“One question I try to always ask playtesters is ‘How well do you think the final scores represent your performance?’ It gets players talking about frustrations, strong moments, opacity, varied strategies, and misaligned incentives. The tone they use also represents engagement.”
— Jon Vallerand
“Express extreme appreciation for negative feedback, so that testers learn they should always speak up about issues.”
— John Brieger
“Don’t be afraid to show a #gamedesign that isn’t ready, be afraid you’ve shown too late to make significant changes.”
— John Brieger
“Diversify your influences. I promise you that it’s immediately obvious if your only source of game design education comes from one book or one writer’s articles.”
— Eric Lang
“Ever playtest a game where it becomes clear the designer doesn’t really want critical feedback but just a pat on the back? Don’t be that person.”
— Jesse Catron
“Be part of a community of designers. You’ll learn just by talking through issues with other experienced people.”
— John Brieger
“Play everything you can… The more you widen your knowledge of styles and mechanics, the easier you’ll come to see how to improve your developing game.”
— Andrew Harman