A year ago, I was frantically googling “how to write test cases”, before my very first Quality Assurance interview. Fast forward to today, I have reported hundreds of bugs, respectfully arguing with developers (yes, it happens!) and even dabbling in automation.

If you are just starting out in QA, especially in Game Testing, it might feel overwhelming. I have been there. But here’s the good news: You do not need to know everything from day one. What you do need is curiosity, patience, and the courage to learn from your mistakes (and a few failed test runs).

This is a look back at everything my first year taught me, the lessons, the stumbles, and what I wish someone had told me from day one.

Tip 1: Testing is not about finding Bugs, it is About thinking like User

In my beginner days, I thought QA was just about “Clicking buttons and reporting what breaks.” Well, I was totally wrong.

Empathy is key: The best testers simulate real player behavior. Ask yourself: Would a new player understand this tutorial? Would a player tap this confusing UI icon?
For instance, in Marriage Card Game, "Watch Ad" was a necessary icon, but the users would not find them easily in the app. They would spam us with mails asking for this feature, hence, then we added a good screen-consuming icon for "Watch Ad".

Read the requirements: I once missed a critical gameplay bug because I had not gone through the feature document properly. Now, I treat the game design document like my Bible, highlighting every mechanic, flow, and condition.
Edge cases > Obvious bugs: Sure, everyone tests if the game level loads. But what about when a player finishes a certain level of the game with 0 lives? Or if someone tries to spam the “collect reward” button?

Pro Tip: Keep a “Weird Test Scenarios” notebook. One of mine includes: “What if Carrom Players try to move pucks”

Tip 2: Manual Testing is Foundation, And Automation is the future

I resisted automation at first. “I am a manual tester, why code?”. Well, this attitude takes one nowhere.

Automation is definitely vast chunk of learning, however, I eased into automation by:

Starting small: I used Postman for API testing (no code needed, well, this is very basic).
One test at a time: Learned basic Appium (Java) by automating one repetitive test case.
Learning from failure: My first script failed miserably because I did not wait for animations to finish loading (hello, implicit waits).

Pro Tip: Do not wait for “the right time” to learn automation. Spend 30 mins daily on tools like, Playwright/Selenium Webdriver(Web), Appium(Mobile), Cypress(Beginner-friendly)

Tip 3: Communication is 50% of Your Job

My first bug report was simply: “Game freeze. Fix it.”, definitely not helpful.

How I improved:

Bug reports: Use the “3 C’s - Clear (steps to reproduce), Concise (do not write a novel), Categorize (bug severity and its impact).
Ask early: If a requirement seems off, ask!(Better than wasting days testing the wrong thing!)
Feedback matters: A developer once told me, “Your bug report helped me fix the issue in less than 10 minutes.” That felt better than finding the bug itself.

I gave him entire bug details, with clear steps to reproduce, so that it would get solved hassle-free.

Pro Tip: Include screenshots, logs, and short videos when reporting bugs. A visual walkthrough is better than 1000 words.

Let's see if you can spot a UI bug here:

Tip 4: Imposter Syndrome is Normal (Here’s How I fight It)

For months, I felt like a fraud. ”Why am I here? Everyone knows more than me.”

What helped:

Mentorship: I reached out to a senior QA, bugged them with some(well many) irrational questions to clear up my head.
Celebrate small wins: Every time I caught a bug before release, I gave myself credit, even if it was just a minor UI glitch.
Keep learning: I started joining webinars, Discord and Facebook QA groups, and reading game testing case studies. Learning never stops.

Pro Tip: Ask “stupid” questions. Chances are, others are wondering the same thing but are too shy to ask.

Tip 5: The Happy path is a trap.

New testers (including me) often focus on “Does it work when used correctly?’ Bad idea.

What I Do now:

Break it on purpose: I will try things like skipping a tutorial halfway, switching apps mid-match, or typing emojis into the name field.
Unhappy paths > happy paths:The edge cases are where the juiciest bugs live, like soft-locks, infinite loops, or reward exploits.
Observe real players: Players often do what you least expect, like spamming back during loading or skipping tutorials instantly. Watching them helps uncover the real “unhappy paths.”

Pro Tip: Always record your playtest sessions. You might miss something the first time, but rewatching often reveals subtle bugs or confusing flows.

Advice to Newbies

“Your job isn’t to prove the game works. It’s to prove where it breaks.”

QA is not just about finding bugs, it is about preventing them. It is about thinking like a user, spotting the unexpected, and communicating clearly with your team.

My biggest takeaway?

Staying curious.
Stay humble and keep breaking things(responsibly).

Swechchya Shakya