ISTQB CT-GaMe flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Playability testing

Evaluation of whether players can understand, control, and enjoy the game: onboarding clarity, control responsiveness, feedback, and difficulty curve. Performed via playtesting with representative target players and observed metrics.

Game balance

Property that no single strategy, item, or character dominates and that difficulty progresses fairly. Verified by analyzing win rates, time-to-kill, and economy inflow versus outflow data.

Seeded RNG testing

Technique of fixing the random number generator seed so loot drops, AI choices, and procedural content become reproducible. Enables deterministic replay and reliable defect reproduction.

Platform certification

Mandatory compliance test level enforcing console or store requirements such as save handling, account switching, suspend/resume, controller disconnect, and network loss. Failure blocks release regardless of gameplay quality.

Real-time state dependency

Game behavior depends on frame timing, input order, and latency, so identical inputs can yield different outcomes. Test cases must record build, hardware, and timing context.

Soak testing

Sustained long-session execution, often many hours with repeated map loads and save cycles, to expose memory leaks, handle leaks, and progressive degradation invisible in short runs.

Exploratory testing in games

Simultaneous learning, test design, and execution without pre-scripted cases. Effective for open game worlds where the state space is too large for scripted coverage.

Risk exposure

Probability of a defect occurring multiplied by its impact. In games, impact weighs crash and data loss highest, then progression blocks, then monetization errors, then cosmetic issues.

Product risk

Risk inherent to the software itself, such as crash-prone systems, complex physics, or unstable networking. Assessed by likelihood times impact and mitigated by targeted testing.

Project risk

Risk to the delivery process: schedule slips, missing devkits, late third-party SDKs, asset delays, or team skill gaps. Managed by planning and contingency rather than by testing the build.

Risk-based prioritization

Ordering test effort by risk score so core loop, monetization, and save systems are tested first. Low-risk cosmetic content is tested later or sampled.

Measurable test goal

An exit criterion stated as a verifiable threshold, such as zero blocker defects, crash-free session rate above a target, or frame rate meeting minimum spec.

Telemetry-driven risk

Using crash reports, player analytics, and beta data as empirical evidence to estimate defect probability and prioritize areas for the next test cycle.

Compliance risk

Risk of failing legal or platform requirements: age ratings, loot box disclosure, privacy rules, and accessibility mandates. Mitigated by checklist evidence before submission.

Boundary value analysis

Test design testing values at and just outside limits. In games: zero health, one ammo, maximum inventory slots, level cap, and stack size plus one.

State transition testing

Deriving tests from states and allowed transitions, covering valid paths plus illegal transitions. Applied to menus, matchmaking, quest progression, and save/load flows.

Pairwise combinatorial testing

Reducing combinations so every pair of parameter values appears at least once. Efficient for character, weapon, map, and difficulty interactions where full cartesian coverage is impossible.

Test oracle

The mechanism deciding pass or fail. For deterministic formulas use exact expected values; for complex simulations use invariants such as health never negative.

Input replay automation

Recording player inputs and replaying them to reproduce defects or run regression. Reliable only when randomness is seeded and timing is controlled.

Environment matrix

The set of hardware, OS, GPU driver, platform, and network conditions tests run against. Must include minimum and recommended specs and degraded network profiles.

Defect severity in games

Classification by player impact: crash, data loss, or progression block are highest; then major functional errors; then minor; then cosmetic. Drives triage order.

Mechanics testing

Verification of game rules and formulas: damage calculation, cooldowns, resource regeneration, drop tables, and XP curves, using boundary values and controlled randomness.

Collision edge cases

Physics tests for tunneling at high velocity, overlapping colliders, slopes, and frame-rate-dependent movement. These expose clipping and pass-through defects missed by normal play.

Sound event triggering

Verifying each audio event fires exactly once at the correct moment with the correct asset, including loops, fades, ducking, and music state changes.

Loudness consistency

Checking that audio levels match targets, often measured in LUFS, across music, effects, and voice. Prevents jarring volume jumps and inaudible cues.

Visual regression testing

Comparing rendered screenshots against approved baselines with tolerance thresholds. Detects unintended graphics changes such as missing textures, shader errors, or UI shifts.

Frame time stability

Measurement of consistent frame delivery, including low-percentile frame times and stutter, not just average FPS. Unstable frame time harms perceived smoothness.

Pseudo-localization

Replacing strings with accented, expanded placeholders to reveal truncation, hard-coded text, and font issues before real translations are available.

Text expansion risk

Translations such as German or Russian can be much longer than English, causing UI overflow. Test with expanded strings and constrained layouts.

Font glyph coverage

Verification that fonts include all required characters for CJK, Cyrillic, and RTL scripts. Missing glyphs render as boxes and are a common localization defect.

GPU frame capture tool

Tool such as RenderDoc or PIX that records draw calls, shaders, and GPU timings for a frame. Used to diagnose rendering defects, not gameplay logic.

Crash telemetry system

Live-player crash and analytics reporting that aggregates defects by frequency and hardware. Complements pre-release testing by revealing field risks after launch.