game testing. We will get you started on different material you need to create to successfully perform your first game testing session. Before the actual testing, you will be creating a questionnaire related to the test in question. You can start learning about questionnaires here:

The course will have a specific setup on how questionnaires and other materials are handled. We will be using google form for questionnaires and google drive file sharing, since it is freely available for everyone. If you do not already have a Google account you can create one following this link:

Google account 

Then it is time to create a questionnaire. There are some general information about the course materials and questionnaires in the following link. Follow the instructions to create a general questionnaire form for the course. If you design you template well you can use the same template on all the questionnaires in the game testing course.

Questionnaire instructions

The first game testing method we will be using is focus group testing. You can start by watching a short introduction video about the testing method itself.

Activities and assignments

(The activities and assignments of this module are available in the full version of the course)

Gaming diary is a testing method that can be used for testing game related issues that require a longer playing period. You can start learning about gaming diary watching this short introduction video.

General information Questionnaire

Like most other game testing methods, gaming diary also requires a general information questionnaire for the session. If you did the questionnaire for the first test well, you can modify that template created for the first testing session. Just keep in mind that the general information questionnaire is created in the google drive folder dedicated for game test 2.

(The activities and assignments of this module are available in the full version of the course)

Think or speak aloud is a testing method that can be used to easily get players opinions about your game or other gameplay related issues. You can start learning about Think aloud method with this short presentation video:

General information Questionnaire

Like most other game testing methods, Think aloud method requires you to create a general information questionnaire. Again, if you did the questionnaire for the first test well, you can modify that template created for the first testing session. Just keep in mind that the general information questionnaire is created in the google drive folder dedicated for game test 3.

(The activities and assignments of this module are available in the full version of the course)

Bug Tracking is one of the corner stones of successful game development process. If you are a game developer, it is a good idea to keep an ongoing bug tracking list for your game. No matter how talented you are as a game developer, bugs are bound to happen sooner or later. Therefore it is a good idea to be prepared for that and have a good reporting system up and running. 

Bug tracking is an important tool for game developer, but it is as important for a game tester. When you are testing player's reactions or game play solutions, the testing methods we have already used do the job very well. But when we need to figure out if the technical side of the game is in order and everything is working as intended, bug tracking is the tool for that. Efficient bug tracking will help you get rid of bugs that are technological in nature, but affect how the game is experienced as whole.

Bug tracking can be done independently, but it is often combined with some other form of game testing. How the test situation is set up and which methods you are using is something you need to consider carefully. Some methods, for example think aloud, usually work poorly with simultaneous bug tracking. Since you need to fill out detailed information concerning the bug you found in the game, this can seriously affect the game play experience and disturb you speaking aloud flow.  For our bug tracking session, we will be using just the bug tracking method during the game test combined with questionnaires. 

(The activities and assignments of this module are available in the full version of the course)

Serious games. Many people have a very negative opinion about serious games. There is multiple good reasons for this. First of all, serious games can be, well, serious. Usually the main point of the game is to teach the players something and it has long been the official stand of the educational circles that if learning is fun, you are doing something wrong. Thankfully the attitudes are changing, and there has been some positive signals from varying fields of education that fun might be from now on allowed to exist in the serious games. 

Testing serious games has some major differences when compared to traditional games. The main difference is that the game has to be tested from the viewpoint of the educational goal and not the game play itself. If the main point of the game is to teach players about filling their taxes, no matter how good of a game designer you are the level of fun in the game might not reach the same level as entertainment games . On the other hand, the game might still teach how to operate with taxes very well, so even though the entertainment value is not optimal it still achieves the goal very well. 

The other thing to consider is how well the game is suited for the target audience. This is of course on important factor when developing entertainment games, but for example if you are creating games for rehabilitation or for elderly people, you will have to test how well the game is suited for the target audience. The best way is naturally to test the game with the real users, but if this is not possible you should try to put yourself in their shoes and try to visualize how the game would work. 

There are some key issues to concentrate on while doing serious games testing. Some main point are following:

• What is the target group for the serious game
• What is the main educational goal of the game
• Is there some limitations or restrictions you need to take into account 
• How well does the game manage to fulfill the needs of the educational content
• Was there problems or design flaws that would prevent the real target group from playing the game

(The activities and assignments of this module are available in the full version of the course)

Activity

(Work list test session is available in the full version of the course)

Activity

(Work list test session is available in the full version of the course)

Activity

(Work list test session is available in the full version of the course)

Activity

(Work list test session is available in the full version of the course)