Week 5
Compilation of playtest reviewsLast week we had a playtesting session where all the groups had the opportunity to get the opinions of other students about their games. My group and I had prepared a short survey for the play testers to fill in, and this week I did a compilation of the answers to give us an overview of what we have done good and what we must improve. By doing this I hope it will be easier for us to analyze the result. I have also started to plan for our second playtest session which will be held next week. When assembling the answers from the survey I simply categorized them in positives and negatives. It felt natural since our survey consisted of two questions; “three positive things about the game”, “three things that need improvement” and lastly, we left room for “other comments”. Some aspects and features of the game were mentioned both as “positives” and “needs improvement” in the survey, and when categorizing them in my compilation I choose to label them as negatives because of the fact that they are apparently not perfect, which is what I think we should always aim for. An example of a feature that was considered both positive and negative was the color-coded gate mechanic in the game where you have to find a power up, or a key in the right color to match the gate in order to unlock it. The play testers liked the mechanic, but thought it was hard to understand how it worked. We need to find a way to communicate things like this to the player in a smart way. For our next survey, I think we should focus more on asking questions on how things could be improved rather than what could be improved. I think we are well aware of the limitations of our game, and the things that lacks quality. Our real problem is finding solutions, and that is what we should ask our play testers about. We could ask if we have managed to convey the goal of the game, and what the player is supposed to do. In addition to that question we could ask about solution tips if the play tester does not think the goal is clear.
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