What makes mobile game testing different from app testing?

Mobile game applications are in many ways just like any other applications used in mobile phones. But testing of mobile games and mobile apps has a lot of differences. The main factor which leads to these differences is that mobile games do not get a second chance with the users in the normal scenario. The first impression of the game has a lot to do with the continuous use of the game by the user. Users will not be likely to download newer versions of a game with lesser bugs after they have already deleted it.

Here are some ways in which mobile game testing differs from mobile app testing:

Tailor made testing methodologies:

It is hard to define a standard strategy for game testing as each game differs from the other with respect to game play and design complexities. Testing methodologies need to be tailor made for each game. But, in common, every game has to be tested on aspects such as usability, functionality, endurance, regression, compatibility, hardware, content testing, performance, recovery scenarios and localization or internationalization.

Unique challenges

Mobile game testing methods have significant differences compared to app testing because of the unique challenges that one faces while doing it. Help of domain specialists in technical areas such as physics, graphics, and audio will be required to bring up specific test approaches to test the subjective and crowd pleasing qualities of the mobile games.

Functionality testing of the game is basically associated with the manual testing and playing of the game. It checks if the user interface gives a good visual appeal, and also checks usability and user experience of the game. Performance testing of the game depends on the nature of the game, game play, graphics, multiplayer functionalities and many other things. It mainly looks into the CPU load, memory consumption and frames per second (FPS).

Compatibility testing is done to ensure that the game will run on all the different devices and operating systems. It can be done using software emulators, and on compatible mobile devices to make sure the game works properly everywhere. Localization testing is also highly important in game testing as it ensures that the game works well in all supported languages. Along with these, other tests such as audio testing, network testing, social integration, security and liabilities testing, physics testing, beta testing, regression testing, realism testing, and fun factor testing have to be carried out to make sure the game gets good response from users.

Look and feel

With mobile app testing, the effort is not as much as mobile game testing. A game has to appeal the audiences besides being flawless and free of bugs. The visual look and feel also needs to be really good for a game to click. The pressure is not so much for mobile apps. For businesses, a working app is enough to be released on the stores. With time, the developers get chances to update it, add new features, and enhance it to something even better. But, with games, one can rightly say that the first impression is the last impression if you don't get it right!