Automated Video Game UI Testing via Screenshot Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing video game testing methods require manual intervention and access to internal game states, making them inefficient and game-specific.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize image processing and machine learning techniques to detect user interface elements from screenshots, allowing for automated testing of video game user interfaces without requiring internal game state access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual testing is used to test user interface, then testing accuracy can be ensured, but testing efficiency deteriorates and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The testing system performs self-service by automatically detecting UI elements from screenshots and executing test actions without requiring manual tester intervention. The system captures screenshots, processes them to identify UI elements, and automatically performs actions based on detected elements, enabling the system to test itself autonomously while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual testing process with an automated computer vision-based system. Instead of human testers manually interacting with the game interface, the system uses screenshot processing and automated detection to identify UI elements and execute tests, substituting human mechanical actions with automated digital processes.
2Reliability
If functional testing is used, then code operation correctness can be verified, but user interface accessibility testing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The testing approach is segmented into two distinct phases: functional testing that verifies code operation correctness, and UI accessibility testing that verifies player access to functions. The patent specifically addresses the second phase by using screenshot-based detection to identify and test UI elements, ensuring both code correctness and interface accessibility are covered.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces screenshots as an intermediary between the game system and the testing process. Rather than directly accessing internal game states for UI testing, the system captures visual screenshots and processes them to detect UI elements, creating a bridge that enables UI accessibility testing without requiring deep integration into the game's internal architecture.
3Productivity
If automated testing is implemented, then testing efficiency is improved, but requirement for internal game state access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses screenshots as an intermediary layer that eliminates the need for direct access to internal game states. The testing system captures visual information through screenshots and processes these images to detect UI elements, creating an external testing approach that achieves automated efficiency without requiring complex integration into the game's internal architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of accessing the actual internal game state directly, the system creates a visual copy through screenshots and performs testing operations on this copy. The screenshot serves as a replicated representation of the game interface, allowing automated detection and testing to proceed without needing to access or modify the original game's internal state.
Data Source
AI summary
This specification describes a method for testing a user interface of a video game, the method implemented by one or more processors, the method comprising: obtaining, by one or more of the processors, a screenshot of the video game; processing, by one or more of the processors, the screenshot of the video game to detect one or more user interface elements; and performing, by one or more of the processors, one or more actions in the video game based upon the detected one or more user interface elements for testing the user interface of the video game.