09-game-test-and-player-evidence-plan

name	09-game-test-and-player-evidence-plan
description	Use when planning game QA, playtesting, balance, deterministic simulation, save migration, multiplayer network conditions, device performance, accessibility, localisation, security, certification, and release-candidate evidence.
metadata	{"portable":true,"compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]}

Game Test and Player Evidence Plan

Use When

• A game milestone needs technical tests and observed-player evidence.

Do Not Use When

• Programme testing policy is the task; use 01-test-strategy.
• Do not substitute opinions for correctness or device evidence.

Required Inputs

Artefact	Source or provider	Required?	Behaviour when missing
Requirements, architecture, build manifest, targets and gates	Product, engineering, QA and release	Yes	Stop and issue a readiness gap.
Research, learning, culture, wellbeing, ads/privacy, network, accessibility, localisation and threat cases	Specialist owners	Conditional	Mark coverage not assessed.

Workflow

1. Build a risk matrix across unit, integration, simulation, content, device, network, security and access layers.
2. Specify seeds, clocks, tolerances, replay and save corruption/migration/interruption.
3. Test latency, loss, jitter, reorder, duplication, disconnect, crash and version mismatch online.
4. Profile release builds on named hardware for pacing, CPU/GPU, memory, loading, storage and thermal behaviour.
5. Separate correctness, comprehension, appeal, balance, learning, cultural acceptance, wellbeing/stopping, ad interruption/trust, commercial and release questions; no evidence class substitutes for another.
6. Test critical verbs with alternative input and redundant feedback.
7. Test every ad placement for expectation, disclosure, focus/input, decline/close, reward, cap/pace, save/recovery/stopping/exit, child treatment, accessibility, no-fill/offline/SDK failure and kill switch on real devices.
8. Stop on missing build identity, oracle, consent or accountable reviewer; recover with an evidence plan.

Outputs

Artefact	Consumer	Acceptance condition
Game test and player evidence plan	QA, design, engineering and release	Cases map to requirements, environments, oracles, evidence and decisions.

Evidence Produced

Evidence	Reviewer	Acceptance condition
GTEST-* matrix	QA reviewer	Build, device, scene, seed, network and outcome are reproducible.

Capability and permission boundaries

Read and search are allowed; planning is read-only. Shared-service, player-data or security tests require authority and consent.

Degraded mode

Return the narrowest qualified plan, mark unavailable checks not assessed, and retain blocked gates.

Decision Rules

Choice or condition	Action	Failure or risk avoided
Oracle absent	Redesign or classify exploratory.	False confidence.
Capture lacks identity	Reject release evidence.	Irreproducibility.
Core accessibility blocker	Block or approve explicit exclusion.	Menu-only claims.

Quality Standards

• Retain failed-path evidence; distinguish preference, comprehension, balance and correctness.

Anti-Patterns

• Tautological tests. Fix: assert invariants.
• Editor-only testing. Fix: packaged builds.
• Average FPS only. Fix: frame pacing.
• Localhost multiplayer only. Fix: hostile profiles.
• Anecdotal playtests. Fix: question, cohort and disposition.
• Ad renders so it passes. Fix: test interruption, accidental tap, coercion, privacy, regret, trust and all failure paths.

References

• Test evidence matrix