Currently In Beta: Game Testing Done Cheap

For many years, the games industry — especially the PC market — has taken advantage of what is known as “beta testing.” Traditionally, a beta test referred to the testing of an advanced stage in a game’s development, when it was close to completion with the major bugs and glitches resolved. However, recently it seems to refer to the distribution of games software to private individuals so they can test the game in the comfort of their own homes. The idea is that when a game is in beta, the major kinks have already been ironed out, with the beta being strictly used to find the last small bugs and minor glitches that may have slipped past the quality assurance (QA) test. Beta tests tend to be released late in a game’s development, meaning developers can’t make any serious changes before the game’s release. The most common bugs include collision issues, text problems, artificial intelligence acting incorrectly or sound ques misbehaving or missing. Beta testing can be used as a harmless, cost efficient way to not only reward certain people by allowing them access to games early, but help studios cut cost in QA tests and get players a more active role in supporting the development teams and studios they’ve come to enjoy. Beta testing is nothing new, however it seems more companies have been implementing them for seemingly nefarious reasons, using the “beta” moniker to hide behind unfinished games and…