Ar/VR/AI Machine Learning & Game Testing

Did you enjoy smashing sand castles when you were a kid? If so, it might explain why you’re about to listen to this podcast. In this episode we’ll test talk with computer scientist Noemi Ferrera about AR/VR/AI machine learning and game testing using the AirTest Project. Get ready to discover a bunch of actionable testing tips for newer technologies.

About Noemi Ferrera

Noemi is a computer scientist passionate about technology and testing. She has been between developing and testing roles and has always strived for quality, automation and tooling creation to ease the entire development process. She has worked in multinational companies (such as IBM, Microsoft, and Dell) and also in a startup in Ireland. Currently, she has reallocated to China and she is working for Netease games.

Quotes & Insights from this Test Talk

So I keep a dream journal. I don’t know if you’re aware what that is. It’s more kind of for setting goals. But I write everything there even if the goal is unachievable or I think it’s going to be unachievable. I still write it there. And I had a few things written down and I kind of forgot about the Journal for a while and then this job in China came up and it was kind of perfect. It was good timing. What I really wanted to come to China because I was learning Chinese for a while and I was curious about the culture and the places here. And also I was very curious about working for a gaming company. But it turns out that when I was packing to come here I came here in 2017. At the end of 2017 and I found my dream journal and I had written down — 2017 go to China work for a game company! So it’s amazing how subconscious can work.
I think you can really see who is going to be a developer or tester by going to the beach when you were small kids. The developers will be making sandcastles and that the testers will be this kid that enjoy breaking the sandcastles. And I was a strange kid that would like to do both – create the sandcastle than break it.
I like being in the code review with the developers and I happily will both point mistakes and also help them to think in a testing way so they can also create their own unique tests correctly and all of that.
Right now the tool I’m working on is called AirTest it’s a solution for automating applications and games and it’s actually pretty cool, to be honest. I just really believe in the product. It’s kind of you to know the way that we have some tools that have visual testing and then we have some other tools that have kind of use the DOM or object model abstractions. And then you can use that into creating your automation right. So it’s sort of an IDE that will allow you to use either for many different platforms. So it works on windows and Coco’s and Unity and for Android. So there are many different platforms that it can be used. It’s open source which is really good as well and partnered with Google to do this. So it is a very nice app is just not famous enough being in Europe and in the States so hopefully we’ll get to change that.
VR motion sickness is caused because your eyes are seeing the movement but their body is not feeling it. So physically are not moving and your eyes are seeing it. And it’s exactly the same effect that happened to you when you were in that boat. So not everybody has the same degree of motion sickness. In my case, I’m pretty used to this because I played many games and are so kind of used to my eyes not following my body feeling. But my mom she obviously is not used to this. I say I’m sorry I used a poor woman as a tester in this case because she has more sensitivity around this.
I have a blog so you can also leave a comment if you know to find something interesting. I would really appreciate if you want to give me some feedback. In terms of what can you do. Just like with everything play around. And at the end of testing events, meetings, meet-ups and if there’s none close to you create one. Start checking into things and be curious. I think that’s one of the reasons that I think that testers are similar to a lynx and that’s why I called myself the test lynx in many places and it’s because Lynxes are very very curious. So be a tester, be a Lynx, be curious and go and do stuff.

Resources

AirTest current project with Netease
AirtestProject on GitHub for the project (open source)
The project on GitHub about on VR teaching testing is called VR museum
How to wear VR with glasses
Quote on wearing hats from Michael Bolton

Connect with Noemi Ferrera

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