Automated game testing can transform your testing process and experience. However, you must use the right test automation tools to get the best outcome from automated testing. Join us as we explore the test automation tools, including their overview, pros, and challenges.

Game Test Automation Tools: Overview 

Game testing is crucial to building a robust and high-quality game. One of the ways to improve game test results is through automation tools. Automation tools enable you to run tests on different platforms effortlessly, regardless of their intricacy or complexity. This reduces your testing workload and enhances efficiency. 

Unlike human-driven tests, automated tests deliver more reliable results, as you can run them repeatedly. This makes it easier to identify errors or bugs in your game. Also, automated game testing tools help minimize the cost related to time-consuming manual testing approaches. As a result, they provide additional resources for other production areas.  

What’s more, automated testing tools help developers keep up with the dynamic gaming landscape. They enable you to quickly adapt to new testing platforms. Also, they ensure a seamless user experience (UX) regardless of the device used by the player. 

Top 5 Game Testing Automation Tools  

As a game developer, here are some top game testing automation tools you should know to transform your testing experience:  

1. Selenium 

Selenium is a powerful game-testing automation tool for testing web applications. It allows you to run automated tests on application programming interfaces (APIs), code, frameworks, and software shells. This tool helps quality assurance (QA) teams find and localize game errors and bugs. This capability is crucial in the world of cloud and cross-platform gaming. Its unique features work with Python and JS and support all internet platforms and browsers.  

2. Unity Test Framework 

Unity is a popular game development engine. This engine features one of the most robust built-in automated test frameworks. It is mostly used for testing Unity games. This test framework supports integration and unit testing, helping you identify performance issues and bugs.  

The Unity test framework has features like test fixtures, play mode tests, and assertions. As a result, it facilitates robust testing practices, ensuring the stability and reliability of Unity games. Also, this tool contributes significantly to maintaining code quality and improving the overall development process with the Unity environment.  

3. Appium 

Appium is an open-source game test automation tool. It is mainly used to test mobile applications and games across different platforms and devices, including iOS, Windows, and Android. This automated game-testing tool supports different programming languages. As a result, it supports a broad range of development environments.  

Appium’s flexibility and ability to interact with mobile, web, hybrid, and native applications make it a popular game test automation tool. These capabilities enable it to automate tests in the dynamic mobile game development landscape, ensuring seamless functionality across diverse devices.  

4. TestComplete 

TestComplete is a versatile game test automation tool that supports mobile, web, and desktop application testing. It provides many performance, regression, and functional testing features. Also, it offers robust recognition capabilities, enabling interaction and identification with game elements. This automated game testing tool allows testers to expand test coverage and maximize their efforts to provide high-quality games.  

5. Jenkins  

Jenkins is a popular tool for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) processes. However, it goes beyond its roots in CI/CD to support automated game testing solutions. This automated testing tool boasts a broad plugin ecosystem and great extensibility. Therefore, it enables you to seamlessly integrate different testing frameworks. This ensures robust quality assurance (QA) in game development pipelines. 

What’s more, Jenkins orchestrates the execution of automated tests. As a result, it fosters rapid feedback loops and efficient collaboration. Its adaptability makes it a cornerstone in streamlining game development processes and improving overall project reliability. 

Advantages of Game Test Automation Tool 

Automated game testing tools have become crucial in game development. Here are some benefits of these tools: 

• Game test automation tools facilitate faster and more accurate testing.  

• They facilitate 24/7 testing, delivering consistent results. This ensures smooth launching and running of games.  

• Automated game testing tools save on cost by eliminating manual steps and reducing the need for more testing staff or costly equipment purchases.  

• These game-testing tools deliver detailed test reports, which can be shared across departments. This promotes better communication and collaboration between teams. Also, it streamlines decision-making processes.  

Challenges of Game Test Automation 

While game test automation has many benefits, it has several challenges, including the following: 

• Introducing automated game tests into an existing test suite can be challenging. You must ensure the new introduction doesn’t compromise the current tests.  

• The gaming industry is ever evolving. So, developers must access different emulators and devices to effectively test their games across all platforms.  

• Accuracy is crucial in ensuring companies meet QA standards. Therefore, the automation tools should be robust enough to discover issues or discrepancies between multiple software versions or devices before launch.  

As a developer, you must understand these challenges to effectively use automated testing tools. In fact, it will help you save money and time while ensuring the tools deliver accurate and reliable test results.  

Conclusion 

Integrating game test automation tools into the development process is an effective strategy that ensures your game releases are consistent and quality. With these tools, you can identify and mitigate game issues during testing. This ensures you launch a game with maximum performance and minimal errors. Also, they help you deliver games that meet the players’ expectations. However, you must be aware of the challenges related to these automated testing tools. This will enable you to effectively leverage their power to streamline the game testing solutions.  

Frequently Asked Questions: 

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The process of game development is a unique experience. You set out to make a great title, but it is not easy to obtain everything you need from an upfront purchase to create something ready for release. However, if you can follow the steps outlined in this article, you’ll have a game project on your hands that will be ready for release just as soon as possible. 

What is Game Development?  

Game development is the process of creating games. The term “game” covers various types, from the simple to the complex. The two most common types of game development are game design and programming. Game design involves thinking about what kind of game you want, while programming involves creating the code that makes it happen. 

A game has a specific purpose: to be fun for players. It can also have some other purposes—for example; it might be educational or political. A game can be made on any platform or device—it doesn’t have to be just a computer program! 

What are the Stages of Game Development? 

The three main stages of video game development are pre-production, production, and post-production. 

Stage 1: Pre-production 

Planning 

At this point, a video game concept must emerge. The budget, the game’s target audience, whether the game will be 2D or 3D, who the characters will be, and what the game platform will be are discussed. This is the initial stage of designing the video game. 

The Game Producer is responsible for the financial aspects of the project, including the budget and marketing strategy to ensure the game is viable. The Concept Artist is responsible for sketching and creating the artwork. Concept Artists are essential because their work shows the rest of the team what the game will look like. 

The Game Design Document contains all the information established during pre-production. It will guide the entire team during the game development process and keep the initial vision intact. 

Why is it critical to have a Game Design Document (GDD) when developing a video game? 

A GDD helps in understanding the complexity of the project. It also keeps the team organized, identifies potential risks, and helps make the best decisions during the game development process. In addition, a well-developed GDD can help you find investors to help finance your game. Many people who want to invest are looking for a well-written plan. 

The “secret” to the repeated success of large game companies is a well-executed GDD. 

This document should continue to be updated and improved as the situation evolves. 

Prototyping 

Game prototyping is an important aspect of game development because it saves time and money. During this phase, the gameplay, user experience, functionality, and appearance of the game can be tested. Sometimes the game does not pass this test, so it is crucial to reach this point. One suggestion is to ask someone else to test your prototype, as you may miss some mistakes. 

Stage 2: Production 

This is the most challenging and complex part of making a game, but it is also where the game concept comes to life. At this point, all team members are aware of their responsibilities. 

The Project Manager or the Game Producer ensures that the team members work together effectively. He is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the project, anticipating potential risk situations, and determining how to mitigate them. 

Each game content requires thousands of lines of source codes to be valid. The Game Developers help in writing these codes. They must be able to code the ideas for people to see and hear. Some aspects of the programming phase include creating a custom game engine, writing scripts for features, events, and interactions, and creating and modifying 3D graphic renderings. 

During the production phase, Game Designers ensure that the characters look and act faithfully to the original. They are also responsible for story development, digital editing, game rules, and scoring systems. 

Audio Designers are responsible for the production of sound and the sound quality of the game. When a character stomps on grass, runs, or talks, they make the sounds realistic. They make sure that the characters’ voices and tones convey their emotions. 

The Lever designers create a dynamic and engaging game environment and ensure that fun and interactive levels keep players engaged and interested. 

3. Post-production 

Maintenance 

Even after the production phase is over, the process continues with the game maintenance. This has to be put in place in case of errors (this happens often but is fixed during the maintenance phase). 

Marketing 

Marketing of video games occurs during post-production and for some time after the game is released. Large game companies often begin marketing during the late stages of their game production to generate fan interest. In addition, there may be Game QA testing, live support for the game, and ports to other platforms. 

Game Development Best Practices 

Game development is one of the most complex art forms, requiring a unique combination of creativity and technical know-how. With so many different platforms and devices, it cannot be easy to know what works best for your game. The compiled best practices below will help you get on the right foot! 

• Tell a story 
• Create a game design document 
• Create an excellent user interface and user experience 
• Make it simple but addicting to play 
• Take into account the amount of memory (RAM) used 
• Consider different screen sizes 
• Deliver continuous updates 
• Establish a good relationship with your audience using a good support channel 

Final Words 

We hope this article has helped guide you to the right path and shown you how to begin the long yet exciting journey of game development. Now get ready to be hit by some hard work and tough decisions along the way. Be prepared to be challenged at every turn as you learn, but take a step back and breathe deeply! This will be an incredible experience that will not just teach you how to make games. It will also teach you what it means to have passion, face mistakes, and truly work hard for the things you believe in. 

Inquire Now to experience an end-to-end gaming services from the Gaming Giant! 

The post The Definitive Guide to Game Development: A Step-by-Step Process  appeared first on iXie Gaming.

Also, smaller developers are trying to stay up with the data science and marketing aspect which is prevalent in major corporations. 

According to a Statista report, the video gaming industry has amassed up to 2.7 billion users worldwide. As a result of this growing audience, developers and game companies are challenged to offer a seamless user experience and that’s where gaming metrics come in.  

What are Gaming Metrics? 

Think of gaming metrics as the raw data that a database houses and transforms into numbers which help game developers assess how their games perform about user experience, satisfaction, and purchase patterns. 

Assessing game metrics aids developers ascertain player satisfaction and challenges as well. These details not only enable developers to improve their game’s content but also affect the monetary value they place on their products. 

Competition intensifies as gaming companies continue to flourish. Also, developers are expected to keep up with the trends by relying on partners who are conversant with the player experience and how to enhance it. 

Therefore, with the help of well-grounded partners, developers are sure to inspire customer loyalty. 

Why are Game Metrics Necessary? 

Game metrics are crucial since they give developers concrete advice on how to enhance their games.  

The information that developers get from game metrics gives them insight into the revenue generation of their products and also user satisfaction. 

Sometimes you may notice some poor performance aspects of your game. A way to remedy this challenge would be to create an offline version of the game or preload the data to optimize its availability for customers. 

Also, you may improve your product’s retention rate by using these performance measures. For instance, you can learn the following: 

• How your game works on different carrier networks. 
• How the differences in operating systems affect loading times. 
• How performance varies by location. 

Important Game Analytics for Marketers and Developers  

It is said that data is undoubtedly the king in this fiercely competitive market.  

The user data that game companies gather is instrumental in making them understand how to satisfy their customers and earn their loyalty in return. 

While there are some very simple techniques to monitor a game’s performance, it can be challenging to translate those findings into strategies. This is because complications may arise from the acquisition of relevant data metrics. 

Therefore, the following are metrics that developers and marketers will find helpful through the course of their journey. 

1. Daily Active Users (DAU)  

This metric is key as it plays a vital role in making games get popular. It helps you know the number of users who spend at least a session on your game per day.  

For instance, unlike a banking app where high monthly usage can be the aim, mobile games often require high daily usage to be successful. 

This is why it’s typically a top priority for mobile game developers to increase DAU as much as feasible. 

2. Monthly Active Users (MAU) 

It is the number of players who launched your game at least once in a given month. For instance, you can leverage the Smartlook tool which requires no registration or credit card to generate your Daily and Monthly active users.  

Follow these procedures once you’re on the Smartlook dashboard 

• Select ‘Add New Title’  
• Navigate to ‘Active Users’ and there you’ll find where you can select either active, monthly, or daily users about their data range.  
• Finally, tap on ‘Save’ to add the new tile to the dashboard to enable you easily monitor your active users whenever you use smart look.  

It might be interesting to know How to Make Your Games More Popular: Game Analytics for Beginners 

3. Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU)  

This metric plays a key role in the monetization aspect of your products.  

For instance, if your game generates $4000/day and your DAU is 200, the value of the ARPDAU will be $20. 

After significant marketing campaigns, price modifications, feature releases, or other game improvements, it’s critical to monitor ARPDAU. 

Additionally, since Smartlook’s solution currently records DAU by default, calculating ARPDAU is simply provided you know your daily income. 

4. Retention Rate  

Depending on your objectives for user involvement, there are several techniques and algorithms for measuring retention. 

Again, maintaining high daily use is often the aim of mobile games, so it’s critical to monitor how many players return to your game after the day’s session. 

For instance, you can use the Smartlook tool to create a retention table using these procedures.  

• First, choose the event whose retention you want to calculate.  
• Create a custom event, choose a date range, and specify whether smart look should display it based on day, week, or month.  
• Finally, navigate to the ‘Retention Table’ area and select ‘generate’. 

5. Ratio of Daily to Active Monthly Users 

The percentage of daily users to monthly users is sometimes called the ‘stickiness rate’. It indicates how often your customers log into the app. 

Therefore, stickiness rate = DAU * 100 

                                               MAU 

For instance, if your game records 150 000 MAU at an average of 25000 DAU, the ratio of DAU to MAU will be 6%. 

This implies that in a month of 30 days, an average player logs into your game for a duration of 6℅ of the 30 days which means 1.8 days out of 30 days.  

6. In-game Purchases 

It’s critical to build events for monitoring each in-app payment if your business strategy depends on them. 

Even if players can only transact with your virtual currency, it’s still crucial to keep track of them so you can verify that your game’s rules are being followed.  

Once more, you may define custom events in Smartlook to keep track of every completed transaction, regardless of whether it used actual money or fictitious money. 

Furthermore, since the platform also enables you to create and examine funnels, you can follow users’ actions leading up to a transaction and see where the majority of them quit.  

For instance, Vertigo Games, the developer of several first-person shooting games, uses funnels as their most famous Smartlook feature. 

Based on actions like in-game offers, purchases, and upgrades, they have created many 30- and 60-step funnels. 

These funnels are used by their QA and product teams to validate the functioning and user experience of their games. 

Conclusion 

The video game business is rapidly expanding, thereby pressurizing gaming companies to succeed. The atmosphere is intense, with diverse ways in which participants can use their limited leisure time.  

Therefore, for gaming companies to overcome these hurdles to success, the teams must look beyond what’s obtainable at present.  

And to contribute significantly to growth metrics that establish brand equity, the teams must work smarter, and not harder.  

Bear in mind that the choices you make now about your game analytics approach will lay the groundwork for the long-term success of your company.

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