Beta Testing

The first time I came across the word, "beta test," I was a young teen playing online multiplayer games. This was a common term among those who played online games. Online game developers often release "beta" versions of their game in order to have real players test minor bugs or survey the critical reception before it is released to the public. Beta testing is extremely crucial to the software release life cycle of an online game because it allows developers to simulate game play and predict popularity before the game is released.

Here is an example of a beta testing program from online game developer, Artifex Mundi. Artifex Mundi allows anyone to be a beta tester and sends them newly released games in order to get feedback.

Beta testing is not only important for online games, but for all software releases. It is part of a whole cycle of software release development. In its stage, the software is complete and has already gone through extensive internal testing. However, internal testing cannot cover all cases that may happen in real life usability, so there is still bugs, speed or performance issues, or crashes in the software. Beta versions of software are usually free to download and use until the final version is released.

Beta testing is used to demonstrate or preview software to a prospective customer. This form of testing has advanced software development into the agile, efficient, and error-free system it is today. Beta testing has helped boost small software businesses because it accommodates for the testers that they cannot afford to have.

Sources
Artifex Mundi. Nightmares from the Deep: Davy Jones - Artifex Mundi. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.artifexmundi.com/>.

Kaspersky Staff. "Kaspersky Beta Testing." Kaspersky Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://www.kaspersky.com/downloads/beta_testing>.