The Playtest Kit - Run playtests today

Playtesting made simple.

Playtesting is essential for successful game development.

Get the definitive kit to recruit, prepare, run and analyse your playtests with this comprehensive system.

"...the perfect tool for game development teams of any size." - Jo Haslam Design Director at Snap Finger Click

Running a playtest is time-consuming.

As a game dev you know iteration and playtesting is the secret to a great game. But most game developers don't playtest enough. I asked why...

"It's hard to find real players to take part"

"We don’t have time to playtest"

"It’ll just tell me problems I already know"

"It's hard & take ages to deal with the messy data"

"I’m not sure I’m doing it right. Am I biasing my results?"

"I don’t have the tools I need to run a playtest"

But it doesn't have to be so hard...

Imagine a willing group of appropriate players waiting to be called upon when needed.

A simple process for identifying when & what we need to playtest.

A library of playtest methods at your disposal, ready to be called on when needed.

Pivoting easily between in-person & remote playtesting, and writing reliable surveys.

Cutting through the noise of opinions to make unbiased informed data based game design decisions.

And a reliable, robust tech setup - ready for any playtest challenge.

Playtesting made simple

UX researchers know how to build a reliable and repeatable playtesting process. But many game teams can’t afford a dedicated researcher or consultant fees, and get stuck.

This toolkit is for you. Designed in collaboration with game designers, producers, community managers, QA managers, UX designers and solo game devs, it brings the expertise of over 25,000 playtest hours into one complete playtest toolkit.

It's a comprehensive & actionable toolkit packed with frameworks, templates, resources, and tools.

The playtest kit will help you save hundreds of hours, and ensure you get reliable & useful results from your playtest - maximum results with minimum effort.

The promise.

🧱 Get organized & save time with a repeatable & efficient playtesting process

🧑‍🔬 Incorporate UX and User Research expertise instantly to avoid costly errors

🔎 Find reliable playtest participants, and make the best use of them

🕵️‍♂️ Draw reliable & evidence based game design conclusions based on real player behaviour

📈 Reduce risk by playtesting throughout development, find the fun and maximise your chance for success

A complete step-by-step playtesting process for faster playtesting, with better results.

You'll get the complete toolkit with templates, guides + everything you need to run playtests today.

Find playtesters, design & run playtests, and make sense from the data to find problems you didn't know your game had.

Create an environment for playtesting

• Decide when & what to playtest
• Convince teams to playtest
• Playtest collaboration
• A repeatable playtest process

Find playtesters

• Define your players
• Find reliable playtesters cheaply
• Use your community
• Make a research panel
• Get legal and ethical consent from players

Prepare your playtest

• Pick the right playtest method
• Design live & unmoderated tasks and surveys
• Set up the tech to run live and remote sessions
• Schedule a playtest
• Avoid leaks
• Ask the right questions

Analyse your data

• Cut through the noise of opinions with evidence
• Find the meaning in the results
• Learn what to action and what to ignore

Discover and fix problems

• Find the fun
• Fix usability & UX issues
• Balance game difficulty, progression, currencies and more
• Make evidence-based decisions about design, mechanics, FTUE, retention, balance and more...

Some love for the Playtest Kit

"...there's so much to take away here, it feels like getting a consultant in at a fraction of the cost..." - Dan Marshall, BAFTA-winning indie dev, Size Five Games

"... makes playtesting feel not only less overwhelming, but genuinely more effective. It's a must-read for new developers and veterans alike..." - Morgan Baker - Accessibility Lead & Game Designer

"...gives you all the tools and tips you need to plan, run and analyse your own playtesting!... get stuck in!" - Nikka Oldale- User Research Manager at Team 17

"...the perfect tool for game development teams of any size. ensuring that playtesting is never out of reach to even the smallest indie developer." - Jo Haslam - Design Director at Snap Finger Click

"...clear, concise, practical tools and templates, and teaching how to find answers, to support the pursuit of excellence... a genuine wish come true"... - Juney Dijkstra MSc. - Legacy Portfolio Manager at Paradox Interactive

"...Perfect for people new to the game scene and want to learn industry-standard practice, or for veterans who want to streamline their process..." - Scott Brebner - Senior Game Designer at Glowmade

What's included?

70+ resources to help you plan, run and analyse your playtests

• Test prototypes
• Recruit playtesters
• Pick the right playtest method
• Write a survey
• Set up the tech for running and recording live & remote playtests
• Make evidence based decisions
• Deal with community feedback & more!

Complete testing from prototype to launch

• Get instant, customizable templates to help you pick the right method to get the results you need, fast.
• Maximise the value from your playtests and avoid wasting expensive time by testing throughout development.

Find the right players

• Access proven player recruitment methods to define and grow your player-base.
• Learn from others who spent hundreds of hours running playtests on how to define and access the right players.

Save time using carefully curated templates

• Get access to prepared templates for surveys, player recruitment, non disclosure agreements and more.
• Build from a base and modify them to suit your game's needs. Remix it. Make it yours.

Cut through the noise of opinions

• Learn how to gather reliable and actionable evidence to inform game development decisions.
• Find real data to convince clients, colleagues or yourself, and find the fun!

Bring structure into your playtest workflow

• Pre-built checklists guide you through your tasks.
• Ensure you don't miss out on anything important!

The Playtest Kit is made by Steve Bromley, who has worked as a professional games user researcher for over a decade on AAA, AA and Indie games, and helped studios set up their own playtesting & user research processes.

This kit was designed in collaboration with game designers, producers, community managers, UX designers and solo game devs. it brings the expertise of over 25,000 playtest hours into one complete playtest system - making playtesting accessible to all.

If you feel the price of the course is too high, and want a location or income-based discount, feel free to send me a message on Twitter, I would be happy to offer you an appropriate discount.

Any questions about The Playtest Kit?

DM me on Twitter @steve_bromley and I'll help out!