Quick Fix: Bad Player Tests? Stop Unmoderated Testing Now!

Quick Fix: Bad Player Tests? Stop Unmoderated Testing Now!

Frustrated with playtesting that yields more confusion than clarity? You’re not alone. Many indie developers spin their wheels with unmoderated playtests, ending up with misleading data and wasted time. Let’s ditch the black box approach and get actionable insights.

Unmoderated playtesting, where players interact with your game without direct observation, often seems like a quick and easy solution. But relying solely on metrics like completion rates and click-throughs can paint a dangerously incomplete picture.

The Pitfalls of Unmoderated Testing: The False Positive Problem

Imagine this: your data shows players are breezing through a puzzle. Success! But without observation, you might miss that they’re accidentally exploiting a bug or cheesing the solution instead of understanding the intended mechanic. That’s a false positive.

Another example: Players might skip tutorial text because they think they already know what to do, leading to later confusion and frustration. The metrics might show high engagement initially, but the lack of understanding will ultimately hurt retention.

Players can unintentionally ‘game the system.’ They might click randomly to get through a dialogue, not actually processing the information. Or they might choose the most obvious path, even if it’s not the intended one, simply because it’s faster. Without seeing why they made those choices, you’re left guessing.

Goal-Oriented Testing: Defining Success Before You Start

The solution? Start with clearly defined goals. What specifically do you want to learn from this playtest? Don’t just say “I want to know if the game is fun.” That’s too broad.

Instead, frame your goals with measurable outcomes: “Can players complete the tutorial in under 5 minutes with 80% success and correctly identify the core mechanic afterward?” Or: “Do players consistently choose the intended upgrade path in the skill tree based on their preferred playstyle?”

Once you have these concrete goals, you can design your playtest and observation protocols around them.

Structured Observation: What to Watch For

Now, it’s time to watch. Observe how players interact with the game, especially in relation to your defined goals. Create a specific observation protocol.

What key behaviors will indicate success or failure? If your goal is tutorial completion, watch for things like:

• Do players read all the text boxes?
• Do they understand the controls after the explanation?
• Where do they hesitate?
• What mistakes do they make?

Prepare questions to ask during and after the playtest. Don’t lead the player, but gently probe their understanding: “Why did you choose that upgrade?” or “What did you think was the best way to approach that challenge?”

Even small-scale moderated testing with just a few players can yield exponentially better insights than large-scale unmoderated tests.

Actionable Insights: From Observation to Improvement

The real value lies in translating your observations into actionable improvements. This is where documentation becomes vital.

For example, if players consistently get stuck on a specific puzzle element, the solution might be to simplify the visual cues or adjust the difficulty. If they’re skipping tutorial text, maybe the text is too long or poorly placed.

If you observe that players are choosing an unintended upgrade path, consider rebalancing the skills or clarifying their descriptions.

Write down everything! Don’t rely on memory. You’ll be surprised how easily details fade.

The Benefit of Documentation: Unlocking the Power of Your Playtests

Effective documentation is the secret weapon of successful game development. Detailed notes help you identify patterns, track changes, and remember why you made certain design decisions.

What kind of documentation is useful? Start with simple notes: date of the test, player profile, goals, observations, and actions taken. Then, evolve it. Use screenshots, videos, and even player quotes to illustrate your findings. Create a consistent format so you can easily compare results across multiple playtests.

You’ll begin to see trends over time. Areas that are constantly a source of confusion or friction. This is invaluable for focusing your development efforts. Documentation isn’t just record-keeping. It is a tool for understanding your game through the eyes of your players. Having structured documentation of your previous attempts can really show you what works or does not work. What worked can be reused in other sections of the game where you are having issues. What did not work can be avoided and help guide your decisions in a different direction.

Struggling to keep track of all these playtest observations and insights? Effective documentation is key to acting on testing feedback, and a dedicated design journal can be a game-changer. See how a game design journal can help you iterate faster by documenting your test observations, and action items for changes. a game design journal can help you iterate faster.