Playtest 1
Gameplay Playtest

After each prototype demonstration, we will have a playtesting session. Later playtesting sessions (particularly once you have a complete playable level) will be much more formal than this one. However, the gameplay prototypes are fairly primitive, so it is not particularly valuable to make the user testing too structured. Therefore, today is just an excuse to have some fun and play some games (or game prototypes).

While you can run on the computers in the classroom, we would like to keep everyone spaced far enough apart to allow people to move about the room. Therefore, we ask that you bring at least two laptops capable of running your prototype. If this is not possible, please contact a staff member before this lab is held.

Lab Format

You should set up your laptops so that you have two copies of your game running in close proximity of one another. This will allow us to maximize the number of people playing a prototype at any time. Once you have set up, the class will proceed as follows:

• One person in your group should be designated to stand by the machine.
• Everyone else in your group should play another gameplay prototype.
• The designated member should take notes and elicit feedback as others play.

Even though your prototype should be available on multiple computers, you only need to have one person stationed with them (this is why they should be close together). You should swap out the attending team member so that it is not the same person for the entire class period. As this is a 50 minute class, a good rule of thumb is 8 minutes for each person in your group.

That is all that there is to this lab. For future labs, we may ask you to turn in your notes gathered from the playtesters. But right now, we want to keep the session informal, so there is nothing to turn in.