Dozens of the biggest names in the international gaming industry met in Odessa on July 2nd-4th for networking, education, and fun at one of the first major live events to happen in over a year.
Attendees of the annual Games Gathering included the industry’s brightest minds, game-changing creators, & leading investors. The QATestLab all-star team of QA experts was also there to present the company’s service portfolio and discuss the potential of game testing with industry leaders.
Elena Nepsha, QATestLab’s Business Development Manager, shared after the event,
“The whole set-up was very vibrant and informal... so that gave it a unique look and a unique feel. The organizers did a really great job creating bustling exhibition and networking areas, as well as stages for workshops and lectures featuring prominent industry experts."
With the notable trend toward mobile games, conversations covered the development process, popular genres (hyper-casual games bearing the palm), and, of course, testing. The controversial topics of insufficient QA culture in the organization and lack of resources that stand in the way of creating high-quality products were also discussed. As Vladyslav Salabai, QATestLab’s Business Development Manager, noted,
“The out-of-the-box thinking that is distinctive to game creators sometimes plays a trick when it comes to trying to bypass the QA phase. There are risky yet existing practices to hire testers for half an hour for a (very) superficial product evaluation, or to organize some kind of “QA Breakfast Clubs”, where product owners treat a group of random people to a meal in exchange for playing their game and providing the feedback.
One of the conference participants regretted such negligence when his game at one point lost its position in the Play Market top 10 because of the bugs missed by an amateur tester. As I always say to the people I consult, "If you approach testing wisely, you can not only guarantee the high quality of the game but also significantly reduce product ownership costs."
Let’s take a closer look at the top three challenges that your team can overcome with the help of independent game testing.
First of all, bugs that users find before testers do, negatively affect the game’s app store reviews. To prevent that, we can offer you a surefire combo of necessary game checks (functional, UI/UX, and performance testing) and an inventory of 350+ real devices to make sure your game rocks the ratings.
Secondly, independent QA support can help you keep the development process at high speed and within budget by offering you pre-written test cases and hourly/monthly engagement models.
Finally, there are particular aspects of the game directly connected to the financial part, such as in-game advertising, calculations, or payment process issues, that require expert evaluation. With our professional and time-tested approach, you can protect your income and give users the gaming experience they want.
Sviatoslav Mazur, QATestLab’s Project Manager, urges game creators to start implementing QA from the earliest stages of the game development process,
“Please, contact us as soon as possible. We can support your project with our assumption-free view, eagle eyes, and years of experience in testing games of different genres. It is better to start testing earlier than getting negative feedback on app stores.”
The QATestLab Team would like to thank the organizers of the Games Gathering for putting together such an amazing event. Our next stop is the Game Developers Conference, on July 19th-23rd (online). See you there!
If you didn’t get a chance to attend the event in Odessa, but still would like to learn more about game QA and our services, contact us at contact.ua@qa-testlab.com.