Q.
What other challenges do you see on the horizon for QA and how can teams and individuals best be prepared to meet them?
Tarek Nijmeh (PTW): I think some of the persistent challenges we face today in QA, such as lack of detailed requirements, design documents, limited resources, and insufficient time for testing due to poor planning or cost- cutting, will continue. Any seasoned QA will tell you they’ve experienced one if not all these challenges. My advice would be to invest in project management training, as there’s a lot of overlap between project management and managing a daily QA workload. This can be very valuable when communicating with the team as it will help the individual paint a more complete picture when raising flags. Another program worth looking into is ISTQB. Additionally, I think that the biggest challenge on the horizon for QA is going to be testing AI-driven NPCs, quests, and level design. That’s a whole different beast, and we’ll need AI-driven automation to handle it.
Adam Rush (Keywords Studios): All companies that build tools and software, not just those in games, should work towards creating a more robust career roadmap for their Quality Assurance divisions. I think that starts with enshrining in any organisation that quality is everyone’s job. Without smart, competent humans who are passionate about quality, it’s going to be an even greater challenge to keep up with technical advancements.
Given the rise of so many GaaS titles, along with the speed at which the players are wanting adjustments / fixes on titles that are live, we may also see more of a transition from standard QA to Live Ops focused teams. These QA specialists work to ensure the most seamless experience for players and keep them engaged in real time, when escaped defects are found or game imbalance is reported.
Steph McStea (Double Eleven): With more studios becoming open to remote work, I’ve noticed that a lot of places don’t include QA in this (be it due to logistics of needing more dev kits, or something else). I think there’s a real likelihood that QA will continue to be left out from this and forced to work from the office full time. This is something that QA teams need to be prepared to encounter and (if desired), stand up against. We made it work during a global pandemic - it can still work now.
Erik Hittenhausen (Testronic): We are constantly looking for new testers to work with us in our studios around the world, but I think attracting talent is a challenge that’s facing everyone in all areas of games.
Povilas Svetova (Nordcurrent): There is increased demand for faster software releases, and QA teams must find ways to ensure software quality while meeting tight deadlines. To achieve that, QA will need to get so much deeper involved in Agile and DevOps processes. Recently, it has become necessary to adapt QA processes and tools available to achieve good results in this case. How do we prepare for that? Understanding that change is inevitable and meeting it with a positive attitude.
“The biggest challenge on the horizon for QA is going to be testing AI-driven NPCs, quests, and level design. We’ll need AI-driven automation to handle it.”
Tarek Nijmeh, global QA director at PTW
46 | MCV/DEVELOP February 2023
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