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Choose the right playtest method | Games User Research

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It’s easy to default to playtest methods that feel ‘convenient’. In our survey of playtesting habits, we heard that surveys are the most used method. Although surveys feel easy to run, they are often not the most appropriate for many of the questions teams need to answer – such as ‘what are the biggest friction points in my game’. Don’t unthinkingly pick your favourite methods. Failing to validate the method choice can lead to underwhelming playtests where the data collected is vague, or not providing a helpful steer internally. This means results that are easy to ignore, and playtesting falling down the priority list – increasing the risk of major development pivots, or failed releases. In this post, I introduce a reliable method for picking the right playtest method. This will ensure you generate relevant and useful playtest data. Game development often lacks a standard terminology – and the word ‘playtest’ has different meanings for different teams. For some, it means ‘any study, in

It’s easy to default to playtest methods that feel ‘convenient’. In our survey of playtesting habits , we heard that surveys are the most used method. Although surveys feel easy to run, they are often not the most appropriate for many of the questions teams need to answer – such as ‘what are the biggest friction points in my game’. Don’t unthinkingly pick your favourite methods. Failing to validate the method choice can lead to underwhelming playtests where the data collected is vague, or not providing a helpful steer internally. This means results that are easy to ignore, and play

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