In today’s world the percentage of Smartphone users has increased tremendously over the past few years and there is no doubt about how fast the technology is enhancing day by day. With this, there is a boom in the gaming industry after COVID-19 pandemic because games are an easy solution for people’s boredom. When we think about mobile games, we think of types of games (like Multiplayer and Story based games etc), their performance (UI/UX) and their compatibility with different devices. For a better quality game, game testing becomes an essential part in game development.

“Discovering the unexpected is more important than confirming the known. “George E. P. Box

CHANGES IN THE GAMING INDUSTRY

Video game hardware first became available in the early 1970s. The first home video game console was the Magnavox Odyssey, and the first arcade video games were Computer Space and Pong. While talking about the current situation, over the past few years the gaming industry has changed a lot, whether it’s the count of users (which has increased tremendously), and technology used in games, subscription based model in gaming, or any other aspect.

REASONS WHY MOBILE GAME TESTING IS NOT EASY

As games continue to flood the App Store, it becomes more and more difficult to remain one step ahead. Video, voice, touch screen gestures, augmented reality (AR), personalization, and cloud streaming technologies are creating more complex game development challenges than ever before. The complexity of recent game updates and release schedules make it difficult to keep games running smoothly. Additionally, the frequent updates make it difficult to fix bugs and speed up the game. This makes it difficult for players to stick with a game, and they are quick to leave negative reviews. Meanwhile, the mobile gaming industry is growing rapidly. Last summer, Newzoo estimated that there are 2.7 billion gamers in the world today—that’s nearly a third of the world’s total population!—with just under half the global gaming market being comprised of mobile games.

• MOBILE DEVICES CAN BE A HUGE PAIN TO MANAGE:-

Many gaming companies have invested in a variety of testing devices and find it difficult to keep track of and make them accessible to all game developers and testers. Different teams may own different iPhones, which can make it difficult to track down an iPhone that a developer in Singapore needs to test their app. Remote teams need a way to efficiently access devices for testing without having to physically ship them around the world every time.

• NEVER-ENDING COMPETITION IN GAMING MARKET:-

To win in the mobile gaming market worth billions, it’s important to have a quick time to market. The longer the release cycle, the greater the risks of losing market share to competitors. One common issue that developers and testers often face is the number of steps involved in uploading and executing tests. Many test automation vendors require tests to be uploaded to a server, and then converted to a vendor-specific framework, resulting in delays due to errors and slow uploads.

• SECURITY CHALLENGES IN GAMES:-

Today’s gamers are conscious enough to analyze the security offered by games before using them. It is not advisable to release an application that is not well secured into the market. Testing for game security is one of the most important tasks of game testers. It is important to ensure that a game is properly secured before its launch. There are several authentication methods available, including Device Authentication, Social Authentication, and User Authentication.

• MULTIPLAYER FEATURE IN GAMES:-

Testing multiplayer features can be a challenging task for game testers, especially when players are located in different parts of the world and playing from different geographical regions. Mobile games with multiplayer features can be difficult to test and debug. They can include problems that are almost impossible to fix. The game testers will need to check the mobile games for their strong design in order to meet this challenge.

• INCAPABILITY:-

If a player has to jump through a set of rings to play your game, they will stop playing. People often seek efficiency in their lives, but when they don’t receive it promptly, they may turn to other means to achieve it. Even if an app is slow to load, a user might still choose to use another platform. With QA testing, you can create a performance test to check your app’s speed and responsiveness. This will help you create a more efficient game.

• CONCLUSION

Ensuring a flawless mobile gaming experience for a global user base is paramount for mobile gaming companies to avoid sluggish user reviews and maximize revenue streams. The limitations of test devices and a global testing infrastructure can make it difficult to launch new releases with confidence on da