The increasing usage of smartphones & internet has allowed people to access games. Do you know there has been an 83% increment in the viewership on the leading platform of games after the year of pandemic? The gaming industry's success mostly relies on the performance of applications. The industry is now focusing on performance to achieve a higher rate of player engagement & overall success. For this, they opt for performance testing solutions to identify the areas for improvement & make a better gaming experience.
In online gaming, high latency can lead to discrepancies between the game responses and make the gaming experience frustrating. So, maintaining latency is a big challenge. The aim of running performance testing in gaming apps is to find out the bottlenecks, enhance functionality, ensure reliability & measure the user interface. This blog contains the complete brief on performance testing services in gaming apps & best practices.
What is Performance Testing in Gaming Apps?
Performance testing is a crucial section of the SDLC process. The testing enables you to get a complete brief on how the gaming application performs in terms of stability and responsiveness. When a business launches a gaming app without performance testing, it might be exposed to security threats, stuttering, lag & defects. The expert performance testing service team minimizes productivity costs & system crashes with the assurance that the software is stable with multiple users.
Importance of Keeping Latency in Check
Gaming app latency is measured as the time required to send data from the device to the gaming server. The faster the data is sent, the lower the latency will be & better the experience. The more time it takes to send data, the greater the latency.
2.1 Impact of High Latency on Gaming Experience
- Delayed player responses
High latency leads to delayed responses, which is the biggest disadvantage in the gaming industry.
- Loss of competitive edge in multiplayer games
High latency in gaming apps can cause failed movements or missed shots that further lose the competitive edge.
- Frustrated players leading to uninstalls
High latency can make the game feel sluggish and cause noticeable lag, and that can make players frustrated and lead to uninstalls.
2.2 Benefits of Low Latency
- Improved user experience
Low latency assists in delivering a faster & responsive user experience. It allows participants to communicate without any delays.
- Better player retention and engagement
Low latency can lead to better player engagement & retention. It lowers the delay between the server’s response & player’s action.
- Competitive advantage in the gaming market
It also offers competitive benefits in the gaming industry by offering seamless gameplay, faster response & improved player satisfaction.
Key Metrics in Performance Testing for Gaming Apps
- Latency (Response Time):
Latency is measured as the time taken by the data to travel from the user’s device to gaming servers. It is a crucial thing to measure in multiplayer gaming apps.
- Throughput:
This is measured as the speed at which data reaches its destination. It can be measured as factors like latency, bandwidth, network congestion, etc.
- Frame Rate (FPS):
It is counted as the number of frames/seconds the game renders on screen. A high frame rating means smoother gameplay.
- Packet Loss:
This is a network performance error that occurs when a data packet is unable to reach the destination. It can be caused by hardware failure or an overloaded device.
- Server Downtime:
Server downtime is the key metric in gaming apps since it assists in tracking & addressing the errors that could impact the experience of players. Maximizing the server uptime is good for player satisfaction.
Types of Performance Testing for Gaming Apps
4.1 Load Testing
A key component of game development is load testing, which ensures that the game can support the expected volume of concurrent players without developing stability glitches. For a game development company, this process is crucial as it evaluates the game's scalability and spots any errors that can damage the player experience by simulating a large number of people engaging with it at once.
4.2 Stress Testing
The goal of stress testing is to evaluate the gaming infrastructure, from assessing server stability to balancing traffic under extreme conditions. These performance-testing solutions identify the breaking point of the application & weakness before release.
4.3 Soak Testing
In this testing methodology, the system is tested under the extreme load. It tracks the behaviour of the system and verifies the application performance over an extended period. Furthermore, it tracks the memory leaks & makes sure the application is stable under extreme traffic.
4.4 Network Testing
Network testing for gaming applications allows the app to function well under varied network conditions. The performance testing experts recommend this to deliver an app that seamlessly runs on any device.
Tools for Performance Testing Gaming Apps
- Apache JMeter
This is a flexible performance testing tool that supports multiple protocols like FTP, HTTP & JDBC. It enables comprehensive testing over various apps. Furthermore, it offers a seamless, user-friendly interface for developing & managing test plans.
- LoadRunner
It is a commonly used tool by performance testing service providers for software efficiency, load, and stress testing. It provides a vast array of technologies and protocols appropriate for a range of uses. Developed by Micro Focus, LoadRunner is a leading performance testing tool that is well-known for its extensive testing solutions that cover anything from basic apps to the most intricate enterprise-level systems. It is adaptable for testing a variety of applications, such as web, mobile, and business systems. It is good for organizations seeking comprehensive application performance testing insights.
- BlazeMeter
This tool is emerging as a popular open-source performance tool. It contains an easy-to-use interface and offers scalability. Furthermore, this tool aims to simplify the application's performance. Some of the crucial features that make this app demanding are – cloud-based flexibility, real-time reporting, compatibility, and refining and sharing test reports.
- GameBench
Anyone can quickly and evaluate the efficiency of a gaming application with the help of the GameBench suite of tools. This tool usually measures battery consumption, memory usage, and frame rates. It is used to optimize the gaming performance over various devices.
- NeoLoad
This is another dynamic performance testing tool designed to accelerate testing cycles. It offers accurate results without compromising. The user-friendly interface & the scripting make it accessible. The advanced feature of NeoLoad makes this tool capable of complex performance testing scenarios. Supporting multiple technologies and integrations makes this tool a suitable option. Furthermore, it offers fast & automated performance that opts for frequent changes.
- Gatling
For load and stress testing web apps, APIs, and other software systems, Gatling is an open-source performance testing platform. The software development & testing team may use it to evaluate the performance of the app under a range of load scenarios. Some of the key features are scale-based DSL and high performance.
Best Practices for Performance Testing in Gaming Apps
- Test in Real-World Conditions:
The environment for testing should be known in real-time in which your game will be experienced. As a result, you need to design realistic tests that take into account various ecosystems in order to represent the various client settings, platforms, and devices. In this manner, you can extensively test your game to make sure it provides a consistent experience in all settings.
- Prioritize Critical Scenarios:
When testing the gaming application, always focus on the high-traffic areas or critical scenarios. Test the application in different loads & check whether it is capable of handling large traffic for extended periods or not.
- Monitor Backend Systems:
Before releasing any application, make sure the application is scalable & stable on every device. Find out the errors and address them to drive a smooth user experience.
- Optimize Code: Reduce resource-heavy operations:
After making the necessary changes, it is crucial to optimize the code. It reduces the resource-heavy operations.
- Collaborate with DevOps Teams:
You must work with the DevOps team as a game tester. You'll be able to evaluate the game more completely if you have a deeper grasp of the game, consumer demands, and other important aspects. Performance testing experts should perform appropriate performance checks through CI/CD pipelines to make sure your game runs well for every device.
Conclusion
In recent times, the gaming business has grown rapidly, pushing the limits of technology and innovation. Gamers are expecting to use higher-performance apps to achieve immersive experiences. No matter what, performance testing for gaming applications becomes a necessity.
By following the above guidelines on performance testing solutions, businesses can embark on a strong presence in the gaming market by releasing quality gaming apps. However, to deliver a seamless gaming experience, latency must be kept in check. The best way to achieve faster results is by integrating robust performance testing in their workflows.