Beta

Probably one of the most important stages in game development is the beta test stage. Beta testing is a simple concept; the game developers allow average players to play the game and report back any glitches in the game. However, it is much more than that as each game is different, and because of this each test is run slightly different, at different times in the test.

            For example, a game currently in development is the Elder Scrolls Online, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG for short. The game is in its early stages, and because of this it is not in its public beta stage. To put it simply, it is strictly invitation-only, and you have to apply for an invitation. When games are invitation-only it limits the amount of population stress on the servers, which are where players actually play the game. The testing is focused more on the game itself than on how well it handles with large amounts of players on at a given time.

            Contrary to that, Battlefield 4, which just closed their beta yesterday, had a public beta test.  Releasing a public beta test is a double edged sword; it gives the developers a sense of how well the servers can handle the populations. Since it is a public beta, or open beta as some say, there are no restrictions on if you can participate and it is completely free. Those reasons lead into the second edge of the sword, which is the advertising. What better way to see if people will buy your game than allow everyone to play it for free? Because it is free, more people will have played the game and by the time the release date arrives, word-of-mouth will have spread like wildfire about how amazing the game is. Also, it gives you an edge on the other players who never got the chance to play in the beta.

            There are many other important stages to game development; such as the coding of the game, getting the right voice actors to give your game personality, and many other processes. The chance to be a part of the process of making one of the games you will be playing in the future, that makes the beta test priceless to an average gamer such as myself.