Whilst reports are ideal for transmitting knowledge to as many people as possible (scale), they do have some drawbacks. Firstly, they don’t allow for any follow-up questions, if there is something a reader doesn’t understand or needs more information on, then that’s not possible. In addition, they are not interactive, text and images can usually explain what the issue is, but sometimes a video might be a better format.

For these reasons, a presentation of the playtest findings is an ideal complement to the playtest report. How they can work together is the report can initially be sent out to the intended audience, then after a few days to allow time to read and digest the report, a presentation can be given.

Presenting to a Smaller Audience

The purpose of presenting the findings to a narrow group is to allow for depth of conversation. Here people can ask follow-up questions to ensure they fully understand what has happened, and the underlying causes of why these things happened. It could be the case that potential solutions could be designed in these sessions also.

Getting people together to discuss the results of a playtest could sound like yet another meeting request. Framing the results as a learning session where the team will learn about game design and player psychology helps turns what some might consider ‘another meeting’ into an invaluable learning opportunity.

These small-group presentations could be either formal (such as a scheduled team meeting), or a more casual format, e.g., “On Friday we’ll be showing video highlights of the 5 most interesting moments from this week’s playtest, everyone is welcome to drop by”.

Presenting to a Larger Audience

It is not unusual for short video clips of the key issues to be played in team meetings, management meetings, or ‘all-hands’ meetings. The rationale here is to create ‘common knowledge’ - if you have already read the report then you can see the issues in action, and if you haven’t read the report then you are now aware of the key findings.

The key purpose of this communication is to ensure that a wider audience is aware of what in the game is not working as intended, and what is fine and should be left alone. It’s critical that the team are aligned on what is most important to fix, they should be aware of all issues with the game, only then can they understand why one particular issue would be prioritised over another in order to deliver the best possible player experience.

Key Takeaway

Presenting the playtest findings to a small group of people is ideal for allowing deep engagement with the insights, helpful in generating solutions. Presenting the playtest findings to a large group is useful for reaching alignment, creating one shared account of where the game is at.

Next: Step 7. Aligning on Action > 61. Aligning on Action