Playtesting Notebook

Since I (like anyone designing games, I suppose) have to do significant solo playtesting – simulating multiple players – I have identified several player types to emulate. Unfortunately, “Player Type” is not a very descriptive term. You might think of the “Alpha Gamer,” “Sore Loser,” or “Sore Winner” as player types, but I would call these Gamer Personality Type. There are other uses of the phrase, but the term as I am using it might best be described as “Player Engagement Type” which I will explain.

This is a collection of both virtual (ideas) and literal (utilities) tools to assist in playtesting.

Playtesting is a critical part of the game design and development process that is apparently given less attention that is healthy to the hobby. (I say that assuming that game designers don't set out to produce broken or awful games and end up there primarily due to a lack of playtesting). This notebook will document some of the research, efforts, and insight I make in playtesting.

Objective

Study playtesting efforts of my own and others and post any research and insights regarding:

• Playtesting Methods
• Prototyping Tips and Tricks
• Playtesting Tools
• Playtesting Resources

Hopefully, you will find the resources here interesting and helpful to your own playtesting process.