作者：Joe Mauriello

作为Amplify Learning的游戏设计调查人员，玩法测试是我日常工作的一个核心环节。我们正准备制作下一代教育类游戏。我们的任务是创造很有趣，同时还能够通过游戏系统传递知识和辩证思考的内容。虽然我们已经完成了大量工作，但市场上并不存在教育类游戏的成功标准。这让我们不得不在设计游戏时进行了大量假设。为了确保游戏获得成功，我们直接在开发过程中整合了玩法测试。我们每两周测试一次游戏，将此作为我们开发里程中的节点。这是我首次经历如此紧密的玩法测试与开发相整合的过程，但在看到结果之后，我就成了这种方法的坚定支持分子了。在我其他工作场合中，测试并没有如此严密地绑定开发过程。这并不是因为大家看不到这种方法的价值，而是不了解它如何与开发过程相结合。我希望能够通过本文阐明这些要点。

Playtest(from edugameshub.com)

首先要声明，玩法测试不同于QA测试。事实上，执行一项测试时，我通常会忽略漏洞，除非它严重干扰了某些正在测试的内容。玩法测试的目标就是完善游戏系统。

我发现将开发过程划分为三个阶段，每个阶段都是相应测试目标，这种方法甚为有效。你从一个阶段迈入另一阶段之间并不一定都有明显界限。实际上游戏的不同层面在同一时间却可能处于不同阶段。重要的是如何集中你的注意力，以及你的发现对游戏开发究竟有多少价值。

1.在预制作阶段，我们测试了自己关于理念和主题的设想。这要早于我们设计过程开始的时候。我们将这一阶段的测试称为心智模式测试。在此开发阶段，我们所做的是挑选和创造工具。

2.早期开发测试让我们了解了自己的游戏系统，并助我们找到其中的乐趣。在这个开发阶段，我们在部署游戏系统。

3.之后的开发测试可帮助我们找到自己困惑和抓狂的来源。在这个阶段我们致力于加强控制和优化游戏。

心智模式测试

心智模式测试剖析了初期设想：我们的目标用户喜欢X风格的游戏吗？他们对这类游戏支持度有多高？我们制作的是教育类游戏，所以我们还要测试目标用户会将哪些知识带入游戏。这种测试相当于市场调查。

不要对这种测试反感，因为你在此过程中得到了原始创意。可以在聊天过程中与同龄人谈谈你的创意。要注意玩家对这类游戏题材或主题有何期待。了解玩家的设想可以让你在原创理念的框架上做出决策。这些问题也将促使你用新维度来思考自己的理念。

这个阶段的测试结果有助于你缩小理念，找到能够通过游戏设计表达自己的结果。

早期开发测试

开发应该在测试中进行。这意味着设置开发目标要与你之前的测试所发现的玩法测试问题保持一致。在开发早期，设计师应该关注游戏系统而非触及每一个游戏层面。缺乏经验的游戏设计师可能会急于将自己的理念转变为代码，以便看看它在屏幕上的运行效果。要抵制这种冲动。确定你最有风险的设想，找到对其进行测试的方法。例如，你可能想创造一款含有创新战斗机制、开放世界的RPG。你就不能只关注自己已知的情况（游戏邦注：例如角色如何在开放世界中行动），而要想想测试战斗机制的最快捷方法。此时你可能只需要一些纸笔和一个电子表格。

在早期测试阶段，你一定要理解自己的系统动态。这些动态就是你设计的游戏机制之间的互动。换句话说，它就是让你的游戏系统获得生命的东西。要观察玩家在系统中的决定。看看他们是否与你的预期一致？你的系统是否因玩家执行了非预期的行为而崩溃？如果你追求某种美学风格，或者来自系统动态的某种基调或感觉，但又没有现成的美术资产，最好给他们创造一点情境，提示他们在游戏中所扮演的角色以及游戏世界的设定。这种做法并无不妥，可以省去你向其叙述系统动态的功夫。此时，这一切还只是你的设想，观察玩法如何产生动态才是更重要的事情。

这个阶段的测试结果将告知游戏机制，让你更接近自己的设计目标。随着早期开发的发展，你在纸上的测试将变少，对最终系统的测试则逐渐增加。即使你已经部署了游戏的大部分内容，也最好不时进行一些纸上测试。尤其是当某些东西无法正常运行时，你就需要重新审视游戏的某些层面了。

开发测试后期

随着开发的推进，以及游戏系统决策的完成，你的关注点将从动态转向玩家对游戏的理解及其稳定性。此时，玩法测试更为顺利，更依赖观察结果。尤其是困惑来源，以及玩家对游戏的整体感觉。

此时游戏开发已经进入一定程度，你可能已经更加投入。作为设计师你很可能希望他们也喜欢游戏，但不要过于主观。不要急于完成游戏。要关注玩家的感觉和情感反应。你可以从他们的面部表情和口头表达发现用户的游戏体验究竟如何。如果玩家并不喜欢游戏，也要庆幸你在测试阶段就发现了。玩法测试者可能很残忍和愚蠢，也许会提出一些与游戏目标毫不相关的问题，或者执拗于一些你认为根本就不重要的东西。重要的是你在测试过程中要先将先入为主的念头和自尊搁置一边。不要试图捍卫游戏，要做一名客观的测试者。而实际情况要比听起来更困难。用户会根据自己的体验给予反馈，所以保持耐心非常关键。要关注他们与你游戏相关的评论。要重视解决那些让他们抓狂的问题。

这个阶段的测试结果有助于你确定游戏交互的问题。也许你需要为教程增加更多优化，也许有些游戏交互需要更多视觉反馈或者更大的奖励，需要调整游戏平衡等等。总之在游戏发布之前要先解决这些不足。

进行有效的反馈

玩法测试是迭代过程中的重要环节。要写了你的发现，可以考虑发出含有计分项的调查问卷。在你完成一个玩法测试后，要记录结果以便确定最佳执行方案。要将反馈结果归类，鉴定玩家所评论的内容属性，将其划入游戏美术、声音、动画、玩法、反应、情节、主题等类别。要确保记录他们所说的一切内容。即使是一些听起来荒唐可笑的结果，也有可能成为让你发现一个问题或新玩法角度的线索。你可能已经知道自己下一步的想法是什么，但比较一下你的反馈结果，你可能就会更改计划。可以试试在一个测试基础上进行另一轮测试，并比较不同场次的测试结果。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Phases of Playtesting (Part I)

In this article, game design researcher Joe Mauriello describes the phases of playtesting as a way to hone the game system.

Playtesting is a core component of my everyday work as a game design researcher at Amplify Learning.  We are attempting to build the next generation of educational games.  Our mission is to build games that are first and foremost fun, while also conveying learning content and critical thinking through the game system.  While a lot of work has been done in this area, there is no canon of educational games that do this successfully. This leads us to make a lot of assumptions while designing our games.  To help ensure success, we’ve integrated playtesting directly into our development process. We test every two weeks as a sort of capstone to our development sprints. This is the first time I’ve experienced such tight integration of playtesting and development and after seeing the results, I’ve become an advocate.  In the other places I’ve worked, testing has not been so tightly integrated. It wasn’t because people didn’t see value in the process, rather, there was a lack of understanding of how it fit into the development process.   I hope to help clarify that in this article.

Just to clarify, playtesting is not the same as QA testing. In fact, when conducting a test, I generally ignore the bugs unless it interfered in some critical way with what was being tested. The goal of playtesting is to hone the game system.

I find it helpful to break development into three phases each with it’s own testing goals.  It not always obvious when you are shifting from one phase to another. In fact different aspects of the game might be in different phases at the same time.  What’s important here is how to focus your attention and how your findings are valuable to the game’s development:

During pre-production we test our assumptions about concepts and subject matter.  This occurs even before we start the design process. We refer to tests during this phase as mental model tests.  During this phase of development we are selecting and building tools.

Early development tests help us understand the dynamics our game system and help us find the fun within them. During this phase of development we are implementing the game system.

Late development tests help us find sources of confusion and unintended frustration.  During this phase we tighten the screws and polish the game.

Mental Model Test

A mental model test addresses initial assumptions:  Does our target audience like “X” style of game?  What affordances do they bring to games of this type?  Since we are making educational games, we’ll also test what knowledge our target audience is bringing to the game.  This type of test is akin to market research.

Don’t be put off from doing this type of test because you have what you think is an original idea. Talk to your peers about your idea.  This type of research can be done through conversation.  Focus on what the player expects from the genre or theme you are working in. Understanding a player’s assumptions will allow you to make informed decisions within the framework of your original idea.  Asking these questions is going to get you thinking about your idea in new dimensions.

Test results during this phase will help you narrow down your concept and find where you want to express yourself through the game’s design.（source：gamedesignaspect）

Phases of Playtesting (Part II)

In Part I of this article, game design researcher Joe Mauriello describes the phases of playtesting as a way to hone the game system.  In Part II, he elaborates on the final stages of playtesting and how to learn from player feedback.

Early Development Test

Develop should progress with testing in mind. That means setting development goals in accordance with the playtesting questions you’ve uncovered from previous sprint playtests. Early in development, the designer should be focused on heart of the game’s system rather then trying to touch on every aspect of the game. An inexperienced game designer might be eager to get their ideas into code right away and see it come to life on the screen. Resist this impulse. Identify your most risky assumption and figure out a way to test it. For example: Perhaps you wish to build an open world RPG with an innovative battle mechanic. Rather than focus on what you know, for example on how the character moves around the open world, figure out the fastest way you can test that battle mechanic. You may just need some paper and a spreadsheet.

In the early phases of testing, it’s important to get to know your system’s dynamics. Dynamics are the result of your designed game mechanics interacting with one another.  In other words, it’s your game system brought to life. Observe the players’ decisions within the system. Are they in line with your expectations? Is your system breaking down because the player is doing unexpected things? If you are trying to capture a certain aesthetic, or the mood or feeling that arises from the dynamics of the system, but you don’t have much in the way of art, it might be helpful to give them a little flavor and context as to the role they are playing and the world the game is set in. It’s fine to do that, just avoid talking about the system’s dynamics. At this point, these will only be your assumptions. It’s more valuable to watch the dynamics arise through game play.

Test results during this phase will inform game mechanics and get you closer to your design goals. As early development progresses, you’ll be testing less on paper and more on the final system. Even if you have a substantial portion of your game implemented it may still be useful to conduct paper tests every now and again. Especially if something isn’t working and you need to pivot some aspect of the game.

Late Development test

As development progresses and decisions about the game system are being finalized, your focus will shift away from dynamics and towards the player’s comprehension of the game and it’s usability. At this point, playtests become more and more hands off and observation focused. Specifically on sources of confusion, unintended frustration, and the player’s overall feelings towards the game.

The game is further along in development at this point and you may be more heavily invested in it. As the designer, you’ll likely hope that they are enjoying themselves but don’t forget to be objective. Don’t be so eager to finish it. Pay attention to how players are feeling and reacting emotionally. Facial expressions and vocal utterances can tell a lot about how users are experiencing your game. If players aren’t enjoying themselves, be glad you caught it during testing. Playtest Participants can be brutal and silly. They can make suggestions that seem to have nothing to do with the game’s direction and fixate on aspects that you don’t feel are important. It’s crucial that you leave your preconceived notions and your ego out of the test. Don’t try to defend the game and be an objective listener, it’s tougher than it sounds. Users are giving feedback based on their experience so patience is essential here. Focus on how their comments relate to your game. Moments of unintended frustration are issues that need to be addressed.

Test results during this phase should help you clarify the game’s interactions. Perhaps you need to add a bit more polish to the tutorial, maybe some of the interactions in the game require more visual feedback or larger rewards, balancing might need tweaking, etc. Tie up your loose ends before your game is released into the wild.

Making Feedback Useful

Playtesting is a vital part of the iterative process. Write down your findings and consider giving out a survey with scorable questions. Once you’ve completed a playtest, document the results in order to determine the best course of action. Categorize the feedback collected, identify the area that a player is commenting on and organize it into the different aspects of your game like art, sound, animation, gameplay, feedback, plot, theme, and whatever else might suite your game. Be sure to take note of everything said. Even if something seems ridiculous, it might help give an issue or game play a new perspective. You probably had an idea of what you planned to do next but once you compare that with your feedback you might decide to shift course. Try to have playtests build on one another and compare results from one playtest to the next.（source：gamedesignaspect）