can focus on specific mechanics or narratives but need to still situate it in context of the wider game environment/chronology/interface
feedback should be used strategically to iterate, to fix problems, to find correct audience etc
analyse trends in feedback to adjust game mechanics, interface and content
upload mockups as soon as they’re drafted to see how people respond - mock website, images or storyboard
It’s difficult to assess three-hours of narrative gameplay with a short demo so focused sessions are useful
most important to test around your core game loop and features you’re currently progressing on
you know where your design weaknesses are if you see a pattern in users stalling
playtesting is a method of interacting with another person through your work
extra methods specific to games
closed beta for insight into longer play sessions to look at longer-term retention
tools you can use for a beta: TestFlight for mobile games, a release channel on Oculus for VR Oculus games. Steam provides the Steam Playtest feature, which allows developers to give access to players via access keys.