I agree with matty... just send people this "neat game demo you just got" and then ask them what they thought... and consider running a real beta-test.
as in... pay people to take a long deep look into your game.
Game testing, is almost as hard as making the game (assuming you are making the game by working with a big team... not doing it all yourself) It is like any other job, is what I mean. It requires training and talent to do well.
This is why there are a few school offering training JUST in game testing.
The beta testing you typically see being released to the public are more like... glorified PR mixed with a demo that gives the people who test the game a feeling like they mattered...
They will likely only catch the few small bugs that come out due to random odd system configurations and such.... by the time you get that kind of beta... the game is mostly done... the content might not be... but the engine and nearly all the assest are done and will change very little.
All public beta testing done by the big companys are mainly a way to promote the game and get those last few odd bugs out. They are not real beta testing. Real testing will require the players to write long papers on the game... What was fun, what didn't work for them, bugs in the system and other problems.
as in... pay people to take a long deep look into your game.
Game testing, is almost as hard as making the game (assuming you are making the game by working with a big team... not doing it all yourself) It is like any other job, is what I mean. It requires training and talent to do well.
This is why there are a few school offering training JUST in game testing.
The beta testing you typically see being released to the public are more like... glorified PR mixed with a demo that gives the people who test the game a feeling like they mattered...
They will likely only catch the few small bugs that come out due to random odd system configurations and such.... by the time you get that kind of beta... the game is mostly done... the content might not be... but the engine and nearly all the assest are done and will change very little.
All public beta testing done by the big companys are mainly a way to promote the game and get those last few odd bugs out. They are not real beta testing. Real testing will require the players to write long papers on the game... What was fun, what didn't work for them, bugs in the system and other problems.