Playtest Critique

Up until now, you have only been playtesting games in your section. As we get closer to Showcase, we want to give you a chance to playtest the games in the other section. We will also use this opportunity to reflect on what you learned in lecture on playtesting. To do that, we will ask you to prepare a test plan, as described below.

As with any normal playtest, we ask that you bring at least two laptops capable of running your game. That will help ensure that everyone who wants to playtest your game has a chance. If this is not possible, please contact a staff member before this critique is held.

Preparation

In preparation for this critique, you should write a 5-10 minute test plan, as discussed in the the playtesting lecture. We do not want an in-depth user study experiment. All we want is a script that outlines what the person manning your game station should be doing. This plan should include the following elements:

• Your artifacts (what are you testing?)
• A brief welcome script (what do you say to the player?)
• A task or two (what should the player do?)
• A few of questions to ask of the player

Here are some resources to help you with this format.

• Testing The Design With Users: A chapter from an online text about user testing
• Cognitive Walkthrough: The wikipedia entry describing a basic tenant of user testing

That is all that there is to this critique. We are not expecting formal questionairres or rigorous data collection in section. While we will not collect your testing plans, we will check whether or not you have them.