Playtesting Practice

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We’ve found it’s easier for designers to learn the process of playtesting by using a game that they have no emotional connection with—it’s easier to be objective when your design skills aren’t on the line. For the next few exercises, we’ll take a simple, familiar game and use it to learn the essence of playtesting. As we do this, much of what we discussed earlier will be come apparent, as well as some new concepts.

Connect Four

Many of us grew up playing the game Connect Four. It’s where two players take turns dropping checkers into a vertical grid. The first player to get four units in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins the game.

1. Create the prototype

   First, you need to create a simple prototype for Connect Four. To do this with pen and paper, draw a seven squares wide by six squares tall grid on a piece of paper. One player will use a black pen to represent black units on the grid and a second player will use a red pen to represent red units. Make sure to have a stopwatch handy to time your playtest sessions. Next, decide who goes first. Each player, on his turn, chooses a column in which to place a unit. He then draws units at the bottom of the chosen column as if gravity dropped them from the top. Units stack on top of one another when they “land” in the grid.

2. Prepare your questions and script

   Write down the questions you plan to ask in advance and prepare a script for the session.

3. Recruit testers

   Go out and find two playtesters.

4. Playtesting

   Introduce your testers to the game and let them begin playtesting.

5. Testing the grid size

   Play according to the previous description a few times. Use your stopwatch and mark how long each game takes to resolve next to the game grid. Next, draw the game grid at 8×6 instead of 7×6. Play this a few times, using the same rules. What happens to the play experience in the 8×6 version? What happens to the time it takes to resolve? Which version is more interesting? Why? Does changing the grid size give you ideas for changing other variables?

6. Testing the objective

   Go back to a 7×6 grid, and this time change the objective, so that winning requires connecting five in a row. Play this a few times. What happens?

   Does changing the objective give you ideas for changing other variables as well? For example you might find that a 7×6 grid is too small. If so, try the “connect five” version on a 9×7 grid.

7. Testing gravity

   Now go back to the original rules (i.e., Connect Four on a 7×6 grid). This time remove gravity from the system. Players can now place a unit in any open cell on the grid. Play the game as usual from there. What happens? Does the game work anymore?

8. Alternate versions

   How do these alternate versions compare with the original? Are they better, worse or just different? It’s easy to see that changing system variables has a direct effect on the play experience, and the only way to determine this affect is through playtesting.

Final analysis

Compile your questions and write down your thoughts. Take time to go over each answer and analyze your results. What changes would you make to the game as a result of this playtesting session? Do your qualitative and quantitative data point to any conclusions?

The previous exercise exposes you to the basics of playtesting and revision. Playtesting is the process of playing a game with various users, making observations, and gathering data, while revision is the process of taking the critiques and data generated and tweaking the variables in the game to make it a compelling experience. The iterative process of playtesting and revising over and over is fundamental to the creation of good games.

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