Catch Vex on the Preparing for Playtesting panel, along with Cam Banks (Cortex Prime) on the KiwiRPG Twitch channel, at 7:30pm-9:30pm NZST Saturday 11th July / Saturday 8:30am BST / Saturday 3:30am EDT. The VOD will be uploaded to our YouTube after the week, and linked here.
Hey there, I’m Vex, and I’m a professional playtester (don’t worry, that’s a lie). You might be wondering why I’m here today, in this blog you’re reading. Well, a bog witch trapped my soul here, but forget about that. I wanna give you a little guide to playtesting so you can up your game on upping your game. As the title implies, this is a guide for your first time playtesters, or folks who feel they’re at a place where they can learn from basic advice. But I’m also going to try and keep it as brief as possible so it’s skimmable and serves as a good reference.
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Why Am I Testing?
Most first time playtesters get to a point where they can say “Okay, my game is ready, now to see if people like it”. There’s two immediate problems with this I want to address:
- “My game is ready”
This isn’t the worst problem you can have, but it’s preferable that you hit playtesting before you feel you’ve completed your project.
- “Do people like the game?”
What you want to know is how you can improve the experience people have. People can be very uncritical of an experience they like, so by planning questions about the experience you get better feedback. Don’t let your testers face a yes/no question.
So if “My game is ready, do people like it?” isn’t a good reason to test, what are some good reasons?
- “I want to test a small piece of my game” – isolated testing of pieces is good at finding problems that become harder to fix over time.
- “I feel the project is going well” – GREAT time to check if other people agree.
- “I feel something isn’t right” – new perspectives will help you identify things that are nagging at you.
- “Things are working, but they aren’t streamlined” – asking people what things they struggle with, for instance things they struggle to remember during play, is a good way to find quality of life changes you can add.
- “I want to know if the experience is what I planned” – checking that the parts come together without issues like sudden tonal changes is good to do near the end of the project.
These are just a few that come to mind. You might find some good reasons of your own. In fact, if this gets you thinking in a way that leads to finding your own reason, I’d say my job here is done.
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What Am I Testing?
The best thing to do in a playtest is to come into it prepared to learn exactly the things you need to. My biggest recommendation is to have a notepad or even scrap of paper, something to keep time, and a bunch of questions you intend to have answered by the end of the test. Here’s some suggestions:
- Do players understand the rules after reading them?
- Can players play -without- understanding the rules?
- Is there any information players need in front of them during play?
- Is the tone of the game what you expected? Does it change during play?
- Is the run time of the overall game, and its sections, as intended?
- Does the game produce the emotion it was designed to?
- Does the game have any accessibility problems?
- Does the game appeal to its intended audience?
- Are there any logical inconsistencies, such as in the ecology or economy?
I don’t recommend trying to cover all of these questions at once, but treat it like a pick and mix. Grab whatever speaks to you at the time. Again, add your own.
Image from RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com
Annnnnd… Done!
You may have noticed that we’re at the end of the blog and we’ve only just covered what and why you’re testing. Well, it really is as simple as that. Have a good idea of what you’re seeking to learn and how you’re going to learn it, and your playtest will reward you with good information. Combine that information with a willingness to change what isn’t working, and you’ll breathe new life into your project.
Good luck, designer.