CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White...
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Transcript of CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White...
![Page 1: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
CS 4730
Play Testing
CS 4730 – Computer Game Design
Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)
![Page 2: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
CS 47302
Why Does Play Testing Matter?• Have you ever had someone else read a paper
you wrote?• Why?
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CS 47303
Why Does Play Testing Matter?• What are you actually trying to find out when
you have other people play your game?• What “matters” in a game?• How do you measure it?• Goal / Question / Metric methodology
![Page 4: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
CS 47304
Some Thoughts• Time to learn to use a game verb / action• Time (ability) to complete a specific task/quest• Usage (or lack of usage) of gameplay features• Errors (how many, where)• Player satisfaction (Likert scale)• Where did they have the most/least fun?• What was the user’s first reaction?• How would the user describe the game to others? • Would they play it again?
![Page 5: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
CS 47305
Why Does Play Testing Matter?• What are you going to do with the results of
your play testing?• How will that affect this game?• The next game?
![Page 6: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
CS 47306
HCI comes to Game Design• Have you had HCI yet?• User studies are a THING!• There are right ways and wrong ways to do
them!
![Page 7: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
CS 47307
Questions to Consider• Who should play test your game? Why?
– Remember that people’s time is valuable!– They are doing YOU a favor!
• What is your role when they are playing the game?– You are not their personal game coach!
• How can you ensure that the test is the same for everyone?– Scripts are not a bad thing at all!
![Page 8: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
CS 47308
Step 1: Find your play testers• We have stipulated three groups you must hit:
– The “expert” / “confidant” (in CS 4730)– The “advanced consumer” (computing student)– The “general consumer” (non-computing student)
• Ask around! Ask friends of friends!– (surely you have friends not in the E-school…
right?)• Schedule the test for a time that’s NOT
RUSHED!
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CS 47309
Step 2: Prepare the Location• The location should be:
– Convenient– Away from distractions– Comfortable
• You should have:– Your computer READY TO GO!– Your script of what you’ll tell them– Your data collection instruments
![Page 10: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
CS 473010
Step 3: Prepare your Script• You are no longer a game designer for this
exercise. You are an objective observer.• DO NOT TALK ABOUT:
– How awesome your game is!– What you want to do with the game in the future!– What is currently broken!
• DO TALK ABOUT:– The bare minimum of how to play! WRITE THIS
OUT!
![Page 11: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
CS 473011
Step 4: Prepare the Data Collection• What are you going to record?
– Audio?– Screen capture?– Just use pen and paper?
• Have SOMETHING ready to take notes during the session!
• If there are particular things you want to look for, have that written out!
![Page 12: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
CS 473012
Step 5: Prepare the Survey• Post test surveys are good as well• Ask questions that have answers that are
relatively easy to process– Likert scales (1-7, for instance)– True / False– Multiple choice
• Have some open ended questions
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CS 473013
Step 6: The Session Schedule• Introduction of the game• Get background info on the tester• Play the game
– Give specific task / goal (even if that’s just “go explore”)
– DO ask them to “think out loud” as they are playing!
• Wrap up discussion and survey– Some GREAT questions on page 263
![Page 14: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
CS 473014
Do Not Get Frustrated!• Remember:
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CS 473015
Now that you have data…• What do you do with it?• How do you act on the data you’ve gathered?• Tips:
– Don’t wait too long! You’ll forget the context of some of your notes.
– Talk (like out loud) with the entire team discussing how the session went – and then take notes on that too!
– Compare notes with other teams!
![Page 16: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
CS 473016
Advanced Play Testing• In modern games, we often put in hooks and
let beta testers do a lot of the work without actually “doing the work!”
• Here are some fascinating examples courtesy of Prof. White at Cornell
![Page 17: CS 4730 Play Testing CS 4730 – Computer Game Design Credit: Several slides from Walker White (Cornell)](https://reader035.fdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022062314/56649da25503460f94a8f10c/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
CS 473017
Heatmaps
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CS 473018
SWTOR
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CS 473019
SWTOR
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CS 473020
SWTOR
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CS 473021
SWTOR