Gaming

Enhancing Gameplay through Outsourced Video Game Testing

The online gaming industry saw an immense rise in its sales after the kick-off of the COVID-19 pandemic, which happened only once in a lifetime. Whereas, for now, “the world” has stopped, the use of online games is unprecedented. Thanks to various games, the number of individuals who are now game addicts is growing larger than ever.

In line with the report’s findings, there were some even higher increases in the DAU (Daily Active Users) of HD gaming (46%) and online gaming (17%). Social gaming is rapidly becoming the leading force for the growth of web-based gaming. It is forecasted that the US video gaming market will total $30.4 billion in 2021 and $48.2 billion¹ in 2027, with steady growth.

Offshoring the functions related to game testing and verification could be another step to reduce the time needed to release the game for the market. Now, we’ll look at some of the major merits of Video Game Testing outsourcing.

Importance of Video Game Testing

Video game testing is an integral part of the process of development; the very mission of this testing is to check that the game quality is high and that the game works well before it is distributed among gamers. It is finding the issues and fixing the bugs, glitches, and other problems that are affecting the gameplay of your customers. Games are also structured with the concept of periodic testing in mind to make sure that they work smoothly across different platforms and devices with different specifications.

Benefits of Outsourced Video Game Testing

This has been said before, as the game space on the internet is well-developed already, and this might resemble faster dissemination even more. The industry is growing rapidly, and the rapid proliferation of mobile phones and mobile internet will constitute a big upside in the online gaming market.

The question that arises is, “Why outsource game testing”? Let’s deep dive into some of the significant benefits of outsourcing activities related to the testing of online games:

Enhancing User Experience

A seamless and immersive user experience is essential for the success of any video game. Video Game Testing outsourcing is the main task to ensure that the user experience is smooth and bug-free.

Identifying User Pain Points: Testing teams put themselves in the players’ shoes and identify any potential pain points that could disrupt the gaming experience. Such issues as extended loading times, cumbersome controls, and fuzzy directions could be the fault.
Feedback and Iteration: Outsourced testing companies provide valuable feedback to developers based on their testing experiences. This allows designers to evaluate and improve their own designs by eliminating any flaws that might affect the final user’s experience.
Localization and Cultural Sensitivity: In today’s global market, video games are played by people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Outsourcing video game development firms can surely make this realistic, as players enjoy games that have cultural sensitivity and correct localization in various areas of the globe, which leads to an improved level of user experience.

Addressing Bugs and Glitches

Bugs and glitches can significantly detract from a game’s enjoyment and lead to frustration among players. Offshore gaming testing is not only good for finding issues in the game but also for competing with and providing solutions to these issues before the public is able to learn about them.

Comprehensive Testing: Testing teams employ a variety of techniques, including functional testing, compatibility testing, and regression testing, to identify bugs and glitches across different aspects of the game. It implements the process of the research in this exhaustive manner, so that the degradation of 100% defects can be guaranteed.
Early Detection and Resolution: Through testing throughout the development process, outsourcing firms can correct and prevent problems from snowballing into larger issues later on. As a result, this measure falls not only saves time but resources too.
Post-Release Support: Following the game’s release, too, outsourcing games companies could take over the process of identifying and tackling any problems that may occur after launch. Continuous support to the struggling players becomes the bridge between the company and the players, helping them to achieve an outstanding level of player satisfaction.

Optimization Strategies

Optimizing a game for performance and stability is imperative, especially in the modern-day competitive gaming environment. Video games are released by outsourced testing companies that use different techniques of blending the games into different platforms and gadgets.

Performance Testing: The quality assurance team monitors the gameplay stability on various device configurations so that the game runs smoothly with no lags. This switching is as important as bringing the same gaming experience to different platforms.
Platform Compatibility: As more games are now capable of running on various platforms like consoles, PCs, and smartphones, cross-platform compatibility has become a must for game developers. Third-party video game outsourcing companies usually run the game on various platforms to identify and deal with any tech problems that may occur.
Load Testing: An essential step in load testing is to assess the game’s performance under heavy loads, for example, during online multiplayer sessions or in a crowded game area. They can assess them in the real world and make improvements as needed by constructing scenarios.

Conclusion

The online gaming industry, particularly mobile gaming, is not only competitive but also undergoing rapid change. In light of the current game market, which is highly dynamic, priority should be given to gaming testing. Ultimately, Video Game Testing outsourcing can be very instrumental to a company in the long run.

Jagdev Singh