I started testing software on the Commodore64.

Yes I just dated myself there 😅 but that's when I started playing video games earnestly. I found them fascinating and couldn't stop playing. They felt like puzzles, except ones where you could make up your own solutions.

Fast forward to 2002, and I got myself a game company job, first in support for a couple of months and then testing. But it wasn't until I left that industry in 2005 that I realised I'd been "testing" this entire time!

Here are some things that playing video games taught me about testing.

About rules (aka requirements)

First you learn the rules.

Then you push them to the limits.

Then you bend them.

Then you break them.

That allows you to subvert them!

And then exploit them.

About bugs (or features?)

Not all bugs are created equal.

A bug to you, isn't a bug to the next person.

Bugs that help you beat the game are features.

Bugs that don't are bugs.

You stay alert to anything slightly odd or out of the ordinary.

About tools (and testability)

If you can find the test tools, you can take advantage of them.

Infinite resources, diagnostic tools, level selects will give you a huge advantage over the game - if you can find them!

About research (and intel)

Other games in the same genre will give you insights into the game you're playing.

Game reviews from other players contain different kinds of information from official reviews which is different again from press releases, which is different yet again from forums!

Watching how other people play helped me play better.

Helping other people play was just as much fun as playing solo.

What else?

Let me know what I missed!

What Playing Video Games Teaches You About Software Testing

Who knew that playing video games would like to a 20+ year career in tech? Not I!

What will you write today?