"Alpha/Beta Testing" Minecraft vs other software

[Sicklyboy]

So while searching for my favorite-ever Vault-Tec shirt because I want to wear it to Comic Con this weekend, a thought popped into my head, and I'm curious to see what you guys think (weight in on the poll above).

Minecraft, as many of you know, was able to be bought during alpha and beta development periods before being released as a fully developed release with incremental, ongoing updates, not at all unlike many, if not all MMOs that are played (WoW, MapleStory, RuneScape, just to name a few). The "play while we add content" idea is not at all unusual for MMOs, and though a game that's not imperatively multiplayer based is a bit less common to accept that model, it still works fine.

However, would you consider yourself to have been an Alpha or Beta tester had you bought in during those periods, or just an "early adopter"? For other games and software in general (hell, even hardware) where the developers run FREE open and closed beta tests, it's not unusual to hear someone refer to themselves as a Beta tester for that product. People who bought in early for Minecraft, however, seldom refer to themselves as such.

I bought it during early Beta, and all I ever really say is "I've been playing it since early Beta".

What do you guys think? If you purchased Minecraft in its Alpha or Beta phase, or any of the other games following its release model, would a player be able to refer to themselves as a Beta tester, or are they just an early adopter?

 

[MTSoph14]

I would only consider a person a alpha/beta tester if they give feedback on the product. The point of beta testing is to make sure everything works, and if devs don't get feedback it's not really being tested is it.

So I was not a Minecraft beta tester, whereas I'm sure there were plenty of them.

 

[Gahars]

Alpha/Beta is slowly but surely morphing into "Paid demo."

Not like it matters. Everyone knows the best way to get a taste for a game is to try the Alfalpha.

 

[Taleweaver]

What do you guys think? If you purchased Minecraft in its Alpha or Beta phase, or any of the other games following its release model, would a player be able to refer to themselves as a Beta tester, or are they just an early adopter?

Alpha and beta (and 'gold', for that matter) aren't set in stone as they used to be. Still, seeing how a tester is (obviously) someone who tests. My guess is that most of the buyers for that early version simply wanted to play it. In other words: they don't have the intention of making the thing bug-free, making sure all the features work as they were meant to be, check through the source code in case of a crash, have a methodology, or any of that stuff.

So no. It could very well be that there were some who bought it because they like fixing broken things (or rather: go looking what there is to fix and how), but the majority just got in early. And if they're referring to themselves as such...well...just because you took a ride in a F1 car doesn't make you a race car driver.

 

[DinohScene]

Purchased Minecraft in Alpha.
Never gave feedback tho.

But lots of people gave feedback via Reddit and Mojang took it from there.
So in a way, we where beta testers but then again, not full beta testers.

Full beta testers would be ones giving direct feedback to the dev instead of via a site.

 

[FireGrey]

The scope of alpha/beta tester is rather large, it could even include things such as exploiting a glitch and telling a friend about it.
You can be both an early adopter and an alpha/beta tester.