242:(WotC) used an open playtest with volunteers from their online community to evaluate the game as it was being developed. New playtest packets were distributed to the testers as WotC revised the game. WotC focused heavily on the results of this testing owing to the mixed reactions that the 4th edition rules received, showcasing another advantage of playtesting: helping to ensure that the final product will be a commercial success. The process produced feedback to WotC regarding which aspects of the game needed modifications or redesigns.
150:
person to be considered for participation in a playtest vary. Some playtests are open to anyone willing to volunteer, while others specifically target professional gamers and journalists. Some playtests also try to evaluate the game's appeal to players with different levels of experience by selecting players with varying exposure to the game's genre.
351:
The most dangerous risks with playtesting is that the playtest version of the game could be released over the internet, particularly if it is a video game or something presented in an electronic format. There are ways to prevent this; for example, requiring all players to log-on to the game's servers
149:
said that "the first part of debugging is exciting; it's the first feedback. Somebody is actually playing your game. But by the end, you get sick of the little problems. You have spent three months inventing the game, and now you have to spend just as much time cleaning it up". The requirements for a
264:
s in that the players must purchase the beta rules from
Fantasy Flight before playing; the rules are not being released freely to the public. Updates made to the rules are released in PDF format on their website, but there is no word on whether playtesters will get a copy of the actual final draft.
230:
Due to the nature of pen-and-paper RPGs as opposed to video games, RPG playtests tend to focus more on ensuring that the game's mechanics are balanced and that the game flows smoothly in play. It is also more typical to see feedback from players cause game mechanics to be adjusted or altered, as it
275:
in 2008 and 2009, releasing the rules as free PDF's (and also in print for the beta version) on their web store. Anyone could join the playtest by downloading the documents, running games using them, and posting their feedback on the Paizo message boards. This playtest, which was active for over a
221:
were openly playtested, with beta invites being distributed to (and in some cases by) volunteers. Valve also has a general beta signup form on their website; this survey is intended to recruit testers both in the
Seattle/Bellevue area and from other locations, to test new games and gaming hardware
284:
In the board game industry, playtesting applies both to feedback gathered during the early design process as well as late stage exposure to the target audience by a game's publisher. Major types of boardgame testing include local testing — where a designer, developer, or publisher representative
113:
In the video game industry, playtesting refers specifically to the process of exposing a game in development (or some specific parts of it) to its intended audience, to identify potential design flaws and gather feedback. Playtests are also used to help ensure that a product will be commercially
206:
uses a method of playtesting whereby players that purchased the game can participate in an open beta. The beta is nearly identical to the actual game itself, but includes items that are on their way to being released in the full game. The purpose of this beta is to test those items before their
172:
was tested in this manner; its playtest only included the multiplayer portion of the game, while the single-player campaign was not revealed. Heart of the Swarm is also an example of a playtest where average players are not being considered for entry; the initial wave of testers are only being
302:
players from the area around their offices to test new cards and expansions, as well as distributing playtest packages at conventions. According to the SJG website, this is done "so we can observe carefully which cards work well, which jokes aren't as funny as we thought, and so on."
85:
normally refers to the final stages of testing just before going to market with a product, and is often run semi-open with a limited form of the game in order to find any last-minute problems. With all forms of playtesting it is not unusual for participants to be required to sign a
76:
playtest could be considered open to anyone who wishes to join, or it may refer to game designers recruiting testers from outside the design group. Prospective testers usually must complete a survey or provide their contact information in order to be considered for participation. A
157:, which was made available for purchase in its pre-alpha stages. This both helped to financially support the game and provide feedback and bug testing during its early stages. Playtesting began even before the game features included multiplayer or the ability to save games.
245:
While D&D's 4th edition did see some playtesting, this was mainly restricted to classes added after the game's initial release, such as the monk and the bard. The playtest documents were released through the online
41:
is the process by which a game designer tests a new game for bugs and design flaws before releasing it to market. Playtests can be run "open", "closed", "beta", or otherwise, and are very common with
292:
miniatures game. In this case, they used the feedback generated on the rules to improve the game but also used feedback on the playtest itself to improve logistics on the D&D Next playtest.
97:
The word 'playtest' is also commonly used in unofficial situations where a game is being tested by a group of players for their own private use, or to denote a situation where a new strategy or
363:, that some details will be leaked onto the web. This is a major risk for companies wishing to preserve secrecy, particularly in nations where there are no way to prevent leaks from occurring.
188:
games, publishes playtests to the public during the release process so that a broader range of testers can verify that new features don't introduce critical errors such as
359:
Even if the game itself is not leaked, details regarding its gameplay still may be. It is likely that over the course of an open playtest, even one where testers signed
213:
does not often make use of open playtesting, in keeping with the company's tradition of tightly controlling what information they release to the public. However, both
257:
207:
release, to ensure that they are balanced and fair; in this way, the game is constantly being playtested despite the fact that it has been released.
919:
694:
114:
viable upon release, by providing a way for consumers to play the game and provide their opinions. Playtesting should not be confused with
871:
761:
734:
707:
665:
165:
through weekly development releases, allowing players to experiment with unfinished additions to the game and provide feedback on them.
276:
year, is the longest-running open playtest in RPG history to date, as well as being one of the largest due to its unrestricted nature.
636:
285:
moderates the test in person, and remote testing, where groups receive copies of the game or files to assemble their own version.
485:
968:
508:
168:
Some games make use of playtesting with only part of their content, leaving other important sections unexposed to the public.
320:
118:(QA) testing, in which professional testers look for and report specific software bugs to be fixed by the development team.
468:
848:
522:
218:
169:
973:
129:
in 1976. Prior to this, the company had evaluated their games primarily via coin-collection data, however
272:
141:
described playtesting as "what everyone says is the least favorite part of the game-building operation".
17:
923:
289:
978:
353:
360:
324:
87:
814:
382:
343:. The test proved successful, and four teams began the league's first season the following year.
31:
769:
177:
875:
738:
711:
610:
565:
312:
235:
46:
791:
695:
Dungeons & Dragons
Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (News on D&D Next)
669:
299:
253:
239:
185:
8:
673:
336:
295:
535:
441:
340:
231:
is usually easier to make such changes with an RPG than it would be with a video game.
493:
464:
445:
433:
403:
210:
193:
133:
became a core method by which Atari evaluated the commercial viability of new games.
115:
102:
54:
551:
402:
Yáñez-Gómez, Rosa; Cascado-Caballero, Daniel; Sevillano, José-Luis (February 2017).
234:
An example of a role-playing game that was heavily playtested is the 5th edition of
423:
415:
377:
268:
137:
250:
Magazine, and were originally available for both subscribers and non-subscribers.
404:"Academic methods for usability evaluation of serious games: a systematic review"
372:
332:
203:
62:
897:
641:
587:
142:
98:
835:
419:
962:
849:"Playtesters: What They Do & Why They're Important to Making Great Games"
437:
327:
in a special one-time game in 1986. This game was organized at the behest of
122:
948:
Janssen, Craig; Burke, Matt (February 1995). "Playtesting Fallen
Empires".
271:
ran a completely open playtest through the alpha and beta stages of their
153:
An example of a video game that made extensive use of open playtesting is
125:
employee in the video game industry was Carol Kantor, who was employed by
130:
126:
50:
173:
selected from the ranks of professional SCII gamers and from the media.
428:
58:
42:
311:
The playtest concept has been carried over into a full-fledged sport.
65:
process. An individual involved in testing a game is referred to as a
401:
154:
91:
81:
playtest is an internal testing process not available to the public.
611:"Valve seeks playtesters for game projects and hardware prototypes"
316:
197:
146:
539:
214:
189:
181:
158:
950:
256:
is running a playtest of the first installment of their new
30:
This article is about the process. For the TV episode, see
331:
in order to test the viability of the game's concept. The
637:"Players Roll the Dice for Dungeons & Dragons Remake"
328:
666:"Charting the Course for D&D: Your Voice, Your Game"
288:
Wizards of the Coast ran a public playtest of their new
61:, for which they have become an established part of the
922:. The Florida Times-Union. May 12, 2001. Archived from
509:"Minecraft.net goes live and you can save your levels"
352:
before it will launch, or implementing other forms of
200:
can be balanced out prior to the next stable release.
960:
634:
792:"Join the Beta and Be Among the First to Play"
947:
663:
477:
461:Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play
161:continues to make use of playtesting with
101:is being tested. Playtesting is a part of
90:, in order to protect the game designer's
427:
588:"Valve Playtester Survey (Introduction)"
608:
14:
961:
874:. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from
768:. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from
737:. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from
710:. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from
898:"Playtesting for Steve Jackson Games"
872:"Dungeon Command - Follow the Leader"
458:
225:
105:in the process of game development.
912:
483:
812:
759:
635:Gilsdorf, Ethan (January 9, 2012).
506:
24:
941:
869:
732:
705:
523:"Heart Of The Swarm Beta Now Live"
463:. Dorling Kindersley. p. 16.
27:Process of testing in game design
25:
990:
836:Pathfinder RPG (Atomic Array 029)
609:Petitte, Omri (10 October 2012).
408:Multimedia Tools and Applications
196:and unwanted side effects on the
708:"Playtest: First Round Overview"
664:Mearls, Mike (January 9, 2012).
536:OpenRA wiki: Development Process
346:
219:Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
170:StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
890:
863:
841:
829:
806:
784:
753:
726:
699:
688:
657:
628:
602:
815:"Welcome to the Beta Playtest"
580:
558:
544:
529:
515:
500:
452:
395:
306:
279:
260:. This playtest is similar to
108:
13:
1:
969:Role-playing game terminology
954:. No. 4. pp. 90–94.
388:
484:Dyer, Richard (1984-05-06).
184:, which recreates the early
7:
838:. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
366:
273:Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
10:
995:
222:that Valve is developing.
29:
566:"Valve Playtester Survey"
420:10.1007/s11042-016-3845-9
920:"A good idea...on paper"
323:, tested his concept of
88:non-disclosure agreement
851:. Renegade Game Studios
383:User acceptance testing
32:Playtest (Black Mirror)
974:Board game terminology
794:. Fantasy Flight Games
552:"Team Fortress 2 Beta"
459:Marie, Meagan (2018).
236:Dungeons & Dragons
178:open-source video game
47:collectible card games
900:. Steve Jackson Games
554:. Team Fortress Wiki.
486:"Masters of the Game"
321:Arena Football League
186:Command & Conquer
772:on December 12, 2009
670:Wizards of the Coast
511:. The Word of Notch.
254:Fantasy Flight Games
240:Wizards of the Coast
676:on January 12, 2012
339:played the game in
337:Chicago Politicians
319:and founder of the
296:Steve Jackson Games
817:. Paiso Publishing
341:Rockford, Illinois
226:Role-playing games
55:role-playing games
735:"Playtest Update"
507:Persson, Marcus.
238:. For this game,
194:lockstep protocol
116:quality assurance
16:(Redirected from
986:
979:Software testing
955:
935:
934:
932:
931:
926:on June 23, 2012
916:
910:
909:
907:
905:
894:
888:
887:
885:
883:
867:
861:
860:
858:
856:
845:
839:
833:
827:
826:
824:
822:
813:Bulmahn, Jason.
810:
804:
803:
801:
799:
788:
782:
781:
779:
777:
757:
751:
750:
748:
746:
730:
724:
723:
721:
719:
703:
697:
692:
686:
685:
683:
681:
672:. Archived from
661:
655:
654:
652:
650:
632:
626:
625:
623:
621:
606:
600:
599:
597:
595:
584:
578:
577:
575:
573:
562:
556:
555:
548:
542:
533:
527:
526:
519:
513:
512:
504:
498:
497:
492:. Archived from
490:The Boston Globe
481:
475:
474:
456:
450:
449:
431:
414:(4): 5755–5784.
399:
378:Software testing
269:Paizo Publishing
192:problems in the
138:The Boston Globe
21:
994:
993:
989:
988:
987:
985:
984:
983:
959:
958:
944:
942:Further reading
939:
938:
929:
927:
918:
917:
913:
903:
901:
896:
895:
891:
881:
879:
878:on July 2, 2012
870:Dupuis, Chris.
868:
864:
854:
852:
847:
846:
842:
834:
830:
820:
818:
811:
807:
797:
795:
790:
789:
785:
775:
773:
758:
754:
744:
742:
741:on July 2, 2012
731:
727:
717:
715:
714:on May 30, 2012
704:
700:
693:
689:
679:
677:
662:
658:
648:
646:
633:
629:
619:
617:
607:
603:
593:
591:
586:
585:
581:
571:
569:
564:
563:
559:
550:
549:
545:
534:
530:
521:
520:
516:
505:
501:
482:
478:
471:
457:
453:
400:
396:
391:
373:Quality control
369:
349:
333:Rockford Metros
325:indoor football
309:
290:Dungeon Command
282:
228:
204:Team Fortress 2
111:
63:quality control
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
992:
982:
981:
976:
971:
957:
956:
943:
940:
937:
936:
911:
889:
862:
840:
828:
805:
783:
760:Heinsoo, Rob.
752:
733:Mearls, Mike.
725:
706:Mearls, Mike.
698:
687:
656:
642:New York Times
627:
601:
579:
557:
543:
528:
514:
499:
496:on 1997-06-07.
476:
470:978-0241395066
469:
451:
393:
392:
390:
387:
386:
385:
380:
375:
368:
365:
348:
345:
308:
305:
281:
278:
227:
224:
180:engine remake
143:Steve Meretzky
110:
107:
103:usability test
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
991:
980:
977:
975:
972:
970:
967:
966:
964:
953:
952:
946:
945:
925:
921:
915:
899:
893:
877:
873:
866:
850:
844:
837:
832:
816:
809:
793:
787:
771:
767:
763:
756:
740:
736:
729:
713:
709:
702:
696:
691:
675:
671:
667:
660:
644:
643:
638:
631:
616:
612:
605:
589:
583:
567:
561:
553:
547:
541:
537:
532:
525:. Battle.net.
524:
518:
510:
503:
495:
491:
487:
480:
472:
466:
462:
455:
447:
443:
439:
435:
430:
425:
421:
417:
413:
409:
405:
398:
394:
384:
381:
379:
376:
374:
371:
370:
364:
362:
357:
355:
347:Disadvantages
344:
342:
338:
334:
330:
326:
322:
318:
314:
304:
301:
297:
293:
291:
286:
277:
274:
270:
266:
263:
259:
258:Star Wars RPG
255:
251:
249:
243:
241:
237:
232:
223:
220:
216:
212:
208:
205:
201:
199:
195:
191:
187:
183:
179:
174:
171:
166:
164:
160:
156:
151:
148:
144:
140:
139:
134:
132:
128:
124:
123:user research
119:
117:
106:
104:
100:
99:game mechanic
95:
93:
89:
84:
80:
75:
70:
68:
64:
60:
56:
52:
48:
44:
40:
33:
19:
949:
928:. Retrieved
924:the original
914:
902:. Retrieved
892:
880:. Retrieved
876:the original
865:
853:. Retrieved
843:
831:
819:. Retrieved
808:
796:. Retrieved
786:
774:. Retrieved
770:the original
765:
755:
743:. Retrieved
739:the original
728:
716:. Retrieved
712:the original
701:
690:
678:. Retrieved
674:the original
659:
647:. Retrieved
640:
630:
618:. Retrieved
614:
604:
592:. Retrieved
582:
570:. Retrieved
560:
546:
531:
517:
502:
494:the original
489:
479:
460:
454:
411:
407:
397:
358:
350:
310:
294:
287:
283:
267:
261:
252:
247:
244:
233:
229:
209:
202:
175:
167:
162:
152:
136:
135:
120:
112:
96:
83:Beta testing
82:
78:
73:
71:
66:
51:puzzle hunts
38:
36:
855:28 November
766:Dragon #375
645:. p. 2
429:11441/74400
307:Other games
280:Board games
131:playtesting
127:Atari, Inc.
109:Video games
59:video games
43:board games
18:Playtesting
963:Categories
930:2009-08-06
904:11 October
882:11 October
821:11 October
798:11 October
776:18 October
762:"The Monk"
745:11 October
718:11 October
680:January 9,
649:January 9,
620:14 October
594:14 October
572:14 October
389:References
313:Jim Foster
262:Minecraft'
121:The first
92:copyrights
67:playtester
446:254833872
438:1380-7501
163:Minecraft
155:Minecraft
615:PC Gamer
367:See also
335:and the
317:inventor
300:Munchkin
198:gameplay
39:playtest
590:. Valve
568:. Valve
147:Infocom
540:GitHub
467:
444:
436:
248:Dragon
215:Dota 2
190:desync
182:OpenRA
159:Mojang
79:closed
57:, and
951:Scrye
442:S2CID
298:uses
211:Valve
906:2012
884:2012
857:2019
823:2012
800:2012
778:2012
747:2012
720:2012
682:2012
651:2012
622:2012
596:2012
574:2012
465:ISBN
434:ISSN
361:NDAs
217:and
176:The
74:open
424:hdl
416:doi
354:DRM
329:NBC
145:of
72:An
965::
764:.
668:.
639:.
613:.
538:,
488:.
440:.
432:.
422:.
412:76
410:.
406:.
356:.
315:,
94:.
69:.
53:,
49:,
45:,
37:A
933:.
908:.
886:.
859:.
825:.
802:.
780:.
749:.
722:.
684:.
653:.
624:.
598:.
576:.
473:.
448:.
426::
418::
34:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.