Playtesting - CS 489 - Computers and Games I

CS 489 - Computers and Games - Spring 2009 Playtesting Presentation

Loyola College > Department of Computer Science > Dr. James Glenn > CS 489 > Presentations > Playtesting

Presentation Dates: Wed, Feb. 4 and Fri, Feb 6

To do in groups of 2-3

Objectives:

to design and conduct a playtest
to communicate the results of those tests orally

Assignment

Choose an existing game to perform playtesting on. It does not have to be a first-person shooter, but it should lend itself to testing similar to that performed by the Microsoft game-testing lab as described in the Wired article. Choose some data to gather (examples: location of player, time and cause of death, items used) and then record some data as you observe several people playing the game several times each.

Your study should work particularly well with a game that you perceive a flaw in. Your tests would then attempt to demonstrate that your perception is correct.

This study would also work well with a user-designed level in a game that allows players to construct them. You could start with your own level design or an existing level design and then modify the design using the results of your testing.

Presentation

Your group will give a 15-20 minute presentation with the results of your study. Your presentation should include:

a brief introduction to the game suitable for people who have never seen it before;
a description and justification of the data you chose to gather; and
suggestions on how to improve the game based on your observations.

Human Subjects Considerations

Research involving human subjects generally must be approved by the Institutional Review Board. Classroom projects do not require review if all four of the following conditions are met (from Office of Research & Sponsored Programs Human Subjects FAQ):

the research does not include topics of a sensitive or personal nature;
the participants in the study will be limited to other Loyola students who volunteer to participate;
no minors (individuals under 18 years of age) or other vulnerable populations are involved in the research; and
the project will not involve dissemination of any kind (such as public presentation, publication, posting of findings on a wegpage, etc.).

To track compliance with these requirements (points 2 and 3 in particular), you should create a consent form (a sample is from the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs) to be completed by each study participant.