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Playtesting for Echos Of Lalibela

For my playtest, I recruited my cousin who is luckily in our target demographic! He is a 19 year old Freshman and plays games on a regular basis. He has also participated in our previous feedback survey so he was already familiar with the concept of the game.

The test was administered asynchronously, I sent him the instructions, game link, and survey through a text. He was able to send the survey back to me within a few hours. 


My cousin is in the middle of finals right now and sending him the game to play at his convenience was the best way to accommodate his schedule. Because this was done through a text, I did not have a traditional experience of running a playtest. In the future, I would definitely try to set up a time where I can be with the player as they play through the game so I can answer their questions more directly and experience their reactions. 


Even though I wasn’t able to be there when he played, I think he still was able to give quality feedback. 

Here are his responses that I found most valuable and my thoughts: 


1. Words that come to mind after playing the game: Interesting, potential, engaging

I am really happy he found the game to be interesting/engaging, it is also encouraging to hear that it has potential! 

 


2. Would you play this again: 3 


While this score does not necessarily mean he would run out to play this game again, it does indicate that he would be willing to play again if we made some adjustments.

3. Would you like to learn more about this game: 4

Even though he gave the game a low score for willingness to play again, he is interested in learning more about the game. I think if we implement some changes to the game, we will be able to increase engagement. 


4. Were the directions clear: 4 


It is great to hear that the directions were mostly clear, however I would love some additional clarification on what part he found confusing.


5. Was the story interesting: 4  


Similar to the previous point, it is great to hear that the story is interesting, but it would be helpful to know what held it back from being a 5. 


6. Were the controls easy to use (+ why) : 2 (Had trouble controlling without a mouse, very sensitive) 

I agree that the arrow controls to move the character around are somewhat confusing, however because we are using construct, I am not sure if we are able to adjust the sensitivity. 

7. Were you able to “win” the game: No 

This is another question where clarification would be helpful. I want to know more about why he was not able to “win.” Was it the drag and drop feature or was it finding the NPC “Makeda” who needs to be collided with in order to win?


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