Operating Regions of Games

Operating regions are 4 stages a game can be in during testing. The game build itself and all the assets inside the game can have operating regions assigned to them. Operating regions can be assigned to both hardware and software bugs.

Pre-Game: The pre-game region is the period of time before the game has been launched. If this was on PC, it would be before you have launched the executable and if it was on console it would be before the games disk was inserted and launched. An example of a software bug in the pre-game region would be the game not specifying in the minimum requirements list that the graphics drivers have to be updated to a certain version number for the game to run. An example of a hardware bug in the pre-game region would be that the game incorrectly stating the minimum required graphics card for the game to run. If the graphics card listed did not run the game without crashes, it would be a bug.

Game Start: The game start region is for tasks that are performed before the player actually begins playing the game. This includes menus and the start button. This can be interrupted with things such as cinematic sequences that are used for tutorials or introductions to the game. An example of a software bug in the game start region would be a menu not working properly. If a menu does not allow the game to start, it is a big problem. An example of a hardware bug is the controller not allowing you to click on anything to start the game.

In game: The in game start region is the actual gameplay of the game. All gameplay inside the game until the game is terminated is classed as an in game operational region. An example of a software bug in the in game region would be a freeze randomly during gameplay and causing a crash. An example of a hardware bug in the in game region would be the controller randomly not allowing the character to attack, hindering the players progress and overall requiring a reboot of the whole system.

Post-game: The post game region is the player ending the gameplay and turning off the game, or terminating the program. This can be done in a number of ways. Examples include, clicking save and quit and some systems allow you to just turn off the system. An example of a software bug in the post game would be the game freezing during a save and forcing the player to cut the power of force close the program. An example of a hardware bug in the post game would be the memory device not properly saving the data while quitting, so when the player comes back to load the game, the data would not be useable, forcing the player to start again.