# THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WEEKLY PLAYTESTS

## Every Friday, our team gathers to discuss the game's progress. We “show and tell” new features, iterations, and any changes that were made to the project. And then, before taking a well-deserved weekend break, we do one more thing: we playtest.

## Testing is an integral part of how we do things at Ratloop Canada. Our weekly sessions are not only beneficial to the game but to our team as a whole. Here's how:

## **THE GAME**

## **• Bugs:** Testing is the most effective way, if not the only way, to find bugs.

## **• Opportunities:** Playing the game can inspire new ideas.

## **• Perspective:** Putting yourself in the player’s shoes casts visibility on the end-user experience.

## **• Context:** How can you do great work if you don't understand the context in which your work will be experienced?

## **• Focus:** Playing (especially watching others play) will clearly demonstrate what the project’s priorities are and how to create a frustration-free experience.

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## **THE TEAM**

## **• Visibility:** Helps the team stay updated with all the changes made during the week.

## **• Accomplishment:** Seeing your contributions shaping the project is highly motivating.

## **• Knowledge:** Testing increases project awareness, which leads to better decision-making across all disciplines.

## **• Team building:** Playing together unifies the team, improves communication, and turns coworkers into friends (or enemies!).

## **• Enjoyment:** When you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.

## From our experiences, playtesting vastly improves the final quality of your projects. Test early, test often, and have fun!