LIVE ONLINE COURSE
ON GAME TESTING
13 SEP 2023 - 13 NOV 2023
DURATION:
9 WEEKS
MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS
5 PM PST / 8 PM EST
Transform your passion for games into a rewarding career. Become a skilled game quality assurance tester through 9 weeks of comprehensive classes.
William Busch, a QA Manager at Zynga, will equip you with all the skills needed to pursue junior game testing positions right after the course is done.
THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU, IF...
-
YOU WANT TO ENTER THE GAME/SOFTWARE INDUSTRIES THROUGH QA
Are you freshly graduated or looking to switch the field you’re currently in? Here’s a solid foundation. You’ll discover key testing types, principles, and career development tips through mock tech interviews, helping you make sure this industry is the perfect path for you.
-
YOU ARE A GAME PROFESSIONAL LOOKING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW
Been working with games a lot but always wanted to try testing. Sounds like you? Gain valuable insights, avoid faults, and enhance your work while receiving career guidance to propel your growth in this dynamic field.
-
YOU ARE A GAME DEVELOPER LOOKING FOR GROWTH
Gain the skills to outsmart your own creations. Explore testing techniques and processes through hands-on assignments, and unlock the secrets of professional game QAs.
Don't just play games, become a game-changer.
Learn black-box testing, uncovering system behavior with no prior knowledge of its internal workings, to ensure seamless gameplay for perfect user experiences.
Interact in real-time – from anywhere.
Experience the thrill of virtual collaboration, interactive workshops, and expert guidance – live online learning brings education to your fingertips to boost your skills in the comfort of your own gaming sanctuary.
BUSCH LinkedIn Profile
- QA Manager for Words With Friends, Zynga
- A seasoned QA veteran with over 13 years of experience in video game and software development.
- Started at Konami Digital Entertainment, testing Xbox Live Arcade reboots of games like Contra and Castlevania, and worked at Cryptic Studios, KIXEYE, and Roblox.
- Spent nearly 5 years at Gazillion Entertainment, starting as a contract tester and eventually becoming the Head of QA for the development of Marvel Heroes.
- Worked on location-based games at Red Robot Labs Inc. way before they gained popularity.
MODULE 1
Introduction to Game Testing
Gain insight into the world of game testing, exploring the unique challenges and responsibilities of QA professionals in game development.
- What is game testing?
- Game testing vs playing
- Game development team and their responsibilities
- How QA interacts with other disciplines within the development team
- Overview of the game development life cycle
Assignment #1: Testing vs. Playing
Choose a game you enjoy playing and spend 30-60 minutes testing it based on our discussion of Testing vs Playing. Note down the differences and what kinds of tests you tried.
Unlock the key to explaining QA with confidence while familiarizing yourself with essential game concepts relevant to game testing.
- Game testing terminology
- Game genres
- Game platforms
- Game logic and balance
- Game industry trends
Assignment #2: Testing Different Genres
Using a Matrix with Genre as X and Platform as Y, brainstorm how testing might differ between genres across platforms.
Ensure comprehensive testing coverage. Acquire knowledge of the game testing life cycle and the key stages involved in effectively planning, executing, and validating game tests.
- Planning and preparation
- Time boxing
- Resource management
- Testing and reporting
- Fixes and validation
Assignment #3: Test Planning
Using your results from assignments 1 and 2, create a planning document that discusses tests for a hypothetical game. Plan for how long you’d like to spend on each testing section and think about how many testers would be needed to deliver the testing in a two-week time frame.
In this class, you’ll understand the components of the game testing process. Learn to collaborate with different teams and align their goals with testing documents that give corrective feedback.
- Criteria and checklists
- Test strategy - scripted vs exploratory vs Halo
- Test cases design and execution
- Results and defect log maintenance
- Regression checks and defect validation
Assignment #4: Test Cases
Using the documentation from assignment 3, add to your test overview 10 test cases based on the provided acceptance criteria (provided by the instructor). Estimate time and headcount needed to validate those test cases across the provided platforms.
MODULE 2
Game Testing Types
Learn to be the voice of the player. Let’s break down functional testing into zones to gain performance insights.
- Test objectives
- Testing types
- Test planning and execution
- Test scenarios and test cases
- Demo: Performing functionality testing
Assignment #5: Functional Testing Cases
Using your test planning and cases from assignment 4, break up your cases and expand your functional testing section, adding 3-5 more test cases with time estimates and headcount needed.
Advocate for players through comprehensive user experiences. Explore accessibility, navigation features, menu systems, and more to set players up with clear directions.
- Test objectives and planning
- Player profiles
- Test scenarios and execution
- Heuristic evaluation
- Demo: Performing usability testing
Assignment #6: Usability Testing
Add a usability testing section and test cases to cover your existing testing guide. Think about what makes a game or app feel useable to you (and especially what makes them unusable). QA is the advocate for the player, so put yourself in the user’s shoes.
In this lesson, you’ll grasp the significance of compatibility testing. You’ll dive into making sure your game can be supported by a variety of platforms and devices.
- Test objectives
- Test planning
- Configuration matrix
- Test cases and execution
- Demo: Performing compatibility testing
Assignment #7: Compatibility Matrix (optional)
Create a compatibility matrix for testing within the context of your test guide. Use device-centered information for the Y axis and test coverage for the X axis. Provide at least 15 matrix items each for the X and Y axis.
From insider threats to revengeful hackers, you’ll learn how to protect your game from different angles. Get trained to understand how this plays out in real life.
- Test objectives
- Test planning
- Threat modeling
- Testing techniques
- Incident response and recovery
- Workshop 1: Threat Modeling Roleplay
Assignment #8: Escalation Policy (optional)
Create an escalation policy for security testing failures. Relate what kinds of security flaws might be acceptable to just document and what kinds of flaws might dictate escalation to higher-ups on the team.
It’s more than just translation. Localization covers slang, cultural sensitivity, regional dialects, and loads more. Explore its complexities through an engaging workshop
- Test objectives
- Language accuracy
- Cultural sensitivity
- Region-specific requirements
- UI and UX in localization testing
- Workshop 2: Localization Testing and Cultural Adaptation
Assignment #9: Localization Prioritization List
Create a prioritization list for what sections of your app or game need localization immediately and which sections could wait for future translation updates.
Gain expertise in performance testing methodologies specific to games, including load, stress, and volume testing. Learn how to create effective test scenarios, identify common performance issues, and implement appropriate solutions.
- Purpose and goals of load, stress, and volume game testing
- Test scenarios
- Common issues and solutions
- Demo: Performing load, stress, and volume testing
Assignment #10: Performance Testing (optional)
Add a performance testing suggestion section. Explain which parts of the app might suffer more consistently under high load, stress, or volume instances.
Develop knowledge and skills to ensure that your games coincide with rating boards, regional regulations, and platform guidelines.
- Test objectives and platform guidelines
- Console-specific features
- Rating boards
- Regional regulations
- Workshop 3: Age Ratings and Content
Assignment #11: Investigation List
Imagine you are tasked with creating a compliance guide but you are given very little information to go on, just that the game will release on iOS only and there will be an international launch at some point. Create an investigation list with questions and suggestions about what compliance testing might include.
Smoke and sanity testing are related, but in this class, you’ll learn their differences. Tackle when they’re used, learn who runs them, and more to help make your game bug free.
- Smoke test: definition and strategy
- Sanity test: definition and strategy
- Test scope and feedback
- Test planning and execution
- Demo: Performing smoke testing
Assignment #12: Smoke and Sanity Testing (optional)
Smoke: Add a smoke test section to your test strategy that outlines what core systems and functionality should be checked during a smoke.
Sanity: Given several changes made to your app (by the instructor), add an outline of what your sanity testing would include.
MODULE 3
Test and Defect Management
Develop skills in risk-based testing and prioritization. Focus on metrics to help manage decisions and discovers areas for improvement.
- Purpose of test management
- Tools and processes
- Metrics for measuring testing effectiveness
- Risk-based testing and prioritization
- Workshop 4: Metrics-driven Test Management and Improvement
Assignment #13: Testing Priority List (optional)
Review your coursework. Scenario: Unclear testing time for release sign-off. Create a priority list based on testing coverage. Place important tests first, descending to least necessary. Justify each priority level with short sentences.
Understand the importance of defect tracking and gain proficiency in using tools (e.g. Jira) and processes to manage defects. Learn how to effectively communicate and organize defects for efficient resolution.
- Purpose, tools, and processes
- Identifying and reporting defects
- Defect creation and management
- Monitoring and regressing
- Intro to JIRA
Assignment #14: Bug Search and Organization
Using a provided resource (broken website or some sort of sample email) write 3-5 bugs, making sure to give as much information on the bug as possible. Demonstrate how to organize the bugs to effectively manage fix schedules or follow up with members of other disciplines who have a hand in the fixes.
Learn about defect management tools and processes while engaging in a collaborative workshop for monitoring and tracking defect resolution progress.
- Defect triage process
- Defect categorization and prioritization
- Defect management tools and processes
- Workshop 5: Defect Management
Assignment #15: Triage Meeting Policy
Create a policy from a QA perspective on which disciplines outside of QA you feel should be present during the triage meetings. Consider also, how to share the triage process with other disciplines.
Address the risks and challenges involved in game testing by developing strategies. Learn how to identify and mitigate risks to ensure successful testing outcomes.
- Common game testing risks
- Challenges and risk management
- Strategies for overcoming game testing challenges
- Workshop 6: Identifying and Mitigating Risks
Assignment #16: Risk Analysis (optional)
Given limited time to complete a full app testing pass, use previous work to identify lower-risk areas where testing can be reduced or cut to meet the sign-off timeframe. Provide a short risk analysis for each named section.
MODULE 4
Professional Guidance
Learn to bridge communication gaps and handle conflicts with others. Foster productive relationships with developers, maintain a positive work environment, and enhance collaboration.
- Collaboration with developers and other team members
- Communication skills for game testers
- Conflict resolution
Assignment #17: Conflict Resolution (optional)
A senior member of another discipline keeps giving you direct work requests that consistently override your other QA tasks. Your lead is out on long-term leave. How would you approach and solve this issue as diplomatically as possible?
Now it’s time to highlight all of your knowledge & skills on your resume. Learn what to include and how to talk about testing as an informed game tester.
- Best practices for game testing
- Current trends and future directions in game testing
- Job interview advice
Assignment #18: Course Project: Multiplatform Game Testing and Optimization
Test and optimize a sample game project for performance and compatibility across multiple platforms and devices.
Preparing for your next job starts today! Try a mock interview to get a better idea of what that looks like in the industry by answering a wide span of questions.
What our students say
"The group activities, they allow us to interact and exchange ideas, plus the way it is structured is challenging and mind twisting as we collaborate in different parts of the ideation."
"Overall I'm impressed with the level of detail and explanation around particular topics and subjects. There's a real depth to each module which for learning allows the information to stay in your brain."
"I really enjoy the format of the course. Lectures with real life examples and an ongoing case study. Also built in 20 minutes at the end of each class for questions is helpful."
"I enjoyed the structure of the class. I like how we learned about a topic and practiced it in the workshops. It’s helped me to apply what I learned!"
PRICING
Elevate your career to the next level through an immersive program guided by an industry leader.