Every Friday, our team gathers to discuss the game's progress. We “show and tell” new features, iterations, and any changes that were made to the project. And then, before taking a well-deserved weekend break, we do one more thing: we playtest.
Testing is an integral part of how we do things at Ratloop Canada. Our weekly sessions are not only beneficial to the game but to our team as a whole. Here's how:
THE GAME
• Bugs: Testing is the most effective way, if not the only way, to find bugs.
• Opportunities: Playing the game can inspire new ideas.
• Perspective: Putting yourself in the player’s shoes casts visibility on the end-user experience.
• Context: How can you do great work if you don't understand the context in which your work will be experienced?
• Focus: Playing (especially watching others play) will clearly demonstrate what the project’s priorities are and how to create a frustration-free experience.
THE TEAM
• Visibility: Helps the team stay updated with all the changes made during the week.
• Accomplishment: Seeing your contributions shaping the project is highly motivating.
• Knowledge: Testing increases project awareness, which leads to better decision-making across all disciplines.
• Team building: Playing together unifies the team, improves communication, and turns coworkers into friends (or enemies!).
• Enjoyment: When you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
From our experiences, playtesting vastly improves the final quality of your projects. Test early, test often, and have fun!