LAFS Game Design 8 - Playtesting

Level 8
David Mullich
Game Design 1
The Los Angeles Film School

Designer Perspective: LucasArts
G4 Icons Episode #28: LucasArts (21:00)

What Playtesting is NOT
 Internal Design Review: Designer and team
play the game and talk about its features
 Focus Group Testing: Marketing execs watch
a sample group play and discuss the game
 Usability Testing: Designer analyze how users
interact with the interface by tracking their
mouse movements, eye movements, etc.
 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

Playtesting for Each Prototype Stage
Prototyping
Stage
Self-Testing Friends and
Family
Target
Player
Foundation ✪
Structure ✪ ✪
Dramatic ✪
Polishing ✪

Places To Find Target Players
 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

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

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

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

Ways To Structure Your Tests
 One-On-One Testing
 Group Testing
 Feedback Forms
 Interviews
 Open Discussion
 Data Hooks

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

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

Pro Tips
Whenever you conduct a playtest session, ask
yourself:
 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?

1. Playtest your fellow students’ games
2. Fill out playtesting form.

Functional
The system is sufficiently established to the point
where someone who knows nothing about the game
can sit down and play it.
In a paper prototype, this means the player can play
the game by following the rules and procedures.
In a digital prototype, this means that the player can
use the controls and make the game progress.

Structure
For your next prototype, you added enough
structure to make the prototype playable for
testers other than yourself. It was basic and
clunky, but it had rules and procedures.
Your focus was on both fun and functionality.

Questions Your Prototype Should
Answer
 Are the structural elements working together
even in this basic state?
 Is there a beginning, middle and end to the
experience?
 Can the players reach the objective?
 Are they engaging in the conflict you designed,
and are they enjoying that engagement?
 Should you continue with this idea, or is it time
to head back to the drawing board?

Never Give Up Hope!
If your game doesn’t seem to be very
playable:
 Go back to your core mechanics
 Strip away all the additional rules
 Reintroduce them one-by-one to isolate the
problem

LAFS Game Design 8 - Playtesting

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