The prospect of being a tester for any mainstream game is something that is often seen as the unreachable star for many, but Microsoft and Bungie Studios will be making this dream a reality in their search for public beta testers for Halo 3. The beta testers will focus their efforts on the multiplayer portions of the game. While the first round of beta testing sign-ups already took place in December, today two new ways to get into the beta have been announced.
Anyone who buys a copy of the upcoming Crackdown video game (which is hitting shelves on February 20 in the U.S.) will be able to use the game disc as a key to download the beta through the Xbox Live Marketplace. The alternative is to log onto Xbox Live and play three hours of Halo 2 multiplayer between February 1 and February 3. After this period of time, anyone who has played the sufficient number of hours will be able to sign up for the beta at the Halo 3 website–but only the first 13,333 who register will be accepted. More information is expected on the program in the coming weeks, and lucky gamers who were accepted in the initial sign-up phase should be contacted via e-mail this month.
Game companies that enlist the help of the general gaming public in the final stages of testing aren’t doing so just as a publicity stunt, although that is certainly a positive for them. But in fact, incorporating gamers into the process is a smart and cost-effective move–game fans often see glitches and issues that are sometimes overlooked by the developer’s testing department. Additionally, the influx of players can help to stress test the game’s network infrastructure setup, helping the developer to hopefully iron-out any issues with latency–certainly an important factor with a game as popular as Halo.
Involving the public in the testing and quality control processes is an excellent way to build ties between developers and the communities they serve. Getting real gamers’ help in the production process builds a stronger user base and creates a better product for everyone shelling out their cash to play in the Halo universe.
