Computer Science
Grade 3
20 min
Game Testing: Playing and Improving
Students will test their games and gather feedback to improve the gameplay experience.
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Identify a 'bug' in a simple game.
Explain the role of a game tester.
Test a game's 'if-then' rule (conditional) to see if it works correctly.
Test a game's 'when this happens' rule (event) to see if it works correctly.
Write a simple, clear bug report with three parts: what I did, what should have happened, and what actually happened.
Give helpful feedback to a game creator.
Explain why testing is important for making games fun.
Have you ever played a game where your character got stuck in a wall or a coin didn't give you points? 🐛 Let's become game detectives and learn how to find and report these sneaky problems!
Today, we will learn how to be game testers! We'll discover how to play games like...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Game TesterA person whose job is to play a game to find problems, or 'bugs,' before anyone else does.Maria is a game tester. She plays the same level 10 times to make sure the secret door always opens when you find the key.
BugA mistake or problem in a game's code that makes it not work the way it's supposed to.A bug could be when you collect a power-up, but your character doesn't get faster.
FeedbackHelpful information you give to the game creator about what is good and what could be better.Good feedback is: 'The jump button is hard to reach.' Bad feedback is: 'Your game is boring.'
RuleAn instruction in the game's code that tells it what to do. We test to make sure the game follows its own rules.A rule might be: �...
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Core Syntax & Patterns
The 'If-Then' Test Pattern
1. Find an 'If-Then' rule. 2. Make the 'If' part happen. 3. Check if the 'Then' part happens.
Use this to test conditional rules in a game. For example, to test 'IF player has key, THEN open door,' you must first get the key and then go to the door to see if it opens.
The 'When...' Test Pattern
1. Find a 'When...' rule (an event). 2. Do the action that triggers the event. 3. Check if the correct result happens.
Use this to test events. For example, to test 'WHEN the spacebar is pressed, the character jumps,' you press the spacebar and watch to see if the character actually jumps.
The Bug Report Formula
What I did + What Should Happen + What Really Happened
When...
4 more steps in this tutorial
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Challenging
A character can double jump. The code is: 'Event: WHEN spacebar is pressed. Conditional: IF player is on the ground, THEN jump. IF player is in the air AND has double-jumped = false, THEN jump and set double-jumped = true.' Which test is MOST important to find a bug?
A.Walking left and right without jumping
B.Pressing the spacebar three times very quickly while in the air
C.Standing still on the ground for one minute
D.Jumping once and landing successfully
Challenging
A playtester tells you, 'I found a way to win on the first level without fighting any enemies. I just jumped on a tall rock and then over the final wall.' This is not a bug where the game crashed, but an issue with...
A.Level design and game balance
B.The game's sound effects
C.The character's color
D.The data type of the score
Challenging
Your game stores the player's inventory in a list that can hold 8 items. To test it, you try to pick up a 9th item. The whole game freezes. This test, where you push the limits of how data is stored, is important for finding...
A.If the game's story is interesting
B.If the colors are nice
C.If the music is good
D.Bugs related to data limits and memory
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