LESSON #2: Design Through Playtesting and Radical Revision Game Design LESSON #2: Design Through Playtesting and Radical Revision

TODAY: 1. Game Design through Focus Testing: principles and methods. 2. Radical Revision

WHY DO WE TEST?

WHY DO WE TEST? Creation is 1% inspiration and 99% revision.

WHY DO WE TEST? Creation is 1% inspiration and 99% revision. Our reality is not the only reality.

WHY DO WE TEST? Creation is 1% inspiration and 99% revision. Our reality is not the only reality. Culture: common modes of consumption, presentation, or interaction.

WHY DO WE TEST? Creation is 1% inspiration and 99% revision. Our reality is not the only reality. Culture: common modes of consumption, presentation, or interaction. Testing is how we come to understand our Audience’s needs.

Accessing Audience PRODUCT FIRST: We have a game we want to make, and must identify the audience that will enjoy that game. AUDIENCE FIRST: We have an audience we want to reach and so we design a game to fulfill their interests.

Testing as Marketing Strategy

Testing as Marketing Strategy

Testing as Marketing Strategy

CREATING GAMES FOR A GAMER AUDIENCE 30 years of game history and conventions to integrate in your game mechanics and interface. Developers of games for core Gamer audiences need a level of knowledge of past games to understand the expectations of their audience Testing can help illuminate Gamer expectations, but you also need to play many games. For example:

CREATING GAMES FOR A GAMER AUDIENCE

Why can’t I punch something spiky? CREATING GAMES FOR A GAMER AUDIENCE Why can’t I punch something spiky?

CREATING GAMES FOR A GAMER AUDIENCE Why can’t I punch something spiky? Even something soft in the front, with only a few spikes on the head or the back?

Because Mario Bros defined/ruined spikes for everyone

GREYBOXING FAIL FASTER When testing digital or tabletop games to decide if the core mechanic is fun, avoid including much art: use simple forms so the audience can focus on the mechanic: “Greyboxing” Good Mechanics = fun game. Art+ Audio can create greater immersion, a more memorable experience, but cannot fix a mechanic that is not fun. FAIL FASTER Do not spend a ton of time thinking or arguing about whether to include a mechanic: try it! See if it works, You don’t need to try EVERYTHING, but if you have collaborators/stakeholders excited about an idea, don’t dispute the idea– try it out and see if it works. Burn through a lot of bad or mediocre ideas as fast as possible to get to the good ones.

DESIGN METHOD #2a: PLAYTESTING PREPARE A PROTOTYPE: Keep it simple (greyboxing) to quickly test ideas (failing faster) OBSERVE OTHERS PLAYING YOUR GAME. Avoid influencing their experience, where possible. LISTEN: Ask them to speak while playing and write down everything they say (and you see them do) which offers a new perspective on any aspect of gameplay or user interface. INTEGRATE: Iterate your game mechanics and interface with this feedback in mind, while also listening to your own instincts. In other words, listen but do not treat all feedback as infallible.

DESIGN METHOD #2b: FOCUS TESTING IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC PLAYTESTING GOAL: What about your game do you want to improve? Do you want to change how long it takes to play, how awesome a player type feels to play, the balance between players, the use of assets, etc? DEFINE PARAMETERS: How will you keep track of the thing in the game you want to improve? OBSERVE OTHERS PLAYING YOUR GAME. Avoid influencing their experience. LISTEN: Ask them to speak while playing and write down what they say and do related to the parameter you want to improve. INTEGRATE: Iterate your game mechanics and interface with this feedback in mind.

PLAYTEST DESIGN EXAMPLE: Dragon Day Care “Nurturing” card game by Jason Wiser

Three cards types: Egg, Love, and Poach

DDC Playtesting Goal: Speed-up play PLAN: Multiple days of playtests, quick changes between each to test rule adjustments, timing games and frequency of egg hatches. TESTED VARIATIONS: Adjusted card type numbers balance in deck, reduced number of Love cards needed to hatch an Egg, removed most devastating Poach cards and overly- complicated Love cards

Coolest Innovation: Stack Eggs

How We Playtest: Testing Set-up: be sure you have all parts. Communicate to Testers the Plan: Thank you for being here! Game is broken: it is bad at being a game! Ask them to talk out-loud while playing Say you plan to be silent, but will write notes During Playtest: Silently take lots of notes! After Playtest: Debriefing, answer questions, thank your testers.

Design Exercise #2a: Usability Testing Partner with another team. Designate one team A and the other B. “A” will test “B”’s game first. “B” teams: run a playtesting session according to the Focus Testing handout: prepare writing materials, set up the game for play, provide your testers with the instructions, let them read and try to play. Write down where they get stuck or confused, and what they enjoy. Only speak when they get too completely stuck to proceed! When the game is done (or has been tried for 15 minutes) form a circle and discuss the game (for 5-10 minutes). As a group come up with 3 adjustments you want to explore. Email a copy for the teacher of those 3 (along with game name, designer names, and testers names). Do the same for “B” testing “A”’s game! Be sure to keep play to 15 minutes, and discussion 5-10.

Question: What is radical revision?

Question: What is radical revision? Revision that explores complete overhauls of your ideas: Dangerously sweep away all of the sweat and blood you have shed so far and imagine impossible new directions.   You don’t have to follow those paths—you just need to give yourself the chance to consider them, to permit those ideas to percolate and enrich your games.

Fire Hose Games: Fall 2008

Fire Hose Games: Fall 2010

Builder Brawler #1: Initial 2D Prototype:

Builder Brawler #1: Initial 2D Prototype:

Builder Brawler #2: 3D Build-out:

Builder Brawler #2: Building materials from shattered enemies:

Builder Brawler #2: Moving screens, long boss fight:

USER TESTING: Lukewarm responses: “Somewhat fun” Tried to fix with better art, but just wasted time. We didn’t know what “really excited playtesters” looked like.

Builder Brawler #3: Competitive weaponized tower- building using pieces from beaten monsters. Just a mini-game?

Builder Brawler #3: Just a mini-game. Nope. HUGELY positive responses Builder Brawler #3: Just a mini-game? Nope. HUGELY positive responses. We refocused on this direction, scrapping a year of development.

Builder Brawler #3: Build-out of multiple competitive levels.

Builder Brawler #3: Build-out of multiple competitive levels.

Builder Brawler #3: Campaign Mode

Builder Brawler #3: Campaign Mode

Design Exercise #2a: Radical Revision Review notes from playtesting. Where did players get stuck/confused? Where did the game drag? Where was there less awesome? ID a core idea in your game to radically reposition in new modes of play. Consider a mechanic: how players move, gather assets, interact with other players. Look for opportunities to streamline play. Focus more on one big change rather a few smaller tweaks.

Due Next Week: HOMEWORK #2: With your first team, radically revise your first game based on usability testing. Submit 1-2 typed pages (3-sentence game idea, gameplay rules) board design, and set-up/play photos. ALSO: Read McGonigal's "Reality is Broken" Part 2: Reinventing Reality, chapters 7 & 8 (pp119-167)

Have a Splendid Week! And don’t forget to email with questions: Instructor: JASON WISER JasonWiserArt@gmail.com Available daily by email.