Angry Gaming 11.20.06: I’m Not Scared of the Bugs
Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 11.20.2006
The Galactic Brigade of Playtesting wants YOU!
Welcome to Angry Gaming where the best way to achieve your objectives in Splinter Cell: Double Agent is to leave everyone alive except the innocent bystanders. I'm your hate master, Damian Sarcuni and don't tell anyone but I kind of got the hots for some of the girls in kickboxing class. Sacré Bleu!
I'm Not Scared of the Bugs
For the past couple of weeks, we've focused on improving the game industry instead of just complaining about it. We've pointed out cheap licenses that are up for grabs in today's pop culture, as well as documented how you yourself can create tomorrow's next big game and game studio. While both of these endeavors are cheap in the big scale of things, the fact is they still cost money.
Call me crazy, but I'm not entirely sure the good gamers of the world are quick to part with their hard earned cash just for the sake of improving the game industry. Granted, both cheap licenses and independent game studios are supposed to make a profit in the long run, but not many of us have the cash to lay out in the first place. Most of us aren't entrepreneurs; we're just kids with computers and Playstations. Someday, those two character classes may be synonymous. For now, let's lock up the life savings and see if we can improve the industry and maybe pick up some cash at the same time.
How about playtesting? Yes, the dream career of all video gamers is a great way to contribute to the game industry for free. The benefits for playtesters are pretty straightforward: play the latest games for free, try before you buy, and have some say in how the final product of the game comes out. The benefits for developers are no less significant. By using gamers as playtesters, developers can ensure that they are launching the most stable product possible on release day, generate free publicity, and receive important feedback as to what the public wants and what features the games of tomorrow should have.
Playtesting is an integral part of the game industry, yet like many gaming careers it is surrounded by myths aimed at separating the everyday gamer from the elites of the industry. Playtesting is no different than sports, cooking or even writing. Anyone can do it, but it takes time and skill to get paid for doing it. For the sake of contribution to the game industry, and just plain fun, however, it's easy to become a playtester.
We're Looking for a Few Good Nerds
Soldiers, there's a war going on out there; a war unlike any ever fought before, against an enemy unlike any ever seen before. It's different than the gamer civil war of '06, different than Wii revolution of '07. This is an ancient war, one that a chosen few gamers have been waging since before even the first text base games. The war I speak of is the war on bugs.
You may not have seen them, but you know they are there. Every time you pop in a copy of Hitman 2 on the Xbox, or boot up Star Wars Galaxies, you can feel their buggy presence. They were there lurking in the shadows the day your copy of Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest froze, and they are still here stealing away your saved games in Need for Speed: Carbon.
PC and console games are virtual playgrounds, beloved by us all, but they are also a breeding ground for game glitches or bugs. As gaming engines advance and grow so does the amount of code and processes needed to run them. More code means more chances for errors and glitches, and the only true way to uncover and fix all these bugs is by actually playing the game, over and over again. That is where the platoons of video gaming, the playtesters, come in.
Developers know that it takes a varying degree of play styles to get the job done. Before signing up for any playstesting, take a page from Sun Tzu and know yourself as well as your enemy. Remember that the usual demographic for video games is around 14 – 28 year old males. If you are part of this demographic, it means more opportunities to playtest different games. If not, then you have a different advantage in that your age or sex makes you more unique. Think about your hobbies, your school work, your past experiences, and various careers you have been thinking of. All of this has a factor in what sort of games you might be into, which makes it sales and marketing information valuable to game developers.
Apply Yourself
For all you PC gamers, this is the easy part. Finding playtesting applications for PC games is about as easy as doing a simple search on Yahoo or Google. Since PC games often undergo several playtesting periods before their actual release, you will most likely get a shot at playing something for free if you apply enough.
The basic playtesting periods we are concerned with are the alpha, closed beta, and open beta test periods. The alpha period is when the game is first developed, and the only people who can get their hands on a copy are the development team's company playtesters. During this phase, many of the features in a game are still subject to change and the game itself is most likely still unfinished. An alpha version of a game is a skeleton of the finished product, with lots of room for improvement.
In closed beta, developers pretty much have the game worked out except for smaller features and graphics, but have not quite gone through all necessary bug checking yet. The developers select a team of non-company playtesters to go through the game from end to end and make notes of any problems they find as well as giving basic thoughts on the overall product.
In open beta, an incomplete version of the game is released to the public. Although open beta test periods usually don't last very long, they are often highly publicized events. Many times, open beta game files are available for download online, which makes them easily accessible.
The important thing here is how this affects a playtester's application to a company. One of the most important questions on a game studio's playtesting application is "Have you ever playtested any games before?" Since playtesting in an open beta is still considered a playtesting job, the more you play the more likely you are to participate in future playtesting. If by chance you go through a game and do manage to uncover a bug and report it, this will also help your chances.
Remember also to apply early. Signing up for company mailing lists and newsletters now can often lead to a playtesting opportunity tomorrow. One game can have multiple closed beta test periods, and even if you are not selected for any of them, you may still be one of the first notified when the game goes into open beta. In the case of massively multiplayer RPG's, some companies have also been known to give special promotional items to open beta playtesters as a thank you for trying the game and sticking with it.
See the World
When it comes to console playtesting, things get a bit more difficult. While PC game developers lean more towards the side of sending out beta copies of their games via the internet and through the mail, console developers tend to lean more towards doing in house testing, where they can observe players going through the game first hand. This allows console developers more control over their own publicity and more accurate data as opposed to a simple questionnaire.
This is where the phrase "willing to travel" really comes in handy on that playtester application. While American developers seem to favor the Southwestern portion of the country, it's possible to find in house playtesting opportunities anywhere on the globe with a little bit of research. There are also occasions where developers will hold playtesting events at their own headquarters or at game and toy conventions, so be sure to check around those events as well.
The lesson here is to keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. At the end of the day, the video game industry is a big business, and smart businesses are always looking for the best ways to connect with their customers. If you want to find playtesting opportunities, go where the commercial money is and you won't be too far off.
Make Your Voice Heard
Playtesting isn't just a one on one relationship between a single playtester and a game studio. Most development websites encourage players to socialize with one another via private message boards, internet chat rooms, and in person social events. Playtesting is an actual community and you can bet that everyone involved realizes how lucky they are to do something they love either for free or for a profit. It's a great way to meet new people and learn about even more testing opportunities so be sure to make use of every social resource you are given.
Finally, don't be shy when it comes to dealing with developers. There are often many issues playtesters choose to ignore simply out of respect for the developers who gave them the opportunity to play test in the first place. If you feel something can be improved, say so. You'll be surprised at just how much developers are willing to listen and respond to requests, and there is nothing like the feeling that you have helped to improve upon a game's development.
Here are some links to various playtesting applications to get you started. These applications are all free of charge. Remember, never pay for a playtesting opportunity. You are doing the industry just as much of a service as they do for you.
I want to stress that although there is some luck involved with these things, there is nothing keeping any of us from playtesting or developing games. Yes, the game industry is difficult to break into, but so is every industry in the known world except for slavery. The same people who spend money on video games are the ones who have the most to offer in playing them, and we all meet that requirement.
I can feel the niceness draining from me after putting up those links. I've only got one or two more articles left in my cold cruel body before I leave the future of the game industry up to the gamers themselves. Expect a few surprises in the near future, and get ready to embrace the hatred.
