On the Subject of Beta Testing

Alyssa Milano

You know, I hate the way MMO "betas" are now commonly regarded as some sort of head start for the grind monkeys*, and some sort of badge of honour on forums. "I've been in the game since beta", usually accompanying a "why has this game become carebear" whine-fest or "therefore I understand the game better than you" retort.
Beta testing used to be about testing the game systems for the developers so that as many bugs as possible can be worked out, or gameplay issues resolved. Now it's all about players having the opportunity to learn the game systems as early as possible so that they can identify and master any weaknesses or exploits and level more efficiently or make more money sooner than everyone else once the game goes live. Not to mention that despite beta tests that can last for years, many games are released with an astonishing array of bugs or poorly-designed mechanics. Probably because the "testers" are too busy trying to get one up on the opposition to actually provide any useful, constructive feedback.
When I provide one of my well-informed, insightful commentaries into the current state of MMO gaming I might occasionally suggest how I would deal with the situation if I were to design my own ideal MMO. Because I do spend a great deal of time pondering the subject.
This is one of those occasions. In my ideal MMO I would have the (open or closed) public beta test take place on some sort of cut-down trial island that offered only a subset of content and mechanics. I would rely on internal teams to test advanced systems because I would recognise that there is a good chance some balancing will ultimately be required whether or not the grind monkeys get the opportunity to "test" the game. I would be very hesitant to open the game to a large-scale, un-vetted audience prior to release. I might have a stress test that offered perhaps a single city or environment, stripped-down to test the systems I was interested in rather than the systems the random yahoos might be interested in.
Unfortunately as the market becomes more crowded companies are pandering more and more to the expectations of the idiot public. That includes gameplay design (whether it's grinding, raiding, PvP or similar) and offering a selection of beta tests to allow some players to feel like they're more hardcore and important than others. It's becoming increasingly common to see posts on forums where people take beta tests (and the player's acceptance into the test) for granted, and those people probably wouldn't even consider joining an MMO that was already live because they wouldn't be able to scoff at the noobs.
Essentially it all comes down to the majority of developers taking some sort of smug "hands off" approach to their player communities, a subject which really deserves it's own commentary.

* grind monkey: a player who considers grinding to be a desirable gameplay mechanic in the mistaken belief that being willing to grind is in some way indicative of player skill.