PLAYTESTINGSession 8
David Mullich
Game Design 1
The Los Angeles Film School
Designer Perspective: Richard Garriott
G4 Icons Episode #14: Richard Garriott
WHAT IS PLAYTESTING?
What Playtesting is NOT
Internal Design Review: Designer and team play the game and talk about its features
Usability Testing: Designer analyze how users interact with the interface by tracking their mouse movements, eye movements, etc.
Focus Group Testing: Marketing execs watch a sample group play and discuss the game
Quality Assurance Testing: QA team goes through and rigorously tests for flaws
So, What Is It?
Playtesting is gaining useful feedback from players to improve the overall experience of the game.
The goal is to make sure the game is functioning as intended and that it is internally complete, balanced and fun to play.
Interative Design
When teams work on projects for months on end, they may lose sight of the game’s vision.
A continual process of playtesting, evaluating, and revising is the way to keep the game on target.
However, as production advances, the design issues you are testing should also advance from major to minor.
Extra Credits: Playtesting
Extra Credits: Playtesting
RECRUITING PLAYTESTERS
Self-Testing
Testing a game yourself is most valuable in the early stages of prototyping when you are still experimenting with core mechanics.
Self-testing can also help you solve obvious problems with the game experience.
Friends and Family Playtesting
The next stage is to test your game with people you know well – those who can look at your game with fresh eyes and see the things that you didn’t.
You should get them a version of the game with a full set of rules so that they can play it without much help from you.
However, be warned that people who have a personal relationship with you may not be objective, and their feedback is most useful only early on in playtesting.
Playtesting with Strangers
Feedback from people you don’t know can be difficult to hear, but it will give you the fresh perspective and insight you require to improve your design.
If you choose them carefully, their honest assessment of your game will give you fresh perspective and insight.
Places To Find Playtesters
High Schools and Colleges College Dorms and Rec Centers Sports Clubs and Social Organizations Game Stores and Computer Use Groups Online Posts and Newspaper Ads
Screening Applicants
You should be recruiting playtesters who are articulate enough to convey their opinions to you.
Questions to ask: What are your hobbies? Why did you respond to my advertisement? How often do you play this type of game?
The Ideal Playtester
The ideal playtester represents your target audience – people who might actually buy your game. These are the types of testers who will: Give you the most relevant feedback Compare your game with similar ones
they have played Know what they like and dislike
Playtesting for Each Prototype Stage
Prototyping Stage
Self-Testing Friends and Family
Target Audience
Foundations ✪Structure ✪ ✪Formal Details ✪Refinement ✪
CONDUCTING A PLAYTESTING SESSION
How NOT To Conduct One
Your role in a playtesting session is not to be a designer but that of an investigator and observer.
Do not tell your players: How your game works Plans for future developments Your hopes and dreams for the game
What You SHOULD DO
Give them access to your game Let them play it with minimal explanation Provide answers if they get stuck Record what they say and do Analyze their responses later
Running the Playtest
The best way to run a playtest is to have an objective person run the test while you watch from behind a one-way glass or video feed.
The next best solution is to write a test script to keep you on track and remind you of your role as an observer.
Introduction (2-3 Minutes)
Welcome and thank them for participating Introduce yourself Give a brief explanation of the playtesting
process Let them know if your are recording the
session If you are using a one-way glass, let them
know if people are watching from the other side
Warm Up Discussion (5 Minutes)
Ask them questions such as: What are some of the games you play? What do you like most about those
games? Where do you go to find out about new
games? What was the last game you purchased?
Play Session (15-20 Minutes)
Explain that they will be playing a game still in development. The purpose is to get their feedback, and there are no wrong answers.
After explanations, you can either: Leave the testers alone and watch them from a one-way glass
or video feed Stay in the room and watch quietly from behind the playtesters
Remind them to “think out loud” while they are playing so that you can learn what they are thinking.
Game Experience Discussion (15-20 Minutes)
Wrap up with a one-on-one discussion with the testers. Questions to ask: Overall, what were your thoughts about the game? Where you able to learn how to play quickly? What is the objective of the game? How would you describe the game to someone who has
never played it before? Is there any information that would have been useful to
you before starting? Is there anything you didn’t like about the game? Was anything confusing?
Wrap-up
Thank your playtesters for coming in Keep their contact information to let them
know when the game is finished Give them a token gift, such as a T-shirt
Dealing with Feedback
It’s very hard to listen to criticism without responding back. Listen carefully to what players are saying Don’t answer criticisms, just write them down Realize that your goal is to find out what
people don’t like or don’t understand about the game
METHODS OF PLAYTESTING
Ways To Structure Your Tests
One-On-One Testing Group Testing Feedback Forms Interviews Open Discussion Data Hooks
Playtest Matrix
Taking Notes
It is vital to take notes of your playtests so that you don’t lose details of the playtester’s reactions. Do not lead Remind testers to think out loud
Surveys
Use pictures whenever possible Online surveys can save a lot of time Use 1-5 scale ratings instead of 1-10 Don’t put too many questions on your survey Give them the survey right after they play Have someone on hand to answer clarifying
questions Note the age and gender of each playtester surveyed Don’t take the survey data as gospel
Jesse Schell
Interviews
Have a script of questions ready Interview people privately Playtesters will avoid hurting your feelings Avoid memory tests Don’t expect playtesters to be game
designers Ask for more than you need Set your ego aside Jesse Schell
Quantitative Data
In addition to taking notes, you should be generating data that shows trends. Time it takes someone to read the rules Number of clicks it takes to perform a
certain function Tracking the speed at which a player
advances in a level
Test Control Situations
Sometimes you will want to lay down parameters that force players to test a specific portion of the game: The end of the game An event that rarely takes place A special situation within a game A particular level of a game New features
The Lens of Playtesting
Why are we doing the playtest? Who should be there? Where will we hold it? What will we look for? How will we get the information we need?
Jesse Schell, Lens #15
1. Playtest your fellow students’ games
2. Fill out playtesting form.
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