An important aspect of game development is trying out a game during its production. By continuously collecting player feedback and investigating the user experience, the final product is more likely to deliver a solid experience with satisfying features, game designs and gameplay. How can you help and how does it work? We met with our Games Lab team to find out.
At Massive Entertainment, a team of three people oversees the daily operations in our Games Lab. Here, they welcome both internal co-workers but also external participants – players – to conduct playtests on our games currently in production and games that are live and regularly releasing new content.
“We are responsible for recruiting players to join our playtests, setting up the rooms and computers with up-to-date tech, and assisting during the test,” says Games Lab Manager Valeriya Hrynkevich.
But perhaps most importantly, they observe the reactions of the players during the test and collect their verbal and written feedback following each session. The findings play a crucial part in the ongoing production and the outcome of the game and its continuous updates after release.
“We conduct these tests from the very early stages of game development. They help make our games better, improve the player’s experience and make sure that everything works as intended,” Valeriya says.
How to become a playtester
Anyone over the age of 18 can sign up to become a playtester, and the process of doing so is simple.
As a Massive playtester, all you need to do is to get comfortable and play the game as you would be playing it at home.
If you are interested, simply sign up through the dedicated website, which automatically adds you to the playtester database. When it’s time for a playtest, the team will share a recruitment survey with all the registered playtesters. If your profile fits the specific test, you will be contacted and invited to Massive to take part in the playtest.
On the day of the test, the Games Lab team together with our User Research team welcome the group of playtesters and brief them about what they will be playing.
In the words of Valeriya: “As a Massive playtester, all you need to do is to get comfortable and play the game as you would be playing it at home.”
Sounds exciting? Welcome to submit your application!
