Conclusion

---

As you can see, playtesting is an involved task, but it’s a critical part of game design that cannot be rushed through or sidelined. Your job as designer is to make sure playtesting remains at the heart of the game design and development process. As soon as you let it slip into the background, then you give up your chance to see your game as the players will see it when they open the box for the first time.

Playtesters are your eyes and your ears. They allow you, as the designer, to keep your finger on the pulse of the game, even after you’ve played it to death. If you listen to your playtesters and analyze what they are saying, you will be able to see the game mechanics for what they are, not what you want them to be or imagine they should be. And that is the key to designing. It’s understanding what it is you’ve created and being able make it even better, not in one flash of brilliance, but step by step over months and even years. If you can master this process, then you have mastered one of the key skills to being a great game designer.

---