Playtesting With Strangers Response

Playtesting with strangers is quite different than playtesting with yourself and with other game designers. Previously, the people you would playtest with could offer insight into what they believe is the root of an issue in the game. Now, the people you are playtesting with will not and you will have to figure it out based on how they play the game.

As the designer, you must now pay close attention to what parts of the game the players found arousing and what parts they found boring. Body language and remarks throughout the game will help with this. As a result, the designer now must put all of their attention to the reactions of the playtesters. Additionally, taking into account what the playtesters thought of the game is good feedback to have.

Strangers often have a hard time playing with rough prototypes. They are often caught up on why they are using home tools instead of professional game pieces and start paying less attention to the game mechanics at hand. To counteract this, you should print images online instead of hand drawing and use game pieces from other games.

During the playtest, it is crucial to avoid the temptation of guiding the player along at any point that they are struggling to follow the rules. If they ask for help, ask them what they think they should do and correct them if necessary. If no help is asked for and they are playing the game wrong, let them play through as it would show how people would play the game with only the rules to guide them. This can help with modifying the rules to be more clear. Additionally, sometimes playing the game wrong leads to a better way to play the game overall. This is due to people naturally wanting to find the best way to play and could lead to a better game overall.