Software Testing Blog

Last week, gaming enthusiasts of all varieties (fans, testers, developers, warlords, etc.) gathered in San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference. Among the attendees was uTest Project Manager Justin Forte – our very own man on the street. Though he failed to get the exclusive Mario Brothers interview he promised us, he was able to capture some great pictures of the festivities. We hope you like them.

The images speak for themselves, with one notable exception. You’ll notice one picture showing a booth where guests can meet Steve Wiebe, the long-time owner of the world’s top score in Donkey Kong. You may recall this author’s fascination with the never-ending battle for this top score, as chronicled in King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Well, as luck would have it, just days before the conference kicked off, Wiebe was de-throned by a plastic surgeon from New York. The bar has been raised, and the barrels don’t lie, so get back to work Steve!

Likewise, the GDC continues to raise the bar for gaming development. So who were the game-changers at this year’s event? What new technologies and trends will everyone be talking about in the year ahead? And how will these advancements impact software testers and beta testing communities? If you were there, or if you’ve been closely following the event, feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

UPDATE: Justin was kind enough to write up an in-depth review of the weekend. Here is his correspondence.

Sorry about not being able to get the interview, Mike. Mario and Luigi were very busy signing autographs and drinking champagne. I tried to get into the VIP room but was bounced out by a flying barrel from their once enemy, now bodyguard, Mr. Kong.

The GDC was a great conference to see what was up-and-coming, what has happened, and who is behind it all. Not only was this a huge event to bring yourself into the world of gaming development, it was a huge event for recruiting new talent. The masses lined up and the interview booths were filled amongst all the major producers, especially with Blizzard, LucasArts, and Nintendo.

The conference in general was split evenly amongst the main gaming topics: development, design, production and testing. Already becoming well established in the mobile gaming market, crowdsourcing is growing within the console and PC industry by taking a once common practice of “beta testing” and turning it into something more useful than just a “for the fans” event. The true crowdsourcing model that incorporates the effectiveness and power of the community is still a new concept amongst the majority of the industry, but is becoming a common term.

I was able to get in on an open forum directed by “Jimbo,” a well known test manager for Xbox 360 about the reality of the testing world of video games and how to succeed. Next to Jimbo, I was probably the oldest person participating and was not currently looking for employment (yes, I am happy working for uTest as a PM), and surrounded by anxious college grads looking to make it in the gaming industry.

One line really struck a note with next generation that Jimbo drove home over and over again was, “you cannot get into this industry because you love games, you have to love testing and QA as well. You have to have a passion for it. Look at a coffee cup, and ask yourself “How would I test this” and do that every day with something different.” Like a good role-model, he was presenting the reality of testing world in light that most have never thought of before. Despite the topic being games, it isn’t all fun and games. You work hard, you play hard.

Being a tester in the gaming industry does have its benefits over developing. You get variety, as you are on multiple projects and you get to have direct input. Interestingly enough, the same could be said about the crowdsourcing model as well. Being a tester in the community gives you variety and direct input on some of the most anticipated products out there. But most of all, you are not fighting against 250 applicants to get the position. You just have to sign-up at uTest, profile your information correctly, and we will find the projects that fit you.

There are a lot of new companies out at GDC that were working hard to establish themselves in the “Game Monetization” market this year. Considering what we have seen with Facebook games and the concept of virtual goods, it is a good time to get into that market. I am happy to say that quite a few of them have applied the crowdsourcing method to their product and utilized the community to get the “in the wild” testing.

3D and augmented reality were big attractions this year as the new and upcoming way to “game.” Unfortunately, most loved it only as a gimmick. The Indie community openly bashed the upcoming technology at the awards ceremony saying “I think it looks kind of the same but a little bit worse.” and proclaiming the 2D world is here to stay. A very direct statement from the true hardcore game creators that are making their way into the industry.

Naughty Dog’s title “Uncharted 2” took home the majority of the well deserved awards including “Game of the Year.” A great win for the Naughty Dog team and for Playstation as it is a PS3 exclusive title.

One game to keep your eye out for is Seven45 Studio’s “Rise of the Six String” which is a Guitar Hero type game but using a real electric six string guitar. Based out of Boston MA, (not too far from Guitar Hero HQ), this could be the answer to the next evolution in this genre. Think about it, a video game that will actually teach you how to play music. We can actually learn a skill that we can use when the power goes out. There was no live demo, screencaps, or anything really. Just a room with some people playing guitar but that’s all it took to draw big crowds at the conference. Let’s see if it takes off.

My favorite booth of at the event had to have been the Zombrex booth. A simple booth with staffed EMT’s providing zombie vaccinations stating “prevention is the best cure.” Considering the alternative of turning into a mumbling, malformed, cannibal, with a tendency to groan and a desire for brains, I gladly got in line and received my zombie vaccination. Ensuring the safety of others, if anyone “turned” while in line, there was a shotgun in a glass case in case of an outbreak. This was a great booth that I later found out was promoting the next game in the Dead Rising series, “Dead Rising 2.”

Mobile gaming is still considered a young concept, which indeed it is, but so much has happened over the past 12-18 months in progress that it feels like it has been years. As young as it may be, it did earn a new category in the GDC awards titled “Best Mobile Game,” which shows the acknowledgment of its growth and interest. Considering some have qualified the iPhone to be on the same playing field as the Nintendo DS or PSP, I would say that this new category is justified.