39. Briefing the Player
Step 3. Observing Players
When you welcome a player into your studio and makeshift playtest lab, it’s possible that they might be excited, especially if it’s their first time inside a games studio. Try not to amplify this, don’t draw attention to how ‘awesome’ the studio is, if anything, downplay the environment and direct the player to the playtest area. It goes without saying perhaps, but do not discuss or mention anything about the game they will be playing today until they are in the playtesting area.
Once in the playtesting area you can outline to the player what is expected of them today. Before revealing anything about the game however, you should ask them to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) if required.
It’s unlikely that if the player did break the NDA that you would engage in a legal battle, however asking them to sign does set the tone that this is a serious matter and they shouldn’t publicly disclose anything they see today.
You might also want to engage in some small talk about games they are playing, and there are several benefits to this. The first is to put the player at ease, they are in a new environment and they have never met you before. Related to this, the second benefit, is that you are building rapport with the player, this should help with the interviewing phase later on. The final benefit is to confirm their player profile, a final check to establish that they do indeed play the sorts of games that are relevant to today’s playtest.
Once settled, you can now outline how the playtest itself will work. You might want to prepare a checklist of points to make sure you don’t miss anything and are consistent with what you say to each player, it might include:
Today you are going to play a game as if you had just bought/downloaded it and are playing for the first time at home.
We are testing the game today, not testing you.
You do not need to talk out loud while you play. I will come back later on to have a chat with you about how you got on.
You are going to play a game that is currently in development. Things might go wrong in the game, it could even crash, this is ok. We are not interested in bugs or things that are broken.
You will be in the room on your own. I will be able to observe from outside, so if you get stuck, the game crashes, or you need a bathroom break, then raise your hand (for example) and I will come back into the room.
Do you have any questions for me?
If your game does not have a tutorial yet, or the player needs some instructions, then you can leave printouts of key material on the desk for them to refer to, e.g. a controller mapping.
With that, you can leave the room and join your team in the observation area.
Key Takeaway
Letting the player know what is expected of them will help them feel at ease. We are not testing the player, we are testing the game’s design.