Book Summary - Game Design Workshop - 04 Playtesting

Skipping the topics about conceptualization and prototype, we come to playtest, where more general players experience or even participate at it.

Playtesting

Stages

What does playtesting actually does? First, playtesting consists different stages. In each stage, more uncertainties are narrowed and more things are settled down. 

In each playtesting, we need to consider our purpose to test, and finding relevant people to test.

Prototyping Stage \ Target	Your Own	Confidants	Target Audience
Foundations	●
Structure	●	●
Formal Details			●
Refinement			●

At first, we need to test our fundamental ideas of the game, test isn't the "fun" we assume at first is really existing in the game. At this stage, our game only contains the core gameplay. The structure is not complete. It needs a lot of implied imagination and explanation while playing it. The picture is still way too far from the final product. So, it is not recommended to invite public or even your friends to 

playtest it. They will comment on many things that are supposed to be not complete at this stage. So at first, it is reasonable to test on your own, or with your team. it is just for a self-proving for your own basic ideas that is really work.

Then, we build up a more complete prototype, and we will give our confidant to test it, such as family and best friends. At this stage, we mainly test for the game structure, which means the dynamic system. We have made a set of rules, an objective and procedure to duel with the game. The game may still not be internally complete, so we should still have a little explanation to the tester. However, the less interruption we made at this stage means the clear the game it is, and we can confirm our system dynamic is working fine.

Base on the review received in the structure stage testing, we continue to build up the game and ensure it is internally complete, functional and balanced. Each element in the game is defined and work as a whole in the system. At this stage, the game could be delivered to the target audience to test. The game should contain a complete level for instance, that players don't need any help from you and can still go through a complete game.

Base on the formal details test, we receive more objective and specific comments from the public. Then we can refine the game, and get into the playtesting for refinement, ensure all components in the game are almost perfect.

Test Control Situations

Playtesting doesn't mean testing the whole game. You may only choose one level, a certain plot for the players to try. Despite the fact that you may have large resources that can hire players to play your games for hours and days, there will be situations that rarely occurred in normal gameplay.

As we normally let the players to play the start or the middle of the game, we can go further for some specific situations. For example:

• The end of the game
•  A random event that rarely takes place
• A special situation within a game
• A particular level of a game
• New features

Playtesting Procedure Notices

In each stage of playtesting, you are not simply giving the game for the testers to play. First, you may need a spreadsheet that lists out all possible questions you want to ask, and some areas for jotting down the comments. Even you have recorded the playtesting interview, it is good to jot down your sudden thought during the playtesting.

During the play session (around 15-20 mins), we need to remind the testers to speak out their their mind. If they forgot, we may ask them gently what they are thinking when they make the choices. Meanwhile, you observe and jot down the reaction of the player during the gameplay. Remember, during the foundations to formal details stage, the main point is not observing whether the player feels inconvenient on the control, inconvenient UI, these factors relate to the usability and accessibility, which can be refined in the refinement stage. In the big company, there will be a separate department and collect these kind of scientific data and develop a user-friendly model. Although individual developer needs to this by themselves, it is still concerned as a separate work. You can refine it until last stage, while the focus in early stages are the game system itself.

After the play session, we will have a Asking Session about the game experience. You may ask more specific question and let the testers to clearly describe it. Don't try to answer, explain, oppose testers' answers. The more opinions you can accept, the better quality of improvement you can figure out. Also, try to end up the discussion within 20 minutes, since we are requiring the testers to think densely, they will feel tired after answer about 20 questions.

At the end, don't forget to ask the testers to leave the contact, since you may invite them again in the later playtesting stages, or give them souvenirs after the game is finished.

The Play Matrix

Different game has different characteristics, we need to consider the pros and cons base on its class. Besides thinking from the types of players, types of objectives that we discussed in previous chapters, we can have a look at The Play Matrix.

Using the above chart can classify you game types, so that you figure out which kind of elements you want to emphasize or eliminate. We can also notice different classes have its own majority of players.

For Chance + Physical Dexterity: Child games mostly falls into this category.

For Chance + Mental Calculation: It is for bigger child.

For those required skill: it is the favor of players that like to practice their skills, enjoy the game with greater self controls. Those two categories have much more adult players.

Functionality, Completeness, and Balance

In different stages, we test for different purposes. The scopes in Foundations and Strucure stage are still rather small. While start from Formal Details stage, there will be more factors to be managed.

	Functional	Internally Complete	Balanced	Fun	Accessible
Foundations				●
Structure	●
Formal Details	●	●	●
Refinement				●	●

Functional:

Ensure the players can use the controls and make the game progress. Player can follow the rules and procedure to reach the goal without designer’s verbal instructions.

Internally Complete:

It means no gameplay or the functionality needs to be compromised during the game. There will be a clear set of rules that are applicable through the whole game. If some part of the game contradicts with rules or the rules statement are ambiguous, we need to adjust the rules. We also need to check whether loopholes exists. Loopholes will let players exploit themselves while the original gameplay experience is ruined and/or causing other players have bad gameplay experience. Interestingly, when loopholes are found, they can be adjusted and turned to a new feature which riches the gameplay experience.

Balanced:

Variables – objects and resources should be fair. No dominant object

Dynamics(working with the variables) – efforts of procedure and relationship between objects is reasonable

Starting Conditions - everyone is balanced 

When considering Balancing, it does not straightly means each side should have the same objects and resources. The principle is to ensuring each side also has the possibility to reach objectives, and during the procedures, no objects and resources should be over relied and dismissed.

There are Symmetrical games and Asymmetrical Games. Symmetrical games really have the same objects for the players and opponents. Asymmetrical Games have many varieties. You may have asymmetrical objects and resources for different players, while their objectives are the same. You may have different objectives while the players share same types of objects and resources.

As game system is dynamic, when player's skill increase, we also need to increase the difficulty of the game. There are two tips to balance the game:

1. Visualize the core gameplay in prototype stage, to clearly identify and purify the purpose, so that you can judge your resources and objects with a more clear perspective.

2. Make one change at a time, so that you notice the effect on changing each element. Using  Spreadsheets to list out all variables can help you to approach this process step by step.

Fun and Accessibility

Different players aim for different objectives and challenges, you can see the details in the articles about dramatic elements. Generally, the challenges players want to achieve could be:

- Reaching and Exceeding Goals

- Competing against Opponents

- Stretching Personal Limits

- Exercising Difficult Skills

- Making Interesting Choices

Among from this, we can have a little bit more discover on "making interesting choices". To improve the player choices, we can consider the emergency and importance of the choices

Combine with the technique of dramatic arc, different choices are made to create tension and relaxation. I would say combining the use of the model of Maslow's hierarchy of needs would also help to decide the choices and the emotions of players they will experience.

Moreover, it is interesting to put Dilemma situation into the choices. Players should duel with the opportunity cost. They will put more value on their choices, concentrated at the game more, and hence earn a deeper game experienece.

There are other’s concerns that can have a look:

• Rewards and Punishments
• Anticipation (one signal that gives the players to guess the outcome of the game)
• Surprise
• Progress - milestone (value player's achievements)
• Ending

Finally, please beware of the fun killers elements. They could be:

- Micromanagement - too much for players to control, players will feel annoyed

- Stagnation - repetition of tasks, players will feel bored

- Insurmountable Obstacles - no hints and stuck in current status. Player lost the hope to reach the objective and hence give up the play. 

- Arbitrary Events - too unpredictable outcomes, player loses their controls, they will feel like they are being cheated

- Predictable paths - contrary to arbitrary events, there is no surprise, no fresh experience comes out for players to fill up their motivation to keep on playing.

Accessibility:

This mainly concern usability and convenience. It is the best to be carried out from large data. For individuals and small companies, they can only treat it based on the playtesting example they carried out, or hiring a team or specialist to duel with this task.

Conclusion

That's almost the complete procedures to design a game. In the next chapter, we will briefly talk about the external factors related to game design, such as the market, industry aspects.

That's all, meow🐢.