![\u201cGlossary](\"https:\/\/www.gamebench.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/GB_evaluation_icon-1.png\"){kind=icon}
Essential terminology<\/h2>\nEssential terminology<\/h2>\nGame Performance Management is not just a science \u2026 It\u2019s also something of an art. Pioneering GPM since 2013, GameBench has identified, defined and captured all the metrics that matter to ensure the best possible user experience. These are the fundamental concepts – along with some helpful extra links, and a summary of the best GPM practices – that every gaming professional needs to understand.<\/strong><\/p>\n Battery drain<\/strong><\/br>User-perceived battery power<\/a> as measured by the device OS. Corroborated with milliamp readings (where available).<\/br> Experience analytics<\/strong><\/br>Data should reflect the experience of real gamers who are playing to win, i.e. no bots, scripts or device farms.<\/br> This is the first of three Performance IQ bulletins dedicated to the essentials of GPM. PIQ 21.06 will unpack and explain the key benchmarks that define and differentiate the \u201cGreat\u201d (enthusiast), \u201cGood\u201d (standard), \u201cBasic\u201d (casual) and \u201cPoor\u201d (out of scope) levels of actual gamer experience. What\u2019s more, we\u2019ll be bringing you both drops combined into a single, simple pdf for reference.<\/strong><\/p>\n Performance IQ<\/em> by GameBench is a hassle-free, one-minute read that keeps you abreast of precisely what you need to know. Every two weeks, right to your inbox. Here\u2019s a quick and easy sign up for your personal invite to the sharp end of great gamer experience.<\/p>\n
\nBattery ratings<\/strong><\/br>The average mA consumption of the whole system, measured during gameplay and combined with battery capacity (mAh) to rate the expected number of gameplay hours on a charge.<\/br><\/br>![\"Power-Consumption](\"https:\/\/www.gamebench.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/piq5-battery-drain-final.png\")
<\/a><\/br>CPU usage<\/strong><\/br>The amount of work the CPU is doing as a percentage, normalised against the available CPU cores and their given frequencies.<\/br>
\nFrame rate (FPS)<\/strong><\/br>The number of frames<\/a> shown in a given second.<\/br>
\nFrame times<\/strong><\/br>Tied to frame rate, the number of milliseconds to draw a single given frame. For example, a frame every 16.6667ms reflects 60 frames per second.<\/br>
\nFrame rate variability<\/strong><\/br>The average jump between consecutive frame rate readings taken each second, reflecting the amount of variation in visual fluidity that a gamer experienced (Lower is better).<\/br>
\nFrame rendering<\/strong><\/br>What the user sees while playing a game. Measured using Median FPS, FPS Stability, and Variability Index.<\/br>
\nGameplay<\/strong><\/br>The core, interactive component of a game, excluding loading screens, menu screens, and advertisements.<\/br>
\nGPU latency<\/strong><\/br>The demand that a game\u2019s software makes on the graphical processor. <\/br>
\nImage consistency ratings<\/strong><\/br>Algorithms are used to monitor key metrics of image consistency across a gameplay session. Differences between tests – e.g., in average edge or color complexity – are highlighted.<\/br>
\nInput latency<\/strong><\/br>The measured time for a response<\/a> to a user input, rated according to fixed benchmarks set by research. Example: Time between a player clicking the mouse button, and seeing the muzzle flash of an in-game gun.<\/br>
\n![\"Power-Consumption](\"https:\/\/www.gamebench.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/piq5-latency-network-final.png\")
<\/a><\/center><\/br>Jank<\/strong><\/br>In GPM, an isolated, long pause between two frames, usually caused by dropped frames. (\u201cJanky\u201d is also used, less specifically, by gamers to denote poor game quality.)<\/br>
\nJitter<\/strong><\/br>Negative impacts on video and audio quality, caused by delays in data packet arrival, due commonly to network congestion and\/or route changes. (A key network metric<\/a>, see also packet loss<\/strong> and latency<\/strong>.)<\/br>
\nLaunch Time<\/strong><\/br>The time taken to launch an app after it has been removed from memory, but is not freshly installed (i.e., a \u201ccold launch\u201d but not a \u201cfirst launch\u201d). Measured from tapping the game icon on the home screen to seeing the first interactive screen.<\/br>
\nMedian frame rate<\/strong><\/br>The middle-most frame rate<\/a> during gameplay, representing the typical visual fluidity that the gamer experiences (Higher is better).<\/br>
\nMinimum frame rate<\/strong><\/br>The worst frame rate experienced during gameplay, typically happens during a moment of heightened gamer activity or a computational bottleneck (Higher is better).<\/br>
\nNetwork latency<\/strong><\/br>Also known as lag<\/a>, the time for a packet of data to be captured, transmitted and processed, then received and decoded. (See also packet loss<\/strong> and jitter<\/strong>.)<\/br>
\nPacket loss<\/strong><\/br>A key network metric (see also jitter<\/strong> and latency<\/strong>) when packets of data fail to reach their destination. Measured as a percentage of packets lost against number of packets sent.<\/br>
\nPerformance rating<\/strong><\/br>Graphical performance rated by measuring multiple frame rate metrics during gameplay (median frame rate, minimum variability) and compared to established gaming benchmarks<\/a> and user data analysis.<\/br>
\nPixel shader load<\/strong><\/br>The operating load for running pixel (fragment) shaders, which update colours and textures on scene geometry.<\/br>
\nVertex shader load<\/strong><\/br>The operating load for running vertex shaders which shape scene geometry.<\/br><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gamebench.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/radial_icon.png\"){kind=icon}
Best practices<\/h2>\n
\nNatural gameplay<\/strong><\/br>Each gamer should follow a strict methodology that does not interfere with natural gameplay, but does ensure that certain parameters are matched across tests (e.g., game and device configuration, game scenarios covered). Minimum sessions of 15 minutes are essential.<\/br>
\nTesting methods<\/strong><\/br>The testing elements of GPM should be accomplished using objective tools, with no reliance on traditional testers or subjective opinions.<\/br>
\nGame-device pair<\/strong><\/br>Every gaming experience relies on multiple hardware and software working in harmony, so valid testing is always done in game-device pairs.<\/br>
\nValidated metrics<\/strong><\/br>Metrics should be validated using multiple independent methods. However GPM relies to some extent on the accuracy of underlying metrics produced by e.g., Windows, Android or iOS operating systems, or cloud gaming platform telemetry.<\/br>
\nReal-world devices<\/strong><\/br>Real-world, unrooted and non-jailbroken devices should be used, reflecting actual gamer experience as closely as possible.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gamebench.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GB-PIQ_V2-768x164-1.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n