Game Tester Course

Lesson 1 • The Game Development Pipeline

Maps the stages from concept to ship and locates QA within each phase. Establishes context for every testing activity covered later.

Lesson 2 • Roles and Responsibilities in QA

Defines tester, lead, and QA manager duties and how they interact with developers and producers. Clarifies career paths within game QA.

Lesson 3 • Types of Game Testing

Surveys functional, compatibility, localisation, compliance, and playtesting categories. Students can select the correct test type for a given scenario.

Lesson 4 • Core Testing Concepts and Terminology

Introduces defect, test case, test plan, and coverage so students share a common vocabulary. Accurate terminology is required for all later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Network and Multiplayer Lab Setup

Guides students through configuring local networks and simulating online conditions. Reliable network setup is essential for multiplayer and live-service testing.

Lesson 2 • Hardware and Platform Configuration

Covers console dev kits, PC specs, and mobile device setup for testing builds. Proper configuration prevents false positives caused by environment issues.

Lesson 3 • Test Environment Documentation

Teaches students to record environment specs so defects can be reproduced accurately. Thorough documentation reduces back-and-forth with developers.

Lesson 1 • Agile and Sprint-Based QA

Integrates QA activities into sprint ceremonies, definition of done, and continuous integration pipelines. Agile QA prevents defect accumulation across iterative development cycles.

Lesson 2 • End-of-Project QA Wrap-Up

Covers final regression passes, go/no-go criteria, lessons-learned documentation, and test asset archiving. A structured wrap-up preserves knowledge for sequels and patches.

Lesson 3 • Test Metrics and Reporting

Tracks defect density, test execution rate, pass/fail ratios, and coverage to measure QA health. Metrics give stakeholders objective data to make ship/no-ship decisions.

Lesson 4 • Risk-Based Testing Prioritisation

Applies risk analysis to focus testing effort on high-impact, high-probability failure areas. Risk-based prioritisation maximises defect detection within limited time budgets.

Lesson 1 • Test Design Techniques

Applies equivalence partitioning, boundary analysis, and decision tables to game scenarios. Systematic techniques maximise defect detection with fewer test cases.

Lesson 2 • Reviewing and Maintaining Test Cases

Establishes peer review processes and update workflows to keep test cases accurate over time. Outdated test cases produce misleading pass results.

Lesson 3 • Reading Game Design Documents

Trains students to extract testable requirements from GDDs, feature specs, and patch notes. Accurate requirement analysis drives complete test coverage.

Lesson 4 • Test Case Structure and Format

Defines the fields of a professional test case: ID, preconditions, steps, expected result, and priority. Consistent format enables efficient review and execution.

Lesson 1 • Regression Testing After Fixes

Teaches verification of fixes and targeted regression to catch regressions introduced by patches. Closing the loop on fixed bugs prevents recurring defects from shipping.

Lesson 2 • Defect Triage and Prioritisation

Explains the triage meeting process where QA, developers, and producers rank and assign defects. Students learn to advocate for bug priority with data and impact analysis.

Lesson 3 • Anatomy of a High-Quality Bug Report

Breaks down every field: title, severity, priority, steps to reproduce, expected vs. actual, and attachments. Each field directly affects how quickly a bug is fixed.

Lesson 4 • Defect Severity and Priority Classification

Defines crash, blocker, major, minor, and cosmetic severity levels with game-specific examples. Correct classification ensures the team addresses the most critical issues first.

Lesson 1 • Progression and Save System Testing

Tests XP gain, unlocks, save/load integrity, and checkpoint behaviour across sessions. Progression bugs can permanently corrupt player data and require rollback.

Lesson 2 • UI and Menu System Testing

Validates navigation flows, text truncation, button states, and accessibility options across resolutions. UI defects directly impact player experience and platform certification.

Lesson 3 • Edge Case and Boundary Testing

Explores extreme inputs, inventory limits, map boundaries, and simultaneous event triggers. Edge cases expose defects that standard test paths miss entirely.

Lesson 4 • Audio and Visual Effects Testing

Checks audio cues, music transitions, visual effects timing, and graphical fidelity against design specs. Missing or misaligned audio-visual feedback breaks player immersion.

Lesson 1 • Live-Service and Update Testing

Covers testing seasonal content, patches, and server-side configuration changes in live environments. Live-service bugs affect all active players simultaneously and require rapid response.

Lesson 2 • Matchmaking and Lobby Testing

Validates player search, party formation, region selection, and session join flows. Matchmaking failures prevent players from accessing core online content.

Lesson 3 • Multiplayer Architecture Fundamentals

Explains client-server and peer-to-peer models and their implications for testing strategy. Understanding architecture determines which defects are client-side vs. server-side.

Lesson 4 • Disconnection and Reconnection Handling

Tests graceful degradation when players drop, reconnect, or experience host migration. Poor disconnection handling causes data loss and negative player experiences.

Lesson 1 • Technical Requirements Checklist Execution

Walks through executing a technical requirements checklist (TRC/TCR) systematically against a build. Methodical execution prevents missed requirements that block certification.

Lesson 2 • Platform Certification Requirements Overview

Surveys the functional, technical, and content requirements imposed by major platform holders. Certification failure delays launch and incurs resubmission costs.

Lesson 3 • Save Data and Storage Compliance

Tests save data limits, corruption handling, storage warnings, and cloud sync behaviour per platform rules. Save data defects are amongst the most common certification failures.

Lesson 4 • Accessibility and Rating Compliance

Validates subtitle options, colourblind modes, and content descriptors against platform and rating board standards. Accessibility gaps can block certification and limit audience reach.