Lol i found a big bug befor even getting to a beta. The sign up for beta page always tells me they don't support my web browser Firefox IE Google crome get it on all of them.
Beta testing usually isn't hard - you are trying a game you have been expecting so it is generally a pleasure to try it out. I tend to have strong opinion how something should feel like and would love to share that. I tend to focus usually on early parts of the game, starting several classes, seeing first dozens of quests, areas and so on but isn't it usually the first impression that is so important?
I kinda liked the idea of bursts of availability. Iteration is strongly present in development these days so they could direct "testing force" to changes they implemented and bugs they fixed lets say in 2 week intervals if they are developing game e.g. with Agile practices. Open beta anyways brings in so many players that it goes through the whole early content over and over and over again .
Once I have enough information that I feel I would like to try the game, everything else is considered a spoiler to me. Beta testing would probably discourage me from buying the game on release. It has in the past.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
I have been in a few beta's over the years. Not all of them I enjoyed, but I always tried to find typo's or break the game in different ways.
Do I want to beta test SW TOR?
Not really bothered to be honest as I know it will be out soon and its story driven so would go some way to spoil the game for me. But if I did get invited I would play and look for faults.
What I do not like to see in MMO's is gear driven content like WoW, Rift, LOTRO etc. One reason I play Eve Online as nearly all equipment is player made which is something I entirely agree with. You should not have to raid again and again just to get that unique drop so you can raid and raid another dungeon for the next bit.
I DO like testing. And I do so frequently. I'd say I have about a 60% ratio of actually buying the game after testing. Usually its all about how testing goes.
A lot of times its very telling in BETA how a company will react to its players AT LAUNCH. You see what is being addressed, how they are interacting with the community who is ACTUALLY PLAYING, and many times (with good companies) you can actually get right in there (virtually) with the developers and see them acknowledging problems when you come to them.
(I can name a few companies such as Icarus, who I felt is a great development team).
Yes, I make a decision on buying the game based on what I play in BETA, but I can't just wipe the slate clean if I've noticed they aren't fixing bugs that should be manageable, or at least making an effort to let their community know that THEY know whats going on.
I'm not saying Developers need to bend to the will of the players... thats pandemonium, I'm saying they need to be straight with the community. Give a straightforward focus, and acknowledge that when I send in bug reports, they are getting looked at, even if its only through some metric data or various numbers on a spreadsheet.
BioWare looks like they are doing all of that in what we've seen, and I want to be a part of a Beta where they are active and might make use of some of the information I would provide. (not saying others won't provide the same information, but, so what, they aren't me)
Nope. Don't want in a closed beta or open beta. A 3 day preview would be sufficient. And if I had it my way everyone would be limited to the same choice. I figure they have more than enough beta testers as is.
No, I don't. For many of the reasons already stated, I prefer to wait until launch to try the "full game". I'm not interested in really "testing" the software, I'll leave that task for those with more interest.
I don't even sign up for beta's anymore, but I might take advantage of any early start pre-order offers.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
99% of the time it's not the testers fault for poor game launch. I work at a software company and I (or anyone) can test the shit outta everything, report endless bugs, and only X Y an Z will get fixed.... What about A B C and others!
They have to make a list of the issues and fix them in order of importance. Eventually they have to release and make money.
I think people fail to realize the difference between a "bug" and a "design flaw or decision"
Killing a quest mob over and over and never getting credit for the kill is a bug most likely...
Killing a quest mob over and over and only getting 1 or 2 drops out of the 50 you need is most likely NOT a bug...
MOST complains I hear during MMO launches are honestly not bug related. If a game isn't finished, thats not a bug, and thats not a tester issue, its a rushed development schedule. If the servers are laggy and crash on release day/week, thats likely not a bug, its the MASSIVE amount of players trying to jam onto limited numbers of servers. It's difficult to judge how popular a release is going to be. World of Warcraft had 200+ individual servers at one time. They didn't release with 200+ and people bitched about how laggy it was... How could blizzard have known that SOOO many people would want to play? If they limit the number of active players on a server (read: Wait in Queue) people bitch!
Why don't people bitch about amusement parks? Go to Disney Land... You'll wait in line for HOURS to go on some stupid ride... Thats no different! You paid to go on those rides, yet you have to wait in line... You paid to play the game, you get to wait in line!
I bought a founders life time sub to LOTRO because i beta tested it. I think though that this is an entirely different kind of game. The LOTRO I played more than four years ago is not the same one you'll see today as it improves and expands but while story is important its more the major theme thats important in LOTRO and not so much the kind of RPG elements you're going to find in TOR. BioWARE games are phenominal, intertsting and deeply immersive and I'd like to keep that until launch. I want to keep my excitment and experience the game as a player only I think because its so RPG heavy and I dont want the stories ruined for me. I am however with others in that i would definately do an early start pre-order and because I trust BioWARE to put out a fantastic game I'd even do a lifetime sub if they offered one at release.
Joining the chorus! I have beta tested only a few games (Rome Rising/Rift/STO et,,) and simply reported whatever I found as requested. For example in Rome Rising I had a serious movement problem with key/move delay. Made it nearly impossible to play (running a 2.7g/4G ram) and it wasn't corrected during the time I struggled to play. Sent in a few bug reports, including what little play I was able to make, added my thanks, departed and uninstalled.
Also played beta for STO (Star Trek Online - a beloved IP) and have it on my computer now. Intend to give it another month then prob close. Playing beta was fun alright but launch content was minimal and to my dismay the gameplay was grindingly repetitive. Unfortunately the gameplay structure is the problem, not the content and I am presently a 500 day veteran.
I regret playing the beta. I would be unable to resist an invite to test but would definitely not really want to play SWTOR before launch. I also want that 'fresh' new game feeling. With so many wanting in testing I figure I am pretty safe from an invite so see you all in game.
I think several people have hit it on the head as well...
You have two types:
1) People who want the game to be better so they provide feedback
2) People who download PTR (Public Test Realm) patches and do raid content so they can learn the fights and be ready to get "world first" on patch day...
I think it was "WAR" ? that during testing (even live maybe which was kinda dumb) provided a feedback screen after EVERY quest... That's how you do beta testing... FORCE people or spam them with feedback screens that make gameplay shitty as all hell but give developers useful feedback... Gameplay isn't supposed to be fun during beta!
That was the one thing that always bugged me about beta testing. I would go out of my way to find bugs through exploration, quests, fighting random mobs, etc with the goal in mind to send in 10 bugs a day. (Somedays I found 10 somedays less) Meanwhile 90% of the other people in Beta were just in there to play the game early and then whine cause a bug kept them from finishing a mission while lighting up the general chat about how poorly the game is made.
I have been in beta's (Closed not open) for a large amount of MMO's from WoW, SWG, Warhammer, Asheron's Call, Rift, and D&D just to name some of them. All have had the same problem. Too many people in there just to play early. Now dont get me wrong, I am not saying I did not enjoy my early access, but it comes with a price. You are invited into the Beta to help make the game better.
Getting a chance to participate in game's early development is really great. Especially if you love the game. I was with Fallen Earth from early alpha all the way to launch and kept play testing and reporting bugs for almost 1,5 years. Of course I had breaks here and there but I always went back and continued going through quest hubs, maps, typos with npcs etc. And I actually loved being there. As mmopgholic and gamer nerd it was awesome to see that the stuff you do, reports and so on actually get's fixed - or looked into. You felt like you were part of the family. Too bad I wasn't getting paid from doing that :P
Another good thing with early alphas and betas is that it's one of those rare moments when the community in game is still 95% good guys and everyone is friendly and helpfull. Usually the IQ of community drops after launch date and that's when you turn off the chat window, or just totally ignore it.
So my answer would be, yeah, I'm always willing to do some game testing if the game's just worthy and something that interests me.
It's tough to refrain from a beta and it most certainly ends up sort of killing the 'first time' experience that you might get with the game, I think.
A smaller game like Dawntide -- I'd probably be more inclined to accept the beta invitation and file bug reports and test things but I'd probably have ulterior motives of seeing if the team working on the game is actually dedicated to having the game float after testing. It's nice to help.
Something like SW:TOR, though, I don't really need to be in the beta to know how it will go. I'm sure Bioware is taking very cautious steps into making things work and they surely have the resources to get as many testers as they need or want. I still want to hear about the beta, though, but I don't want to go off spoiling it.
I don't really like doing betas anymore. I was in very early in the closed beta of warhammer. Did a lot of feedback and practically nothing I mentioned was fixed. I did have a great time playing though for a long time. By the time it released, I bought it because I thought to myself, I've played this for several months, had a blast, but by the time I finished my first free month, I thought it was crap, lol.
A few factors caused that feeling for me:
1. I didn't really want to start everything over again
2. I did just about everything in the game
3. It seemed the game was played a bit differently than with release.
That was probably due to a lot of the people I tested with were ex daoc players and we played it like daoc, and not like wow, as in more open pvp and less scenario wow like pvp which I can't stand.
I did the closed beta on Rift and sent in my feedback and they actually addressed a lot of the concerns I had. They actually listened and it was great. funny thing is, I realized I didn't like the game much and never bothered buying. Saved me money there.
So with warhammer, the game was ruined for me because of the beta, but with Rift, I was saved from buying it. So it is kind of hard to decide when to beta or not, hehe.
As far as swtor, I don't really have much interest in the game, so don't think I would bother either way. If I had to choose though, I would say no because it is story based and a beta would just ruin the experience for me.
I agree that beta testing can often ruin the game experience. The problem for me is that this game has been in development for SO LONG that I am just beginning to lose patience. I would rather play the game now than wait potentially another full year for it to release. Even if I were to experience bugs along the way, I'm sure I would still enjoy the experience. And it would give me a chance to play some of the classes that I am not planning to play at release...
Plus, I would enjoy the chance to actually have an impact on the development of the game.
In this case and this case only, I really don't want one. Though I am changeable by nature so what I will actualy do if I recieve one is still open to question. Really had to think about this though.
Well, I sure don't need another invite to the beta :P. But before I got invited, I sure did want to be invited. In other games I've tested, there are enough people NOT providing feedback and ONLY playing the game in a way that doesn't help the game grow. I hate those.
Ok, Mike B. rocks, but I disagree with you in part on this one bro.
If all a beta tester does is play, they are still testing. Playing IS testing. The game monitors your every move and makes calculations based on what you do. Bioware recently posted (publically) an example of the data they gather, showing a zone and all the places people died, etc. That data led to changes in some encounters because too many people were getting pwned in certain locations or conditions.
Giving input is great and identifying bugs is also great . But mainly (in my opinion) you are there to play the game in the way you would normally play it, and then let them monitor what you do, crunch those numbers and benefit from that data.
I have beta tested a number of games myself, and while yes I gave input and helped squish bugs, mostly I just played like I normally would .
Imagine a scientist was doing an experiment with lab mice. And the mice, instead of just running through the maze and searching for cheese, pulled up a chair and said "listen Dr., here are our thoughts on how you should design your experiment." I suppose the mouse opinions have some value, but mostly the scientist would be thinking "man just chase the cheese while I watch you and let me draw my own conclusions."
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Im also on the fence about this one. Ive Beta tested several games now and its always been because Im excited about a game and want to help make it a success....thats the whole point of beta, but as Amathe said, I just played the game as normal and reported any bugs I found.....but I do that when Im playing the live game!
Excited as I am though, I love the experience of launch day and exploring the new unknown world with everyone else and Betas just ruin that.....
Cluck Cluck, Gibber Gibber, My Old Mans A Mushroom
Playing is not testing. If that were the case, then the devs could do it easily. 4-5 folks playing the game is enough testing if playing is testing.
Beta testing is *NOT* playing, not if you're doing it right. Beta testing is breaking the game deliberately. It's going places you wouldn't normally go because some idiot might go there. It's trying to create dupe bugs deliberately.
Saying "playing is testing" is like saying "walking in your front door is security testing". A beta is trying to climb in your window, or your crawl place, things normal people would not do but random folks might.
Comments
Lol i found a big bug befor even getting to a beta. The sign up for beta page always tells me they don't support my web browser Firefox IE Google crome get it on all of them.
Closed beta's fix a lot and add a lot. Open beta's are the ones that rarely do any good for the game other than server stability.
Yes, i'd like to have beta-key for sure.
Beta testing usually isn't hard - you are trying a game you have been expecting so it is generally a pleasure to try it out. I tend to have strong opinion how something should feel like and would love to share that. I tend to focus usually on early parts of the game, starting several classes, seeing first dozens of quests, areas and so on but isn't it usually the first impression that is so important?
I kinda liked the idea of bursts of availability. Iteration is strongly present in development these days so they could direct "testing force" to changes they implemented and bugs they fixed lets say in 2 week intervals if they are developing game e.g. with Agile practices. Open beta anyways brings in so many players that it goes through the whole early content over and over and over again
.
Cheers
Once I have enough information that I feel I would like to try the game, everything else is considered a spoiler to me. Beta testing would probably discourage me from buying the game on release. It has in the past.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
I have been in a few beta's over the years. Not all of them I enjoyed, but I always tried to find typo's or break the game in different ways.
Do I want to beta test SW TOR?
Not really bothered to be honest as I know it will be out soon and its story driven so would go some way to spoil the game for me. But if I did get invited I would play and look for faults.
What I do not like to see in MMO's is gear driven content like WoW, Rift, LOTRO etc. One reason I play Eve Online as nearly all equipment is player made which is something I entirely agree with. You should not have to raid again and again just to get that unique drop so you can raid and raid another dungeon for the next bit.
I DO like testing. And I do so frequently. I'd say I have about a 60% ratio of actually buying the game after testing. Usually its all about how testing goes.
A lot of times its very telling in BETA how a company will react to its players AT LAUNCH. You see what is being addressed, how they are interacting with the community who is ACTUALLY PLAYING, and many times (with good companies) you can actually get right in there (virtually) with the developers and see them acknowledging problems when you come to them.
(I can name a few companies such as Icarus, who I felt is a great development team).
Yes, I make a decision on buying the game based on what I play in BETA, but I can't just wipe the slate clean if I've noticed they aren't fixing bugs that should be manageable, or at least making an effort to let their community know that THEY know whats going on.
I'm not saying Developers need to bend to the will of the players... thats pandemonium, I'm saying they need to be straight with the community. Give a straightforward focus, and acknowledge that when I send in bug reports, they are getting looked at, even if its only through some metric data or various numbers on a spreadsheet.
BioWare looks like they are doing all of that in what we've seen, and I want to be a part of a Beta where they are active and might make use of some of the information I would provide. (not saying others won't provide the same information, but, so what, they aren't me)
Nope. Don't want in a closed beta or open beta. A 3 day preview would be sufficient. And if I had it my way everyone would be limited to the same choice.
I figure they have more than enough beta testers as is.
No, I don't. For many of the reasons already stated, I prefer to wait until launch to try the "full game". I'm not interested in really "testing" the software, I'll leave that task for those with more interest.
I don't even sign up for beta's anymore, but I might take advantage of any early start pre-order offers.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
99% of the time it's not the testers fault for poor game launch. I work at a software company and I (or anyone) can test the shit outta everything, report endless bugs, and only X Y an Z will get fixed.... What about A B C and others!
They have to make a list of the issues and fix them in order of importance. Eventually they have to release and make money.
I think people fail to realize the difference between a "bug" and a "design flaw or decision"
Killing a quest mob over and over and never getting credit for the kill is a bug most likely...
Killing a quest mob over and over and only getting 1 or 2 drops out of the 50 you need is most likely NOT a bug...
MOST complains I hear during MMO launches are honestly not bug related. If a game isn't finished, thats not a bug, and thats not a tester issue, its a rushed development schedule. If the servers are laggy and crash on release day/week, thats likely not a bug, its the MASSIVE amount of players trying to jam onto limited numbers of servers. It's difficult to judge how popular a release is going to be. World of Warcraft had 200+ individual servers at one time. They didn't release with 200+ and people bitched about how laggy it was... How could blizzard have known that SOOO many people would want to play? If they limit the number of active players on a server (read: Wait in Queue) people bitch!
Why don't people bitch about amusement parks? Go to Disney Land... You'll wait in line for HOURS to go on some stupid ride... Thats no different! You paid to go on those rides, yet you have to wait in line... You paid to play the game, you get to wait in line!
I bought a founders life time sub to LOTRO because i beta tested it. I think though that this is an entirely different kind of game. The LOTRO I played more than four years ago is not the same one you'll see today as it improves and expands but while story is important its more the major theme thats important in LOTRO and not so much the kind of RPG elements you're going to find in TOR. BioWARE games are phenominal, intertsting and deeply immersive and I'd like to keep that until launch. I want to keep my excitment and experience the game as a player only I think because its so RPG heavy and I dont want the stories ruined for me. I am however with others in that i would definately do an early start pre-order and because I trust BioWARE to put out a fantastic game I'd even do a lifetime sub if they offered one at release.
Joining the chorus! I have beta tested only a few games (Rome Rising/Rift/STO et,,) and simply reported whatever I found as requested. For example in Rome Rising I had a serious movement problem with key/move delay. Made it nearly impossible to play (running a 2.7g/4G ram) and it wasn't corrected during the time I struggled to play. Sent in a few bug reports, including what little play I was able to make, added my thanks, departed and uninstalled.
Also played beta for STO (Star Trek Online - a beloved IP) and have it on my computer now. Intend to give it another month then prob close. Playing beta was fun alright but launch content was minimal and to my dismay the gameplay was grindingly repetitive. Unfortunately the gameplay structure is the problem, not the content and I am presently a 500 day veteran.
I regret playing the beta. I would be unable to resist an invite to test but would definitely not really want to play SWTOR before launch. I also want that 'fresh' new game feeling. With so many wanting in testing I figure I am pretty safe from an invite so see you all in game.
I haven't beta tested anything in years. Not a fun experience. I'll let other people do it. If I want to try a game I'll wait for the trial.
Anything I can do to make the experience less painful is a plus. Ofcourse I would like a beta invite.
I think several people have hit it on the head as well...
You have two types:
1) People who want the game to be better so they provide feedback
2) People who download PTR (Public Test Realm) patches and do raid content so they can learn the fights and be ready to get "world first" on patch day...
I think it was "WAR" ? that during testing (even live maybe which was kinda dumb) provided a feedback screen after EVERY quest... That's how you do beta testing... FORCE people or spam them with feedback screens that make gameplay shitty as all hell but give developers useful feedback... Gameplay isn't supposed to be fun during beta!
That was the one thing that always bugged me about beta testing. I would go out of my way to find bugs through exploration, quests, fighting random mobs, etc with the goal in mind to send in 10 bugs a day. (Somedays I found 10 somedays less) Meanwhile 90% of the other people in Beta were just in there to play the game early and then whine cause a bug kept them from finishing a mission while lighting up the general chat about how poorly the game is made.
I have been in beta's (Closed not open) for a large amount of MMO's from WoW, SWG, Warhammer, Asheron's Call, Rift, and D&D just to name some of them. All have had the same problem. Too many people in there just to play early. Now dont get me wrong, I am not saying I did not enjoy my early access, but it comes with a price. You are invited into the Beta to help make the game better.
And yes, if I was invited into beta, I would not pass it up.
Getting a chance to participate in game's early development is really great. Especially if you love the game. I was with Fallen Earth from early alpha all the way to launch and kept play testing and reporting bugs for almost 1,5 years. Of course I had breaks here and there but I always went back and continued going through quest hubs, maps, typos with npcs etc. And I actually loved being there. As mmopgholic and gamer nerd it was awesome to see that the stuff you do, reports and so on actually get's fixed - or looked into. You felt like you were part of the family.
Too bad I wasn't getting paid from doing that :P
Another good thing with early alphas and betas is that it's one of those rare moments when the community in game is still 95% good guys and everyone is friendly and helpfull. Usually the IQ of community drops after launch date and that's when you turn off the chat window, or just totally ignore it.
So my answer would be, yeah, I'm always willing to do some game testing if the game's just worthy and something that interests me.
It's tough to refrain from a beta and it most certainly ends up sort of killing the 'first time' experience that you might get with the game, I think.
A smaller game like Dawntide -- I'd probably be more inclined to accept the beta invitation and file bug reports and test things but I'd probably have ulterior motives of seeing if the team working on the game is actually dedicated to having the game float after testing. It's nice to help.
Something like SW:TOR, though, I don't really need to be in the beta to know how it will go. I'm sure Bioware is taking very cautious steps into making things work and they surely have the resources to get as many testers as they need or want. I still want to hear about the beta, though, but I don't want to go off spoiling it.
I don't really like doing betas anymore. I was in very early in the closed beta of warhammer. Did a lot of feedback and practically nothing I mentioned was fixed. I did have a great time playing though for a long time. By the time it released, I bought it because I thought to myself, I've played this for several months, had a blast, but by the time I finished my first free month, I thought it was crap, lol.
A few factors caused that feeling for me:
1. I didn't really want to start everything over again
2. I did just about everything in the game
3. It seemed the game was played a bit differently than with release.
That was probably due to a lot of the people I tested with were ex daoc players and we played it like daoc, and not like wow, as in more open pvp and less scenario wow like pvp which I can't stand.
I did the closed beta on Rift and sent in my feedback and they actually addressed a lot of the concerns I had. They actually listened and it was great. funny thing is, I realized I didn't like the game much and never bothered buying. Saved me money there.
So with warhammer, the game was ruined for me because of the beta, but with Rift, I was saved from buying it. So it is kind of hard to decide when to beta or not, hehe.
As far as swtor, I don't really have much interest in the game, so don't think I would bother either way. If I had to choose though, I would say no because it is story based and a beta would just ruin the experience for me.
I agree that beta testing can often ruin the game experience. The problem for me is that this game has been in development for SO LONG that I am just beginning to lose patience. I would rather play the game now than wait potentially another full year for it to release. Even if I were to experience bugs along the way, I'm sure I would still enjoy the experience. And it would give me a chance to play some of the classes that I am not planning to play at release...
Plus, I would enjoy the chance to actually have an impact on the development of the game.
In this case and this case only, I really don't want one. Though I am changeable by nature so what I will actualy do if I recieve one is still open to question. Really had to think about this though.
Well, I sure don't need another invite to the beta :P. But before I got invited, I sure did want to be invited. In other games I've tested, there are enough people NOT providing feedback and ONLY playing the game in a way that doesn't help the game grow. I hate those.
Ok, Mike B. rocks, but I disagree with you in part on this one bro.
If all a beta tester does is play, they are still testing. Playing IS testing. The game monitors your every move and makes calculations based on what you do. Bioware recently posted (publically) an example of the data they gather, showing a zone and all the places people died, etc. That data led to changes in some encounters because too many people were getting pwned in certain locations or conditions.
Giving input is great and identifying bugs is also great . But mainly (in my opinion) you are there to play the game in the way you would normally play it, and then let them monitor what you do, crunch those numbers and benefit from that data.
I have beta tested a number of games myself, and while yes I gave input and helped squish bugs, mostly I just played like I normally would .
Imagine a scientist was doing an experiment with lab mice. And the mice, instead of just running through the maze and searching for cheese, pulled up a chair and said "listen Dr., here are our thoughts on how you should design your experiment." I suppose the mouse opinions have some value, but mostly the scientist would be thinking "man just chase the cheese while I watch you and let me draw my own conclusions."
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Im also on the fence about this one. Ive Beta tested several games now and its always been because Im excited about a game and want to help make it a success....thats the whole point of beta, but as Amathe said, I just played the game as normal and reported any bugs I found.....but I do that when Im playing the live game!
Excited as I am though, I love the experience of launch day and exploring the new unknown world with everyone else and Betas just ruin that.....
Cluck Cluck, Gibber Gibber, My Old Mans A Mushroom
Beta testing is *NOT* playing, not if you're doing it right. Beta testing is breaking the game deliberately. It's going places you wouldn't normally go because some idiot might go there. It's trying to create dupe bugs deliberately.
Saying "playing is testing" is like saying "walking in your front door is security testing". A beta is trying to climb in your window, or your crawl place, things normal people would not do but random folks might.
There's a huge difference.